Cycling Ireland is planning for racing to resume immediately Phase 5 of the easing of lock-down restrictions commences on August 10th.
The federation is
also planning the road racing calendar to continue until the end of October,
which is about five or six weeks longer than the conventional road season.
Races that take place among the first batch of events after August 10th are also likely to be shorter, to allow riders get accustomed to competing again.
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The federation has contacted clubs that organise races and has offered them dates on a revised calendar up to the end of October.
However, any race
that was on the calendar on dates after August 10th will remain on those dates,
once cycling does resume when planned and the promoting clubs want to press
ahead with their events.
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Racing has been
suspended since March due to the Covid19 lock-down, with just one weekend of
events completed before restrictions began in the Republic.
However, the Republic is coming to the end of Phase 1 of lock-down restrictions being eased and bike shops have already been allowed to re-open.
After next Monday the 5km rule will be extended and cyclists will be able to train within a radius of 20km from home.
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A full return to group cycling activities including racing, sportives and training rides is set to be permitted under Phase 5 of the plan, starting on August 10th; something Cycling Ireland is now preparing for.
All planning is dependent on the five phases going according to plan and the Government not being forced to reimposed stricter lock-down conditions due to any spike in Covid19 infections.
“If the uptake is good the calendar will be extended to October to give promoters the opportunity to host events,” Cycling Ireland told stickybottle of the plans to allow the season continue for longer this year.
“We have been in contact with clubs throughout the process and received their feedback,” it added.
“Events that are currently on the calendar from the 10th August (Phase 5) will keep their date and in conjunction with the provincial coordinator all remaining events will be scheduled around the existing dates and into September and October.
“We will be mindful of the race distance and length and the start of the remaining season. The draft calendar at present is based on provincial events only.”
Cycling Ireland has said it is possible when racing and sportives initially resume cyclists may only be permitted to travel within their home counties or regions for a period. However, that is not yet confirmed and such a restriction might not be imposed.
The restrictions and re-opening phases are slightly different in the North, where cyclists have been free to train any distance during the lock-down once they do so alone or with people they share a household with.
However, Cycling Ireland's plans for cycling resuming are based on the phases in the Republic, which is opening at a slower pace compared to the North.
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