Cycling Ireland has said it is “expanding” the programme for the U23 Irish road team this year, though how it will be bigger is not clear. No U23 Irish teams have been selected to date in 2022 despite a very strong crop of riders being available.
On the plus side, Martyn Irvine – Olympian and former road pro and former world champion on the track – has been lined up to lead the U23 road effort, which is a great boost.
Cycling Ireland’s new high performance director Iain Dyer, who is just getting started in that role, said he was delighted to have Irvine involved; a view that will be echoed by many in the domestic racing community.
“After a lot of planning and discussion it’s great to be able to lift this off the page,” said Dyer. “Making the transition from Junior into senior ranks is one of the toughest jumps to make in cycling, and I’m happy we can support our young aspiring pros in this way.
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“The l’Avenir is probably the biggest platform afforded to U23s in road cycling and a potential springboard into a top team, so it’s a lofty but attainable goal. It would be great to think we might see them at a future World Championships or Olympic Games. It’s also great to see Martyn return to Cycling Ireland to lead on this programme, so we can be sure it’s in safe hands.”
Irvine said he was looking forward to working with the U23s and to seeing our best riders getting stuck into action on the roads of Europe as they try to progress in the sport.
“This season we are targeting up to four European stage races and the U23 European Championships in Portugal,” he said. The events have been selected to allow riders test themselves against some quality opposition and develop the skills required to progress to top level professional teams.
“We are looking forward to working together as a tight-knit group and ultimately targeting the Tour de l’Avenir if we can demonstrate that we can be competitive.”
Cycling Ireland said it would would “engage with eligible riders throughout the year monitoring athlete potential on an ongoing basis”. While the programme – which appears to be based on the usual participation in races abroad – will be for U23s, older and more experienced riders may be added from time to time, it said.
