Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland 2025
Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland 2025 Results
Congratulations to Matthew Walls
The winner of the 2025 Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland was Matthew Walls, who secured the overall victory after six stages of racing across Counties Clare and Galway, winning the prestigious JJ McCormack Cup by 28 seconds ahead of Jack Ray of the Hot Tubes team.
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.
The race began on Tuesday evening, 8th July, with the now traditional 63-kilometre opening stage around Barefield and Maghera. As in previous editions, the fast early roads and the climb of Maghera created an aggressive start to the race before the stage concluded with a bunch sprint into Barefield. The opening yellow jersey was secured after a tightly contested finish, immediately setting the tone for a highly competitive week of racing.
Stage 2 on 9th July saw the riders tackle a 96-kilometre route from Ennis through the Shannon Estuary and into West Clare before finishing on the seafront in Kilkee. A slight alteration to the route brought the peloton around the outskirts of Kilrush and along the banks of the River Shannon before rejoining the traditional road toward the dramatic Kilkee Cliffs. Strong Atlantic crosswinds once again played a decisive role on the exposed coastal roads, splitting the peloton and creating significant time gaps before the finish in Kilkee.
Stage 3 featured the relocated East Clare stage, previously used later in the race in 2024. The 115-kilometre route took the riders through Scarriff, Maghera, Caher Lake and Flagmount before bypassing Gort at Kilbecanty and approaching the finish from the Galway side. The sheltered roads of East Clare produced another high-speed contest, with the general classification contenders remaining closely matched heading into the mountains stages.
Stage 4 proved to be the decisive queen stage of the 2025 edition. Covering 122.8 kilometres through the Burren, the stage included the categorised climbs of Carron and Castle Hill, while also exposing riders to harsh coastal conditions through Fanore and Doolin. Against the backdrop of the Aran Islands, the ascent of Castle Hill shattered the field and produced the race’s most dramatic racing. The final kilometres into Kilfenora saw attacks from the leading contenders as riders fought for the yellow jersey and valuable mountain classification points. The stage winner emerged after an aggressive solo performance, echoing the memorable escape victory seen on the same finish in 2024.
Stage 5 introduced an entirely new route for 2025 and quickly became one of the defining stages of the event. The 118-kilometre East Clare stage brought the riders through Broadford, over the climb of Sallybank, and toward Killaloe before looping through Scarriff and Feakle along the shores of Lough Derg. The newly introduced finish over the steep 8% climb of the Killaloe By-Pass created major gaps among the general classification riders and ultimately played a decisive role in determining the overall standings of the race.
The race concluded with Stage 6, a 79-kilometre circuit race on the outskirts of Ennis, reverting to the successful format previously used in 2023. Traditionally favouring fast sprinters, the final stage provided one last opportunity for victory before the overall winner of the Quanta Capital Junior Tour 2025 was crowned and awarded the prestigious JJ McCormack Cup. After six days of intense racing across Clare and Galway, the 2025 edition once again reinforced the Junior Tour’s reputation as one of the most important proving grounds in world junior cycling, attracting elite international talent and future professional stars.
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.