Top Irish amateur cyclists Liam O’Brien and Seth Dunwoody have unveiled multi-year professional contracts, with the promising duo set to step up to the pro ranks at the start of 2027.
O’Brien’s signing to the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling team is an important boost to morale for an additional reason, as his younger brother Shane was killed in a tragic training accident in Ireland in June.
His contract was announced Tuesday morning, and sees him ink a three-year deal with the Swiss squad.
O’Brien moves up after spending three years with the Lidl-Trek Future Racing team, which is an amateur feeder team linked to the Lidl-Trek squad.
“Becoming a professional cyclist is a childhood dream coming true,” he said. “I’ve learnt a huge amount over the past three years, both as a rider and as a person, and I feel ready for this next step.
“From my first conversations with Douglas (general manager Douglas Ryder) and the other managers, I immediately felt a connection with the team and a really positive environment. That was important to me. I want to keep developing, learn from the people around me and contribute to the team from the beginning.”
The squad is already home to two Irish riders, Eddie Dunbar and Sam Bennett, and is led by the British all-rounder Tom Pidcock. The latter’s presence is of significance too, as O’Brien made clear when paying tribute to his brother Shane.
“He’s an important part of my journey and always will be,” he said of his brother. “Tom Pidcock was his ultimate idol, so he’s definitely happy I’m joining the team.”
O’Brien – pictured above – hails from Fermoy, which is approximately 50km from Dunbar’s home town. That too is part of why the team composition feels apt to him.
“Having Eddie in the team will be really nice. He’s achieved a lot in the sport and having another Irish rider there, especially someone from Cork, will help me with the step up,” O’Brien said.
Still just 21 years of age, O’Brien has made his mark as a strong climber. He won the mountains jersey in this year’s Ronde de l’Isard, a prestigious under-23 competition, and placed second and fourth overall in 2025 and 2026 respectively.
O’Brien also finished third overall in the 2024 Fleche du Sud and fourth in last year’s Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta-Mont Blanc.
Multi-day events are where he feels his future lies, meaning he could end up targeting races such as the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
“I see myself as a strong climber and a rider who gets better as stage races become harder,” he said. “I love the toughest days and I want to continue developing in that direction, while also becoming someone the team can rely on in the mountains.”
General manager Ryder believes in that potential too, and also in his mindset.
“What stood out to us about Liam wasn’t just his results, but his character,” he said. “He’s a grounded young rider with a real love for the sport, a strong work ethic, and a genuine curiosity to learn and improve every day.
“At 21, he’s already shown he can perform in the mountains and handle the demands of stage racing, but we believe he’s only scratching the surface of what he’s capable of. Our job now is to give him the support, guidance and opportunities to continue that progression at the professional level.”
O’Brien is likely to target the under-23 event at cycling’s World Road Race Championships in September.
It’s been a good week too for 20-year-old Seth Dunwoody, who took runner up finishes at two prestigious amateur races this season.
The Armagh cyclist went agonisingly close to winning the amateur Paris-Roubaix in April, leading out the sprint in the hallowed velodrome but being pipped in a photo finish by the Italian Davide Donati.
He also took second in the sprint in the In Flanders Fields – In Ieper/Kattekoers race in May, the under-23 version of Gent Wevelgem.
Dunwoody won stages in the Giro d’Italia Next Gen, Turul Romaniei and the Circuit des Ardennes in 2025.
On Monday it was confirmed that he will step up to the Bahrain Victorious WorldTour team on a three-year deal, having competed as a junior with its Cannibal-Victorious U19 Development Team and, for the past two seasons, for the Bahrain Victorious Development Team.
Seth Dunwoody competing at the 2022 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Slovakia
“Seth’s promotion is a very important moment for our project because it shows that the pathway we have been building from Cannibal B Victorious through the Development Team to the WorldTour is working as we intended,” stated managing director Milan Erzen.
Dunwoody’s fast finish is important for Irish cycling as Tour de France green jersey winner Sam Bennett is nearing the end of his career. The young rider looks set in the coming years to fill the role as the best Irish sprinter, meaning that both he and climbing specialist O’Brien could shine in races such as the Tour.
That’s further down the line; for now, Dunwoody describes his new WorldTour contract as a dream come true.
“Coming through the junior team and then the development team has been nothing short of incredible,” he said, thanking the staff for their help.
“Stepping into the Bahrain Victorious WorldTour team feels like the natural next step after years of support from everyone involved. It’s also an ambitious team with a strong roster and shared goals for success, which made my decision an easy one.
“This is only the beginning, and I’m excited to keep developing, working hard and hopefully achieving great things with Bahrain Victorious.”
Dunwoody also expressed his gratitude for his family, who he said have played a key role in helping him get to where he is.
“They have supported my dream of becoming a WorldTour rider since I was eight years old.”