Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland – 2024
Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland 2024 Results
Congratulations to Brendan Luongo
The winner of the 2024 Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland was Brendan Luongo of Team Hot Tubes (USA). He secured the overall victory after reclaiming the yellow jersey on the final stage in Ennis, finishing ahead of Otis Engel and Tom Mead in the general classification.
The route for the Quanta Capital Junior Tour 2025 was unveiled with a total of 595 kilometres of roads across Counties Clare and Galway providing the arena for one of Europe’s premier junior cycling events. Returning to County Clare for the 10th occasion, the six-stage race combined many of the event’s most iconic roads with modifications to established routes and the introduction of a brand new Stage 5 around East Clare and Killaloe.
Racing began on Tuesday, 9th July, with the traditional opening stage around Barefield and Maghera. The 64-kilometre opener immediately produced aggressive racing as the peloton tackled the climb of Maghera before returning to Barefield for a high-speed sprint finish. William Gilbank of Lee Valley Youth CC claimed victory in the bunch sprint to secure the first yellow jersey of the week, narrowly ahead of Enzo Edmonds and Alejandro Che.
Stage 2 brought the riders westward through the Shannon Estuary and along the Atlantic coastline before finishing on the seafront in Kilkee. The 94-kilometre stage once again highlighted the influence of the famous Clare crosswinds, with the exposed roads causing major splits in the peloton. Brendan Luongo of the American Hot Tubes team emerged victorious from a select breakaway group of fifteen riders to take both the stage win and the overall race lead, while teammate Caden Budd moved into second place on general classification.
The race moved into the Burren and North Clare on Stage 3 with a demanding 123-kilometre route finishing in Kilfenora. Featuring rolling roads and repeated attacks throughout the day, the stage produced one of the standout Irish performances of the race as Munster rider Michael Collins took an impressive victory into Kilfenora. Patrick O’Sullivan also finished strongly in third place, while Brendan Luongo successfully defended the yellow jersey heading into the decisive mountain stages.
Stage 4, widely regarded as the queen stage of the race, brought the riders through the dramatic Burren landscape and along the Wild Atlantic Way toward the Cliffs of Moher. The demanding route included exposed coastal sections through Fanore and Doolin, where strong winds and relentless attacking racing tested the field throughout the day. Britain’s Nick Makin of Mid Devon RC won the sprint finish at the end of the “Cliffs of Moher” stage, while the leading contenders remained tightly grouped overall with little separating the top riders heading into the penultimate stage.
Stage 5 proved decisive in shaping the final general classification. Finishing in Gort after another demanding day across East Clare and Galway, the stage saw Cycling Ireland rider Max Fitzgerald secure a major home victory. Behind him, Hot Tubes rider Caden Budd moved into the yellow jersey ahead of teammate Brendan Luongo by just two seconds, setting up a dramatic final day battle for the prestigious JJ McCormack Cup.
The race concluded on Sunday, 14th July, with the traditional Ennis circuit race. Canadian rider Antoine Bergeron claimed the final stage victory after an aggressive and fast-paced finale around the streets of Ennis. However, the biggest celebrations belonged to Brendan Luongo of Hot Tubes, who regained the yellow jersey to secure overall victory in the 2024 Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland. After six days of intense racing, international competition and challenging Irish roads, the 2024 edition once again demonstrated why the Junior Tour remains one of the most respected junior cycling events in the world.
Stage 6 is a reversion to the previous format in 2023 and is a 79 kilometre circuit race on the outskirts of Ennis. Normally being a flat stage, it is a final opportunity for a bunch sprint and to finalise the winner of the Quanta Capital Junior Tour 2025 and take the JJ McCormack Cup.