Seth Dunwoody can do it all – TT riding, sprinting and attacking – and with 10 European UCI-ranked wins already on his palmares, he hasn’t wasted time making his mark (Photo: Ana Georgescu)

One is just starting out on his journey in the cycling game and the other has already made his mark and now Seth Dunwoody and young Rían McCrystal are both confirmed as members of the Bahrain Victorious network of teams for next year.

Dunwoody, from Co Armagh, will be going into his second season as an U23 and took three victories – as well as mountains and points classification wins – in his first campaign racing at the higher level in Europe in 2025.

McCrystal, who comes from Co Louth, will be a first-year junior next year. And though his racing has been confined to the U16 ranks for the last few years, he has clearly done enough to catch the year of the Bahrain Victorious staff.

Stickybottle reported news of McCrystal’s new deal back in August. Dunwoody is now going into his fourth season with the Bahrain Victorious set-up – as he rode both his junior years there.

Confirmation of the Irish riders’ places on the teams were confirmed today, Tuesday, as the 2026 line-ups were officially announced. Dunwoody’s continued presence on the U23 team next year was expected.

While we have perhaps become quick to take for granted the presence of young Irish riders on these junior and U23 international trade teams in recent years, both Irish riders have done very well to secure their places on these rosters.

Rían McCrystal of Team Ireland interviewed after the boys time trial event during day two of the 2025 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Kumanovo, North Macedonia (Photo: Tyler Miller-Sportsfile)

For example, the Bahrain Victorious Development Team that Dunwoody will be part of again in 2026 numbers just 15 riders. And McCrystal is among 20 junior riders from across the world announced for the Cannibal Victorious U19 Development Team for the coming road season.

Dunwoody has proven himself a fine sprinter, both in his junior days and his first U23 season, with ten UCI-ranked wins in Europe on his palmares from the last three years; from TTs to sprint finishes.

He is developing very much in the mould of a man for the classics who can also win bunch sprints, with some of his sprint wins coming after very hard races, when the field has split to pieces.

However, he is also willing and able to be aggressive, with his stage victory at Next Gen Giro this year coming in a sprint from a breakaway.

He will really want to step things up in the year ahead with eyes on a World Tour contract. And given the powers he has displayed so far there is likely to be interest in him from several top teams in the sport when he inevitably moves up to the top tier.

For McCrystal, the challenge will be different in the year ahead. It will first involve getting used to racing in major UCI-ranked races in Europe, which he will combine with school and some domestic races.

But with a series of national titles from youth level under his belt, and having represented Ireland at the Youth Olympics, he can have every confidence he’ll be able to cope with the step up and has plenty of time on his side.