Waterford Racing Club

What a start to the cyclocross season! 🚴‍♀️🏆

Round 1 of the Leinster Championship was at Kilmore Quay, one of the most local races on the calendar, so we were excited to be there. Severe weather early in the morning forced some rescheduling, but for once the forecast was right and it turned into a lovely morning. All races went ahead!

🥇 Sophia Quigley got us off to a storming start with a surprise win in the Girls U14, her first race at this level! She got a great start and swapped the lead a couple of times on the first lap before going clear. She then held the lead through all three laps and 35 minutes of racing, on a really tough, technical course. It was a potato farm on a beach, so there was plenty of sand! This was Sophia’s first ever win in a CX race.

🥈 Ryan Quigley was next up in the Boys U12. He also got a strong start and battled another rider for 2nd and 3rd the whole way round. He finally took 2nd with a lap to go and held it to the line, even though he snapped the sole clean off one shoe at the end👟💥

🥇 Donagh Stafford, just 6 years old, rode the U8 category and did a full lap of the same tough course as the U12s. He came home with a medal for 1st U8 on the day!

A big thank you to our friends at Wexford Wheelers for hosting a brilliant event. Well done everybody, what a great day out! 👏

With CX season nearly upon us, congratulations to Sophia Quigley who recently finished first unplaced female youth in the recent 3 race IMBRC pre-season CX series in Corkagh Park, Dublin, mixing it with the adults throughout.

Best of luck to Sophia, Ryan and Donagh in the 2026/2027 CX season which formally kicks off this weekend in Wexford.

Curious about competitive cycling?

If you're curious about racing or just want to crush your next sportive, come ride with us!

Whether you're aiming for a podium or just want to conquer those big climbs with ease, all riders are welcome.Get in touch 🚴‍♀️🚴‍♀️💪👊

McGinty Autumn Classic
.. but before we sign off on the 2026 road season, we had time for one more podium, this time Robin Kelly in McGinty Autumn Classic. Making it the 2,017,965th podium of his cycling career !

We are planning a big winter as a club this year, so if all goes well there will be many more podiums in 2027.

Well done to all who represented the club in the 2026 road season, young or old, or really, REALLY old, whether you won or lost, and those who supported, trained with, or had to otherwise put up with you !

🏆 Munster Youth TT Championships 🏆

That’s a wrap on the 2026 road season — and what a way to finish it! We were back down in Kanturk, Co. Cork, for the Munster Youth TT Championships, and there were some fantastic performances all round.

🥇 Emma Kelly was rewarded with gold in the U13 girls. Even more encouragingly, she put in a really strong performance against riders in the older age categories too — a great sign of what’s to come.

🥈 Sophia Quigley came tantalisingly close to joining Emma on the top step, taking silver and finishing just 8 seconds off the winner. To put that into perspective, this time last year she was about 2 and a half minutes behind. What phenomenal progress over the past 12 months — an incredible season! 🚀

🥇 Ryan Quigley was arguably the star of the show today, winning gold in a really tight and competitive U11 boys field. Just seconds separated the top four riders, and on a course we thought might favour the more powerful riders, Ryan pulled out a fantastic ride to take another Munster gold medal — adding to the road race title he won last month. 💪 In an interview with the man himself after the race, he admitted that he is now the best rider in the world, since he has more Munster titles than Tadej Pogacar.

A brilliant way to finish the road season. Huge congratulations to all the riders and everyone who has supported them along the way. 👏

Next … cyclocross! 🌧️🚲💨….if anyone fancies joining us for a bit of jumping up and down in muddy puddles, get in touch. It’s very beginner-friendly — and great fun!

Double Delight for Waterford Racing Club’s James Griffin!!!!

​Waterford Racing Club rider James Griffin delivered a standout performance across a high-octane weekend of provincial racing, securing a pair of podium finishes at the Munster Cycling Championships.

​The weekend commenced on Saturday in County Tipperary, where riders faced off against the clock in the Munster Time Trial Championships. Showcasing impressive pacing and power, James pushed through the course to claim a fantastic Gold medal in the Senior category for Waterford Racing Club.

​Refusing to rest on his laurels,James lined up again on Sunday for the Munster Road Race Championships in Whitechurch, County Cork. Navigating a competitive field and demanding road conditions, he once again featured at the sharp end of the action, battling his way to fantastic bronze medal finish.

