Greta Lawless and Esther Wong do battle at the front of the senior women’s race at the National Cyclocross Championships in Co Galway 12 months ago (Photo: Toby Watson)

The Irish cyclocross season has had no shortage of really competitive action in recent months, though one notable feature has been the decision of some of our top riders not to race this winter, or to scale back their commitments.

With so many young Irish riders having secured places on junior and U23 development teams – many of them feeder squads linked to World Tour outfits – they appear to have taken the decision to spend the winter focusing on preparing for the road season.

The lack of Irish teams selected for the Europeans or Worlds, and the loss of the UCI-ranked Verge Cyclocross Race and the Dublin round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup have all weighed on winter season 2025-26.

But… There’s still nothing like riding a National Championships, and aiming to win a medal. And the National Cyclocross Championships in Co Cavan on Saturday and Sunday week – January 10th and 11th – will be the biggest fixture of the season by far.

Many of those who were crowned champion in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, last January will be back again. It all means the best, and most competitive, days of racing this season will unfold at Castle Saunderson, hosted by Breffni Wheelers.

On Saturday, January 10th, the youth races – U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 – will take place along with the men’s masters 50 and 60 title races. And on Sunday, January 11th, there is a full schedule of racing; masters 40 men, junior men, senior-junior women, masters women and senior men.

In its latest update on the championships, posted yesterday, the Cycling Ireland Offroad Commission confirmed 160 riders have entered so far. The good news is that entries remain open until this Sunday, January 4th. They close at 11.59pm so make sure to get in before then.

You can enter any of the championship races by following this link, where you will also see the full schedule for the weekend. And there is a lot more information available from promoting club Breffni Wheelers in the championships technical guide, which is available at this link.

Best of luck to Breffni Wheelers and all of those who will be pinning on numbers in Co Cavan.