Ryan Mullen Wins Irish Elite Men's Time Trial Title Again

Ryan Mullen (NSN Cycling) successfully defended his elite men's time trial national title on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at the Irish Road Championships held in Swinford. Mullen, an experienced athlete with 11 years in the WorldTour, completed the 30.7km course in 35:08, securing his second consecutive individual time trial (ITT) title.

The podium mirrored last year's results, with George Peden (Team PB Performance) finishing in second place and Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost) taking third. This year's course was extended by 5km compared to the previous year in Kilbeggan, which had seen Mullen win by a narrow margin of just six seconds over Peden.

The 2026 time trial course featured an out-and-back route through Carracastle, including a single 2% incline over 6.4km at the midpoint, followed by a more rolling 7.7km stretch back toward Swinford. Mullen decisively claimed victory this time with a 47-second advantage over Peden, while Rafferty finished one minute and 15 seconds behind Mullen, just edging out Conn McDunphy (APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery) by a second for fourth place.

Both Mullen and Rafferty participated in the event after completing 21 days at the Giro d'Italia, while Peden had achieved success in one-day races with his domestic team.