Young Carlow cyclist to compete in Holland and Belgium
Naoise Byrne competing on her bike
A young Carlow cyclist has her eyes set on going to compete against some of the best young cyclists in Holland and Belgium over the next couple of weeks. Naoise Byrne from Leighlinbridge has been making waves in the world of cycling for the past four years and at the young age of just 14, she has six national titles under her belt already. Not only has she excelled on the road, she’s also seen success on the track, often travelling to Scotland to compete at the Velodrome over there. The PDLS Bagenalstown student also takes part in Cross Cycling. She comes from a family of keen cyclists with both her parents and her three brothers all big supporters of Naoise at her races.
Her journey began on the paths of the River Barrow and Mountain Biking on the rough terrains of the Blackstairs Mountains. From there her love of cycling grew and inspired by her older brother Jamie, and her competitiveness, she joined Carlow Road Cycling Club back in 2021. The huge commitment it takes to succeed in sport paid off when she won her first National Road Race Championship title just two years later in 2023 and then followed this up by winning the National Track Championship in 2024. Naoise has also represented Carlow at the All Ireland Community Games, winning gold in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Aged out of this discipline, she moved on to new ventures by racing for an Irish ladies racing team, TC Racing.
2025 has been kind to the youngster and has seen her flourish and come into her own, winning title after title, including winning the Dungarvan Stage race, the Newcastlewest Stage race, Sliabh Luachra stage race, the Orwell Stage race. Naoise also managed to get top spot in the Carlow Road Race stage in May as part of Bike Week 2025.
Naoise is now off to Holland and Belgium to compete against some of the best riders in the world as they race in bunches along the city streets in Holland and cobbled climbs of Belgium. The races will be fast and furious, 40-50kpm+ with sharp corners and multiple crashes expected along the way. However this challenge won’t phase her, having already gained some great experience racing in the Tour of Scotland earlier this year and says she is looking forward to the challenge.
“Looking back on the last few years, it’s hard to believe how much has happened and how far I’ve come. I’m really looking forward to racing in Holland and Belgium. It’s going to be unbelievably tough but I just can’t wait."
This level of performance hasn’t come easy for Naoise. Her relentless work ethic and high level of skill has come with countless hours of training and sacrifice. This usually involves 5-6 days a week training, including long hours over the winter, strength and conditioning and a sensible approach to nutrition. Coached by her father, Adam, Naoise says she enjoys the competitive nature of the sport and how it’s allowed her to make friends.
“It takes serious commitment, but I do manage to have fun along the way. I enjoy so much about the sport, the hard sessions, meeting up with friends to train and I’ve even made plenty of friends along the way from all corners of the country”.
Cycling has no shortage of female role models, with the likes of Dame Laura Kenny setting the standard over the last ten years in the world of cycling. Ireland even has its own European Champion and Olympian in Lara Gillespie who has Carlow roots. However, it’s still seen as more of a male sport and Naoise is keen to dispel that rumour.
“Sometimes people think of this isn’t a sport for girls, they see it as too tough. But I’d love to see more girls get involved. It keeps you really fit and it’s a sport I can do until I’m very old. I love that I’m involved in something that I can be competitive at throughout my life”.
“It’s important to do good mix of training to be best prepared for all types of races. So, I do long easy hours to build up endurance, but also tackle the hills around Carlow to build strength, the downhills for skill development. I also use the flat roads to build up speed. It’s more fun when you have friends with you and luckily there’s a good bunch of fast riders around Carlow”.
The support of Carlow Road Cycling Club, Cycling Lenister and TC Racing has been crucial over the past few years. Naoise says her next step is to build on this racing experience in Holland and Belgium before representing Ireland at the next earliest opportunity.
