Irish Paracycling Development Squad Shines at the 29th Hetman Tandem Cup in Poland
The Cycling Ireland Paracycling Development Squad delivered a series of powerful performances at the 29th edition of the Hetman Tandem Cup, a UCI C1 stage race held in Lublin, Poland from 14–17 May. The event featured four stages across four days on fully closed roads, attracting strong international competition.
Ireland fielded four tandems.
- Jessica Kennedy piloted by Lauren Garvey (Armagh Down CC)
- Sinead Greenan piloted by Claire Ní Reachtagáin (Sundrive Track Team)
- Ciarán O’Toole piloted by Richard Barry (St. Finbarr’s CC)
- Ben Cussen piloted by Conor Coleman (Dungarvan CC)
The event came in the middle of a busy international block for the squad. Jessica arrived straight from the final World Cup event in Abruzzo, Italy, while Sinead had recently claimed double bronze in both the time trial and road race at the Gistel World Cup event in Belgium. Ciarán was entering his third consecutive week of European racing, and Ben — recently celebrating his first full year on the tandem — lined up for his first international outing of the season.
Stage 1 – Time Trial
The race opened with a test against the clock: 25 km for the women and 32.4 km for the men.
Sinead & Claire stormed to 2nd place, with Jessica & Lauren close behind in 3rd. Polish Paralympian Dominika Putyra and pilot Karolina Karasiewicz took the win.
Ciarán & Richard delivered a superb ride to win the stage, while Ben & Conor secured a strong 4th place.
Stage 2 – Road Race in the sunshine
In bright sunshine and strong cross headwinds, riders tackled a 6 km circuit — 78 km for the women and 84 km for the men. With 14 tandems on the start line, the pace was fierce from the gun, especially with the course’s only climb appearing just 200 metres after the start.
In the women’s race, the Polish tandem opened an early gap, but Sinead & Claire fought back brilliantly, rejoining them by the sixth lap. After launching an attack and gaining six seconds, the Irish pair unfortunately lost traction on a corner and crashed. After a quick injury check, they remounted and chased hard but were unable to regain contact, finishing 2nd once again. Jessica & Lauren secured 3rd.These positions also reflected the standings in the GC.
The men’s race was animated with attacks and tactical riding throughout. In the final sprint, Ben & Conor were narrowly beaten by the Polish tandem, taking 2nd, while Ciarán & Richard won the sprint for 3rd. After stage 2, Ciarán and Richard lead GC by 49 seconds with Ben and Conor in a close 4th.
Stage 3 – Rain‑Soaked Circuit Race
Persistent rain made for a challenging third stage on a 5.8 km circuit. The women’s race split early and remained fragmented for the full 58 km. Sinead & Claire held strong for 2nd, with Jessica & Lauren again taking 3rd.
Both Irish men tandems broke away with two Polish bikes to form a four‑tandem grupetto. In the closing kilometres, Ciarán & Richard launched a decisive move to take another stage win, while Ben & Conor sprinted to 2nd. All riders completed the stage safely despite the conditions. The GC remained unchanged after Stage 3.
Stage 4 – City Centre Criterium Finale
The final stage brought high‑speed racing to the CSK Theatre Square in Lublin: 28 laps for the women and 30 for the men on a tight technical 1.4 km circuit.
Both Irish womens tandems started aggressively. Although initially distanced, Sinead & Claire fought back to the Polish wheel. Ten laps in, they launched a powerful attack, opening a six‑second gap that grew with every lap. They crossed the line over a minute ahead, taking a superb stage victory and 2nd place on final GC. Jessica and Lauren completed another consistent ride to secure their GC 3rd place podium.
The men’s race was tightly contested from start to finish. Ciarán & Richard once again proved strongest, taking their third stage win of the event and finishing as overall GC winners. In the sprint for third, Ben & Conor crashed exiting the final corner just 20 metres from the line but despite their injuries not allowing them remount, the men crossed the finish line on foot to finish the race, securing 4th place on overall GC.
A Strong Showing for Ireland
Across four days of intense racing, the Irish Paracycling Development Squad delivered podiums, stage wins, showed resilience and teamwork. From time trial success to criterium dominance, and comeback rides to courageous finishes after crashes, the riders showcased the depth and potential of Ireland’s emerging paracycling talent as qualification for LA28 Paralympic Games approaches.