Irish champion Mia Griffin to make debut appearance at Tour de France

The Kilkenny native was set to complete the Tour in 2023 but had to withdraw after a training ride crash just before the event.

TOUR DE FRANCE: Mia Griffin has been confirmed for the Tour de France by her Roland team. Pic : Lorraine O'Sullivan

New Irish elite road race champion Mia Griffin has been confirmed for the Tour de France by her Roland team.

Griffin just completed her debut Giro and while a crash hammered her progress she has been selected for the biggest race.

The Kilkenny native has never ridden in the Tour de France but had been selected by her Arkèa team in 2023 and was forced to withdraw after a training ride crash just before the event.

Griffin is set to be one of three Irish riders in this year's Tour. Lara Gillespie is expected to secure her selection by her UAE Team ADQ squad while former Irish road race and TT champion Fiona Mangan is in contention to go on the Tour with her Winspace Orange Seal team.

The Tour starts on Saturday in Vannes, Brittany, north west France and will continue over nine stages. Gillespie's and Mangan's teams are due to confirm their line-ups shortly and both riders have already ridden the Vuelta.

Griffin is joined in the Roland team by Poland’s Kaja Rysz, Holland’s Sylvie Swinkels, Switzerland’s Petra Stiasny, Italy’s Elena Pirrone, Russia’s Tamara Dronova-Balabolina and France’s Morgane Coston.