16-year-old Irish cyclist killed in training crash

A 16-year-old Irish cyclist, Shane O’Brien, was killed in a collision with a parked lorry during a training ride on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. The incident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. on the N72 road at Ballygalane, near Lismore in County Waterford. O’Brien, a promising junior rider from Fermoy, County Cork, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The national police, An Garda Síochána, are investigating the crash and have appealed for witnesses or anyone with footage from the area between 10:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. that day. Authorities confirmed the lorry was stationary at the time and its driver was present and uninjured.

O’Brien was a first-year junior rider for the British CAMS Majaco team, a feeder squad for the WorldTour team Netcompany-Ineos. He had recently made his debut for the Irish national junior team in May at the Course de la Paix Juniors stage race in the Czech Republic, where he was one of three team finishers. His 2026 season included races in Ireland, the UK, Belgium, and France, with his last competition being the Côte d’Or Classic Juniors, which concluded on June 7. He was training ahead of the Irish national road championships scheduled for the following week.