03/08/2026
🚴 Waterford Racing Club at the European Youth Tour — the final word 🇳🇱
Five stages done, and both Sophia and Ryan Quigley can hold their heads high after acquitting themselves brilliantly against an enormously talented field from all over the world.
Sophia rode strongly from the off, only to be unlucky to end up behind the split when the field broke at about the halfway mark of an incident-packed Stage 1 criterium that ended the challenge of many. The step up in distance alone was significant: U12s in Ireland are capped at 10km, yet most stages here were 50–60% longer than that. She answered back on Stage 2, riding with the leaders on the course around Lieveren, before a huge crash took out half the peloton with 500m to go on the finishing straight. Sophia got caught up in it but stayed upright, coming home 30 seconds down — frustrated, but intact and grateful she didn’t come off far worse as some of her friends did.
Her standout ride came on Stage 3: 16km with three ascents of the fearsome Vamberg and its 16% gradient, in 32°C heat. She survived that climb twice, only getting distanced slightly on the second descent, and led a group into the final ascent just 5 seconds off the front before cracking and losing 45 seconds. On a day we expected her to lose minutes to the best in Europe — and the world — we were thrilled. A solid time trial followed, beating 16 or so riders, and though the cobbles of Assen took their toll on the final stage, Sophia finished 35th of 52 on GC in a mixed field. Far more competitive than expected on her first attempt — and she's learned a huge amount that will make her stronger next year.
Ryan went into Stage 1 understandably nervous, having never ridden in a bunch anywhere near this size. He found his feet quickly, and by Stage 2 was going really well — until he was caught in a pile-up through no fault of his own. He came out one of the worst off, with cuts, bruises and a wrecked bike, and then, showing the kind of grit you can't teach, rode the final 10km with a broken brake lever and the calipers locked on and screaming the whole way. 👏
His perseverance didn't go unnoticed. The tour's own website gave him a lovely shout-out in their write-up, noting how good it was to see him battle on after so much bad luck — "that's what makes a great bike rider." Well worth a read: https://www.ejcta.nl/en/behind-the-front-of-the-race/
He bounced back with a cracking time trial, beating several riders we'd never have expected him to get the better of. Bunch racing will take a little while to click again after a crash like that — but having just turned 10 years old less than a month ago, in his first-ever proper road tour, this has been a baptism of fire he can be seriously proud of.
A massive thank you to the Giant store in Assen, who — despite not having the right replacement parts — MacGyvered a fix that got Ryan back racing for the remaining stages. They could not have been more helpful or understanding. 🙌
And a final word on the event itself. From the professional setup and fully closed roads to the wonderfully varied courses, the buzzing campsite village with a huge Irish contingent and all the friends from across the world made wandering around it — the whole thing was simply incredible. Huge credit to everyone who put it together. 🇳🇱
Huge well done to Sophia and Ryan. 💪
