Ryan Mullen (NSN Cycling) won the elite men's time trial national title Thursday in Swinford at the Irish Road Championships. An 11-year veteran on the WorldTour, Mullen stopped the clock after 30.7km in 35:08 for his second consecutive ITT title.
The podium was a duplicate of last year, with George Peden (Team PB Performance) repeating in second and Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost) going third.
This year's course was 5km longer than the prior year in Kilbeggan, which turned into a close six-second decision between Mullen and Peden. For 2026, the course went out-and-back through Carracastle, with just one 2% uphill across 6.4km at the mid-point and then more rolling terrain in the final 7.7km back toward Swinford.
The NSN rider left no doubts about his title defense this time by winning with a 47-second margin. Rafferty repeated in third, 1:15 back, and held Conn McDunphy (APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery), a former winner, to fourth position by one second.
Both Mullen and Rafferty came into the event off the back of 21 days at the Giro d’Italia, while Peden has had success in one-day races with his domestic team.
Results
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