Megan Armitage withdraws from European Championships with Fiona Mangan to take her place

Cycling Ireland has announced that Megan Armitage will no longer participate in the upcoming European Championships, the Co. Offaly rider withdrawing from the 24-rider squad for the event.

Her place will be filled by Fiona Mangan, who showed good form recently with a seventh place finish on stage one of the Tour de l’Ardeche on September 5th.

Armitage had a strong showing at the weekend in the AG Tour de la Semois in France, netting fourth and stage one and finishing fifth overall. It was her first race back after crashing on stage two of the Tour de l’Ardeche and suffering a head injury. Cycling Ireland said that this was a factor in the decision.

“Cycling Ireland has respected Megan’s decision to withdraw from the European Road Championships following her recent concussion incurred prior to AG Tour de la Semois.

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“Armitage had a concussion in July, being hit by a bus while training in France, and will consequently be prioritising her health.”

The championships begin on Wednesday and run until Sunday. They are taking place in Drenthe in the Netherlands.

Armitage’s withdrawal is the third from the Team Ireland lineup. Sam Bennett recently withdrew from the squad due to illness picked up around the time of the Tour of Britain, while Erin Creighton won’t participate after her crash in Rás na mBan. CI confirmed to The Irish Times on Monday that those vacant slots will not be filled.

Mangan will line out with the 2022 national road race champion Alice Sharpe in the elite women’s road race on Saturday. Bennett had been due to contest the elite men’s road race the following day alongside Ryan Mullen, Rory Townsend and Rás Tailteann winner Dillon Corkery, with those three set to compete as planned.

The Ireland squad will also have entrants in the junior and Under-23 time trials and road races, as well as the elite time trials.

Those competing include the promising young riders Lucy Benezet Minns, Lara Gillespie, Darren Rafferty and Archie Ryan, among others.

Benezet Minns took a superb fourth in the junior time trial at cycling’s world road championships in August. She crashed out of the recent Rás na mBan but will hopefully be fully recovered. Gillespie took two gold medals at the European track championships in July.

Ryan won stage 7b of the Tour de l’Avenir on August 26th, while Rafferty won the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta – Mont Blanc in July and took fifth in the Under-23 time trial at the worlds.

Ireland Team – 2023 UEC European Road Championships, Drenthe, Netherlands

Junior Men Time Trial – September 20th

Adam Rafferty

Liam O’Brien

Patrick Casey

Junior Men Road Race – September 23rd

Seth Dunwoody

Adam Rafferty

Liam O’Brien

Patrick Casey

Cal Tutty

Oisin Ferrity

Junior Women Time Trial – September 20th

Lucy Benezet Minns

Aine Doherty

Julia Murphy

Junior Women Road Race – September 24th

Lucy Benezet Minns

Aine Doherty

Julia Murphy

U23 Men Time Trial – September 20th

Darren Rafferty

Dean Harvey

U23 Men Road Race – September 22nd

Darren Rafferty

Archie Ryan

Dean Harvey

Odhran Doogan

Jamie Meehan

Kevin McCambridge

U23 Women Road Race – September 22nd

Lara Gillespie

Caoimhe O’Brien

Aoife O’Brien

Erin Creighton

Elite Men Time Trial – September 20th

Ryan Mullen

Elite Men Road Race – September 24th

Ryan Mullen

Rory Townsend

Dillon Corkery

Elite Women Time Trial – September 20th

Kelly Murphy

Elite Women Road Race – September 23rd

Alice Sharpe

Fiona Mangan (Replacement for Megan Armitage)