Butlersbridge teen Ava takes cycling scene by storm

A Cavan teenager has won Ireland's premier youth stage race and will go on to represent the country in the Youth Tour of Scotland this weekend.

Breffni Wheelers Cycling Club athlete Ava Baker won Rás na nÓg which took place during the weekend of March 22, when she effortlessly cycled through all three stages, picking up first place in each and winning overall.

The 13-year-old has since raced in Emyvale, Co Monaghan and then in Belfast the following weekend, winning first place in both races.

She's hoping her recent wins will translate into placing in the top ten in Perth this weekend, which will be her first time racing abroad.

“Just get there in the top ten or something, just finish well,” she says, describing her goals for the race.

“I'm pretty nervous because you don't know who is there, like I don't know anybody that's racing.

“I'm the only girl in Cavan that races.”

It's the first leg of the British Cycling Series, which will see her off to Wales for the second part next weekend. Before heading for the airport this Friday, she will play the Ulster Quarter Final with Loreto's football team.

The first-year student is on the go seven days of the week with football for the U14 Butlersbridge team and the school's football team, swimming, running, tennis, cyclo-cross, mountain biking, road racing and athletics.

On Mondays she plays tennis, while Tuesday and Thursday mornings see her at the poolside at 6.30am for swimming with Breffni Swim Club before school. On both evenings, she also hits the gym. On Wednesday Ava has cycling and football training, with Friday consumed by the same activities. Her Saturdays are spent cycling and to conclude the week on Sunday, she would “probably” have a cycling race or a football match to play.

“It's a lot but I do my homework as fast as I can and I don't really waste that much time because homework isn't that bad this year,” she says.

Turning 14 on April 22, Ava has been cycling for the past four years and began road racing two years ago.

“My dad [Enda] got me into it, it's just really enjoyable and I get to see my friends and stuff,” she describes.

Winning Rás na nÓg was one of her “big goals” this year, so she felt “really happy” with her performance throughout the two-day race.

Ava took on stage one on the Saturday morning, a challenge which consisted of seven laps around a 1.7km loop starting at Bellwestown Racecourse.

She stayed with the group for the first three laps but on lap four broke away and steadily built a large gap, taking first place.

That afternoon, the Butlersbridge teenager tackled stage two. Wearing the yellow leader’s jersey, Ava flew through the 19.5km race, again taking first place and another yellow leader’s jersey for the third and final stage.

After a good night’s sleep, the final stint of the race was just over 23km. With perfect road racing conditions, Ava battled hard on this stage to come out with the win. Earning the maximum points in all three stages, she went on to secure the overall win.

“It's busy, we travel all over the country because there's very few races locally,” her mother Rosie Baker explains.

Last Saturday, Ava was at the Cycling Ulster Awards for the 2024 season, where she scooped up two awards for cyclo-cross and two for road racing.

Meanwhile her little brother Nathan sees Ava as a role model. He's beginning to follow in her footsteps, winning two races in Emyvale and placing first in Belfast.

Ava is currently the U14 National Champion for Cyclo-cross having won the title in January 2025. She was the Cycling Ireland Women in Sport Advocate for 2024.

Looking forward to the Summer months, she is going to Belgium for a week to do a cyclo-cross camp with Sven Nys, who is two-time world champion and has won seven world cups in cyclo-cross. She will then go to the Netherlands for a week to do five days of racing in the European Youth Cycling Tour of Assen.

Both Enda and Rosie are “very proud” of their daughter.

“She's doing really really well,” Rosie says.

“She puts in the time and the work and doesn't complain too much getting up in the mornings to go swimming.

“She does it all herself.

“She's very driven. She has a schedule and she knows what to do and does it.”