Double glory as Sinéad clinches silver in Alabama
Veronica Corr
Cootehill para-cyclist Sinéad Greenan has returned from the UCI 2026 Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Huntsville, Alabama, with two silver medals after a breakthrough season riding alongside tandem pilot Alice Sharpe.
Greenan, who has a visual impairment caused by congenital cataracts and secondary glaucoma, claimed silver in both the time trial, held at the UCI 2026 Para-Cycling Road World Championships on September 5, when she and Sharpe covered 29.2km in 37:28.08 at an average speed of 47km/hr, and the Women’s B road race two days later on September 7, when they covered 82.8km over six laps and finished in 2:03:30 after a sprint finish with gold medallists Team GB.
These achievements came less than six months after Sinéad began being coached with Ireland’s para-cycling development squad and added to a European silver medal earlier in the season.
“At the start of the year, I wouldn’t have expected to be standing on the podium at World Championships, let alone twice,” she said. “It feels amazing.”
Sinéad’s mother, Andrea, is from Cootehill, and her father, Mark, is from Rockcorry, Co Monaghan. Now living in Offaly with her supportive husband Colm, Greenan still proudly regards Cavan as home.
The Alabama event also tested the riders in punishing conditions, with temperatures reaching up to 39 degrees during the time trial. Greenan said one of the things she was proudest of was harnessing the mental strength needed to keep pushing through the heat. “That’s probably the biggest thing — that mental performance of getting through when things are even harder than they normally are on the bike,” she said.
Key to that success has been her professional partnership with Alice Sharpe. Greenan said the pair clicked quickly and built their racing relationship on trust, determination and confidence on the tandem bike.
The Cootehill athlete has also spoken of her admiration for Irish paracyclist Katie-George Dunlevy and hopes to help continue Ireland’s strong legacy in the sport.
Sinéad has now launched a GoFundMe campaign to buy a professional tandem track bike, allowing her to compete on the velodrome as well as on the road.
The frame alone costs around €18,000, while the complete bike would cost about €25,000. “Without that, I can’t compete on the track at all,” she said. Supporters can search ‘Road to LA28 Paralympics: Sinéad's Track Tandem Campaign’ on the GoFundMe fundraising platform.
She said that her coaches and the local community have all played an important role in supporting her progress. Over the winter, Greenan plans to focus on indoor training, gym work and linking in with local cycling clubs. She will also need to practise with a tandem pilot when Sharpe, who is based in the UK, is at home between training camps and competitions.
The victorious duo returned from the USA on Wednesday, September 9, and are now setting out their stall for the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles, California.