​Taking home two provincial medals in twenty-four hours across two distinct disciplines—the solo effort of the time trial and the tactical battle of the road race—marks a remarkable double achievement for both Griffin and Waterford Racing Club.Well done James.....drive it on👏👏💪💪👊👊
Photo credit:Sean Rowe 📸

Irish Youth National Championships — a weekend to remember! 🚴

Huge congratulations to Ryan Quigley, Sophia Quigley and Emma Kelly on a brilliant end to the 2026 season in Moy, Co Tyrone, hosted by the Square Wheelers. As the photos show, the Argory was a spectacular backdrop for the finale.

Ryan, technically still an U10, raced up in the U11s for his first open road races and National Championships. He performed really respectably across all three events — especially the hilly criterium, where he was dropped four times and clawed his way back to the lead group every single time. The power is clearly there; now it's about the experience.

His sister Sophia stole the show for Waterford Racing Club in the Girls U12. A year ago, having finished at the back in the 2025 championships she set herself the stretchiest of stretch goals — to win a medal in 2026 — then put in the work, raced every chance she got and kept a brilliant attitude throughout. And she delivered: three bronzes across the TT 🥉, Road Race 🥉 and Criterium 🥉, hanging tough with the top two girls in the country at times and just - barely - holding off one of her closest friends and rivals and the rest of a high quality field. Next year she steps up as one of the youngest U14s, it will be a tough transition year, but she can't wait.

And we were thrilled to see Emma Kelly dig out a hard-fought bronze in the U13 Girls Criterium after a season disrupted by a crash and injury, having battled to 4th in both the TT and road race. A well-deserved reward.

A big thank you to everyone who trained with the kids this summer — especially the Tuesday night crew of Rolf, Noelle, Joe, Wally, Jimmy, Ritchie, Ben and the various guests who taught them to ride in a group. You helped make these medals happen. 🥉

Adult weekend roundup!!!On the Senior side of things. James griffin travelled to Belfast for the Bobby Crilly hosted by Phoenix cycling club, which turned out to be a grippy hilly day in the office.This was the last round of the National series which always attracts the top riders in the Country.

James gave a strong account of himself finishing in the top 20 and therefore accumalating his first points at the top level of domestic racing in Ireland.Well done James💪 🔵🔵🚲

🚴‍♀️🏆 A fantastic weekend for Waterford Racing Club at the Ulster International Youth 2-Day! 🏆🚴‍♂️

Huge congratulations to all our young riders who took on a seriously strong field in Derry, hosted by Foyle CC.

We got off to a flying start in the U12 with Sophia Quigley taking 🥉 in the Stage 1 time trial, before Emma Kelly immediately bettered that with 🥈in the U14 — and, even more impressively, taking the first White Young Riders Jersey against the highest calibre of opposition.

Unfortunately, that proved to be the high point of Emma’s weekend. A Di2 issue brought her race to an early end on Stage 3, and despite efforts from the team car the whole thing remains as dead as disco as of Sunday night. A frustrating - and probably expensive - way for her weekend to finish after such a brilliant start.

Sophia, meanwhile, just kept getting stronger. 💪

🥈 Stage 2 – silver in the bunch sprint
🥈 Stage 3 – silver again on a tough, hilly stage

But more than the results, it’s the performance and progression that really catches the eye.

This time last year, Sophia was finishing towards the back of this race, almost 10 minutes down after three stages. One year on, she was attacking in the closing kilometres in an attempt to take the overall, eventually finishing only around 25 seconds off the lead after three stages.

That is a huge progression in 12 months and a real reflection of the work she has been putting in. 👏🚴‍♀️

And we’re hoping her brother Ryan, who has just turned 10, can make a similar progression. It was a tough weekend for him against some of the best young riders in the country, with some of his competitors up to two years older. But he improved as the weekend went on, managing to hold onto the bunch until the final climb of Stage 3. Those are the experiences that will stand to him in the long run. 💪

And finally, a huge thank you to Foyle CC for once again putting on a fantastic event. The Ulster International Youth 2-Day is a brilliant race and a fantastic opportunity for young riders to test themselves against the very best. 👏