Caoimhe O’Brien will join Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team for the 2027 season, moving across from EF Education-Oatly after a year at Women’s WorldTour level.
The 24-year-old Irish rider brings a strong record in one-day races and reduced-group finishes, with two second places in the Irish elite road race championships and a string of top-10 results in international races over the past two seasons. Smurfit Westrock confirmed the signing in its announcement.
The move also reunites O’Brien with her younger sister Aoife, who has already been confirmed for Smurfit Westrock’s 2027 squad. ProCyclingUK covered Aoife O’Brien’s move alongside Raquel Queirós, Lucy Lee, Maaike Brandwagt and Ruby Isaac earlier in the transfer window.
O’Brien brings proven international results
O’Brien’s strongest run of results came across 2024 and 2025. Riding for DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK in 2024, she finished 12th overall at the Tour de Pologne Women and placed seventh on both stages two and three, showing the finishing speed that has become one of her clearest strengths.
That same season she won stage two of Rás na mBan in Mountrath, edging teammate Mia Griffin in a photo finish after a demanding day that included the first-category climb of The Cut. She also finished fourth in the Irish road race championship, matching the same result she had taken in 2022.
Her 2025 season with Cynisca Cycling added more evidence that she could handle stronger international fields. O’Brien finished second to Mia Griffin in the Irish elite road race championship, fifth in the national time trial and ninth at both the Maryland Cycling Classic Women and Egmont Cycling Race.
She was also 10th on the final stage of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina, 14th at GP Yvonne Reynders and 17th at Scheldeprijs. She then stepped up to EF Education-Oatly for 2026.
A season of WorldTour experience with EF Education-Oatly
O’Brien’s year with EF Education-Oatly gave her WorldTour experience across some of the biggest one-day events on the calendar. For 2027 she returns to Continental level with Smurfit Westrock, bringing that experience into a squad that is expanding its international roster.
Her profile suits that role. O’Brien is not a pure sprinter, but she has repeatedly shown that she can survive selective racing and still finish quickly from a reduced group. Her national championship results are the clearest example, with runner-up finishes in both 2023 and 2025 and fourth places in 2022 and 2024.
Smurfit Westrock described her as a punchy rider who thrives in hard, aggressive races, a description that fits the results she has produced across Ireland, Britain and continental Europe.
Smurfit Westrock continue to add experience for 2027
Smurfit Westrock are building a more international roster for 2027 while retaining their UCI Continental status. O’Brien adds WorldTour experience to a group that already includes a mix of young riders and established names.
Her arrival follows the earlier signings of Aoife O’Brien, Queirós, Lee, Brandwagt and Isaac, giving the team more depth across one-day races, stage races and development opportunities. The presence of both O’Brien sisters should also give Smurfit Westrock useful options in races where finishing speed matters after a selective day.
O’Brien arrives with WorldTour experience and a recent record of placing well in reduced-group finishes. Her 2024 Tour de Pologne and 2025 one-day results show the type of races where Smurfit Westrock can make best use of her finishing speed.
