Cycling Ireland has issued an apology - and removed content from its website - as part of the continued fall-out from recent controversies at the national governing body. The apology, and clarification, has been issued to those who were board members in February of this year, before the board was reconstituted
At the time, Liam Collins - then the president of Cycling Ireland but having since moved on from that post - compiled a statement for members. It was published on the Cycling Ireland website and also emailed to members. That statement, of February 12th, was followed up the next day by a statement from the board, expressing different views to Collins.
In the statement issued by Collins, he urged named board members to step down from their positions. He added he planned to step down from his post before the next AGM and he urged the other members of the board - those not named in his statement - to also step down before the AGM.
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Cycling Ireland's statement today, which has been circulated to its members, apologises for the content of the Collins statement, which it says has been removed from its website.
"A statement by the then president of Cycling Ireland was published by email to Cycling Ireland members and on Cycling Ireland's website on 12 February 2022. It has since been removed from Cycling Ireland's website," Cycling Ireland said in its statement today.
"It was never Cycling Ireland's intention that any board member would be criticised or disparaged and Cycling Ireland wishes to make it clear that there are no grounds for any such criticism.
"Cycling Ireland acknowledges and appreciates the valued work done by the board members named in the email and is grateful for their service to Cycling Ireland over many years. If any negative implication was taken from the statement, however unintended, Cycling Ireland regrets this and unreservedly apologises to the board members."
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The apology is the latest chapter in the continued fall-out from two major events within Cycling Ireland, which have unfolded publicly over the last 12 months.
In the summer of 2020 false quotation documents were used by the national governing body to apply for grants from the Department of Sport. When the false documents were spotted, Cycling Ireland was suspended from applying for grants for a year.
However, Cycling Ireland did not inform its members of the issue or mention it in its annual report or at its AGM last year. The matter eventually emerged in the media earlier this year, by which time the full 12-month period of suspension had been served.
Separately, Cycling Ireland and Irish Continental team EvoPro Racing had intended to enter into a financial and strategic partnership for the 2022 season, though the plan eventually ended in controversy. Then Cycling Ireland chief executive and president, Matt McKerrow and Liam Collins, agreed the broad outline of a deal with EvoPro owners Morgan Fox and PJ Nolan.
However, while that broad agreement was reached in late 2021, when detail was supplied to the Cycling Ireland board in early 2022 the plan caused very significant controversy and the deal never went ahead. It would have created an academy within EvoPro Racing, into which young Irish cyclists could have been placed to race in Europe. In return, Cycling Ireland would have used EvoPro's properties, vehicles and staff to support Irish teams - and some other Irish cyclists - when they were racing or training in Europe.
Cycling Ireland board members objected to the fact an agreement was reached with EvoPro Racing without the board being briefed and consulted. They were also concerned about the sums of money being spoken about - between €200,000 and €400,000. However, no expenditure figure was ever formally agreed as the matter did not progress that far.
Meanwhile, last month the board - made up of new personnel - announced McKerrow was leaving his position as Cycling Ireland chief executive. McKerrow officially left the job on Monday of this week. The process to recruit a replacement is ongoing and Chris Kitchen, the former chief executive at Triathlon Ireland, has been appointed interim chief executive of Cycling Ireland.
