Events

From Limerick to National Champion: Inside Fiona Mangan’s road racing success

By We Love Cycling

In just four short years, Fiona Mangan has transformed from a lockdown Zwift enthusiast to one of Ireland’s most formidable cycling talents, claiming both the National Road Race and Time Trial Championship titles in 2024. The Limerick native’s journey from casual cyclist to national champion is no ordinary tale of success – it’s a testament to the extraordinary potential that lies in taking a chance on something new.

We recently sat down with Fiona to discuss her remarkable trajectory in the sport, with her story reminding us that sometimes the most unexpected paths lead to the greatest achievements!

Tell us about how you first got into cycling and what motivated you to pursue it competitively?

I’ve always been quite sporty growing up. Gaelic football would have been my primary sport for years, up until college. With football, we’d have trained a couple of times a week and had matches at the weekend. I always had a bike when I was younger, and I cycled to school occasionally, but I never really had a huge passion for cycling at home. I think that comes very much down to just not knowing that bike racing was even a thing – it was just GAA in our school, and that was it.

I actually got into cycling through triathlons during college and after college. During COVID, I had a running injury, and all the triathlons were cancelled, so I started doing some Zwift racing online. I also joined a local club here called Greenmount, and they really took me under their wing and taught me how to race, essentially. I was loving it so much that I decided to just focus on biking for a while and not focus on triathlon. From there, I just haven’t come back to triathlon ever since. I’m actually a ‘COVID baby’ in cycling terms – I only started about four years ago!

Do you have any cycling role models who influenced your approach to the sport?

When I was doing triathlons, I really liked Chrissie Wellington. She wrote a book, and I really enjoyed reading it – I felt like I related to her quite a bit. Then, as I got into cycling, I wouldn’t have had specific role models. I was very much influenced by my club. Learning from them, and you know, in the club there were some very good cyclists, and you could kind of follow and see what they do, and be competitive with those around you.

Now, in the women’s peloton internationally, I get inspired by my own teammates, and how they’re doing things, and how they’re improving. I’m learning from those around me. Obviously, I look up to cyclists like Marianne Vos or Kasia Niewiadoma – they’re cyclists that I’m like, ‘wow, they’re at the top of the game.’

What does a typical training week look like for you?

It changes a lot depending on the season. Now, if we’re looking at the winter training, I would do a lot more strength work. So, I’m trying to build up to three gym sessions a week. I probably would do two long rides, maybe two sort of interval type rides. And then that leaves us with one rest day and one very easy ride, maybe two easy rides.

Credit: Patrice Foques

During the winter it’s more focused on base and getting more mileage in and gym work. As the season goes on, sort of the volume reduces and the intensity increases as we’re trying to peak for races.

You won both the Time Trial and Road Race at the National Championships – what did that mean to you?

That was really special. The time trial, really, the first feeling I got afterwards was relief. I had really predicted that I would do well in the race, and I really focused on it. When I did well, it was definitely a relief – I hadn’t won a race in nearly two years, so it was good to get onto the podium again.

Credit: Caroline Kearney

Going into the national road race, I felt like I had no expectations of myself. I had confidence, but I sort of was like, ‘okay, I’ve got the national title now, I’ve done my job and I’m just going to enjoy this road race.’ I think when you have good form, you have no expectations of yourself, but you still have confidence – they’re kind of the three ingredients, I think, to actual success.

I couldn’t really believe it when I crossed the line because I was so overwhelmed with just pain. It took me a while for it to soak in. I was happy that it meant a lot to me, but I actually think it meant even more to those that supported me throughout the journey, especially my old team, who supported me. My family and all those who supported me were just over the moon as well. I was so happy to see them sort of happy and proud.

What are your main goals for next season?

Next season, I’m joining a new team called Winspace, and they are hopefully going pro-continental, which is like the tier just before the World Tour. By going pro-continental, they should get more entries into bigger races, like the Classics in Belgium, as well as potentially the Tour de France.

My goals for next season would be to try and be more competitive in those bigger races. I’d like to pick up a few podiums in especially Belgian-style races along the way. I would love to do another World Championships again, representing Ireland, and representing Ireland at the Europeans as well!

 

You can keep up to date with Fiona by following her on Instagram here.

Ready to improve your cycling a-game? Why not combine biking with hiking – the perfect combination to explore Ireland in style!

Featured header image credit: Patrice Foques