Annnalize Murphy has won several big races this year and has now topped the national road rankings while also winning the Cycling Ireland National Road Series (Photo: Sean Rowe)

Annalize Murphy, the former sailor who won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, ended the 2024 Irish road season as the highest-ranked local competitor.

Having won numerous national titles on the track since turning his attention to cycling in recent years, Murphy (Longcourt Hotel-NCW Wheelers) also won the Cycling Ireland National Road Series this year.

She won the first two rounds – the Des Hanlon and Kay Stratton Memorials – before finishing 2nd in the next two rounds she rode and 4th in the final round.

These series results added to her result in the Irish Women’s Cycling Rankings – for all road races during the season – and she topped the rankings with 94 points.

Aliyah Rafferty was 3rd in the rankings and the highest ranked junior competitor after a very strong season (Photo: Sean Rowe)

Murphy leads by 14 points from Aoife O’Brien (Belco Van Eyck), who made her debut in the elite World Road Championship last month in Zurich.

Aliyah Rafferty (Tofauti Everyone Active), also a world debutant this season, was the first junior in the end-of-season rankings; finishing 3rd with 72 points. Marin Lenehan (Team Dan Morrissey – Primor by Pissei) was 4th with 61 points.

Another of our fast rising juniors who also represented Ireland at the 2024 Worlds, Aine Doherty (VC Glendale) was 5th on the leaderboard with 58 points followed by Gemma Spears (North Down CC) on 42 points.

Cycling Ireland Women 1 Ranking 2024

  1. Annalize Murphy Longcourt Hotel – NCW Wheelers SENIOR 94
  2. Aoife O Brien Belco Van Eyck SENIOR 80
  3. Aliyah Rafferty Tahreba All Active JUNIOR 72
  4. Marine Lenehan Team Dan Morrissey – Primor by Pissei SENIOR 61
  5. Aine Doherty VC Glendale JUNIOR 58
  6. Jemma Speers North Down CC SENIOR 42
  7. Abi Conway Westport Covey Wheelers Cycling Club SENIOR 40
  8. Fiona Mangan CYNISCA CYCLING SENIOR 30
  9. Caoimhe O Brien DAS-HUTCHINSON-BROTHER UK SENIOR 27
  10. Maeve Gallagher Castlebar Cycling Club SENIOR 26
  11. Darcy Harkness VC Glendale SENIOR 20
  12. Eve McCrystal Bellurgan Wheelers SENIOR 20
  13. Lara Gillespie UAE ADQ SENIOR 20
  14. Aine Kelly Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club SENIOR 17
  15. Yvonne Doran Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club WM40 15
  16. Megan Armitage EF Education-Cannondale SENIOR 12
  17. Doireann Killeen Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospatial SENIOR 10
  18. Linda Kelly Spin the Bean Power by Coffee SENIOR 9
  19. Kate Murphy Sliabh Luachra Cycling Club JUNIOR 9
  20. Mary Corless Challenge Cycling Club SENIOR 9
  21. Jennifer Neenan UCD Cycling Club SENIOR 9
  22. Orla Walsh UCD Cycling Club SENIOR 8
  23. Gabrielle Fox Greenmount CA SENIOR 6
  24. Roisin Thomas Un-Attached Connacht SENIOR 4
  25. Erin Grace Creighton McConvey Cycles SENIOR 4
  26. Michelle McKinney Galway Bay CC SENIOR 0
  27. Hilary Hughes Westport Covey Wheelers Cycling Club SENIOR 0
  28. Claire Ní Reachtagáin Sundrive Track Team SENIOR 0
  29. Francine Meehan Tullamore CTC SENIOR 0
  30. Agnieszka Wozniak TC Racing SENIOR 0
  31. Emma Porter Longcourt Hotel – NCW Wheelers SENIOR 0
  32. Nikki Taggart Longcourt Hotel – NCW Wheelers SENIOR 0
  33. Katie-George Dunlevy Donegal Bay Cycling Club SENIOR 0
  34. Emma Smith Spin the Bean Power by Coffee SENIOR 0
  35. Fiona Guihen TORELLI Assure Cayman Islands Scimitar SENIOR 0
  36. Ciara Kelly North Pole Cycling Club SENIOR 0
  37. Mia Griffin DAS-HUTCHINSON-BROTHER UK SENIOR 0
  38. Jennifer Bates Longcourt Hotel – NCW Wheelers SENIOR 0
  39. Ciara Kinch Cuchulainn CC WM50 0
  40. Alison Higgins Four Masters CC SENIOR 0
  41. Michelle Geoghegan Velorevolution WPCycles SENIOR 0
  42. Elena Wallace Harps CC SENIOR 0
  43. Gráinne O Callaghan Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club SENIOR 0
  44. Catherine Sands Newry Wheelers CC SENIOR 0
  45. Carthach McCarthy Blarney Cycling Club SENIOR 0
  46. Imogen Cotter Hess Cycling Team SENIOR 0
  47. Charlotte Wild TC Racing SENIOR 0
  48. Lorraine Mullarkey Emyvale CC SENIOR 0