Aged 18, Mia didn’t even know much about the sport of cycling. What changed everything was a talent-transfer program in Ireland that her mum spotted at the university where she worked. She went for some tests, and with the high-performance director of Cycling Ireland at the time present, she impressed enough to make it to the stage and started track racing almost straight away.
Before the bike entered her life, Mia played camogie – which is similar to hurling and is one of Ireland’s most physical and explosive sports. Looking back, she sees the influence clearly. “It is an aggressive and tough sport with lots of sprinting and lots of contact with the opposition. It actually helped me because cycling can be really aggressive too, especially now in the women’s peloton – you see how much everyone wants to fight for position.”
Track cycling shaped her early years as an athlete. She raced internationally for Ireland and eventually made it all the way to the Olympic Games in the Team Pursuit. “I really liked my time on the track,” she says. “But before the Olympics you put so much time into it and afterwards, I was doing more road racing again which felt really nice. I think the road is where my heart is.”
She now splits her life between Ireland and Switzerland, two very different but equally meaningful homes. “The roads in Switzerland roll so well,” she says. “And training in the mountains at your own pace is amazing. But I also love training in Ireland — the people, the atmosphere. Both places give me something.”
Her move to road racing brought steady progression and results, and now joining Team Picnic PostNL marks the next step in her development as a sprinter. “I’m really excited to work in such a well-organised performance environment,” she says. “I want to grow on the results I had this year and see how I evolve as a sprint-type rider.”
Naturally, big dreams lie ahead. “More podiums in sprint races,” she says. “And learning from the riders here who have so much experience. The lead-out at the team is one of the best in the peloton — seeing them race made me want to be part of it.”
Longer-term, her ambitions are clear: a Tour de France Femmes stage win — the dream of every sprinter.
Asked to describe herself in three words, she smiles and answers: “happy, chill, and chaotic.” She believes those qualities help her deal with the unpredictability of elite sport. “I’m pretty stable with my mood. I take things as they come. Being chill makes it easier to handle the situations cycling throws at you.”
With her power, personality, and the desire to keep learning, Mia joins Team Picnic PostNL ready to take the next step in her sprinting journey. While away from the bike you can find her relaxing with friends and family – the latter of which she competed alongside in Season 4 of the TV show called Ireland’s Fittest Family.