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Conor Murphy, the reigning Irish junior time trial champion, has made headlines by breaking the Irish senior 10-mile time trial record, previously held by Ryan Mullen since 2014. Murphy, who rides for Caldwell Cycles domestically and the U19 Academy Région Sud powered by Giant when competing abroad, achieved this milestone at the opening round of the Ernie Magwood Series, promoted by Island Wheelers. Murphy’s time of 17:41 eclipsed Mullen’s record of 17:42, set in August 2014, by just one second. This achievement comes just days after Murphy claimed victory in the time trial stage at the UCI Junior Nations Cup in the Czech Republic, where he narrowly defeated reigning Dutch and European junior TT champion Michiel Mouris by one second.
Murphy’s record-breaking ride in Ballymena, Co. Antrim, was not only a personal best but also a new Irish junior 10-mile TT record, surpassing his previous mark of 17:59 set in July 2023. Second place went to Marcus Christie with an impressive time of 18:43, while Ian Inglis rounded out the podium with 18:48. In the women’s category, Eileen Burns of Ballymena was the fastest with a time of 21:47, and Aliyah Rafferty of Tofauti Everyone Active Majoco was the quickest junior woman, finishing in 22:01, just shy of her Irish junior record of 21:22 set in August 2023.
Murphy’s time trial prowess has been on a steady upward trajectory under the guidance of coach Bryan McCrystal. His previous best time in a 10-mile TT was 17:59, achieved in the Ernie Magwood Series last July. Prior to that, he had recorded times of 18:37 and 18:20 in earlier rounds of the series. This latest improvement to 17:41 suggests Murphy is continuing to make significant progress in his development as a time trialist.
The record’s ratification by Cycling Ireland is pending, with some uncertainty over whether a junior’s time can count as a senior record. Regardless, Murphy’s performance is undeniably a landmark moment in Irish cycling. Ryan Mullen, who set the previous record as a 20-year-old with the An Post-Sean Kelly team, has since become a WorldTour professional and one of the most respected lead-out men in the peloton, currently racing for Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe. Mullen’s record came shortly after he won both the senior road race and time trial at the National Road Championships in 2014 and just weeks before he claimed a silver medal in the U23 time trial at the UCI World Road Championships in Ponferrada, Spain, narrowly missing gold to Australia’s Campbell Flakemore.
Murphy’s recent success, including his victory at the UCI Junior Nations Cup and this record-breaking performance, highlights his potential as one of Ireland’s most promising young talents in the sport. With continued development and support, he is poised to make an even greater impact on the international cycling stage in the coming years. More updates on Murphy’s achievements and future endeavors are expected as he continues to build on this impressive form.
