Cycling Ireland is now reviewing its contract to fund Irish UCI Continental team EvoPro Racing this year. The contract, and the manner it was agreed, has become a significant issue in the federation in recent weeks.
The board - before almost all of the members resigned in the last fortnight and been replaced with new appointees - had also been dealing with the fall-out from Cycling Ireland using false quotations to apply for grants in 2020 from the Department of Sport.
However, stickybottle understands the dispute over the EvoPro Racing contract at board level was a very significant factor in the deterioration of relations within the board over a number of months.
That dispute within Cycling Ireland over the EvoPro Racing contract is the reason why three Cycling Ireland board members contacted Sport Ireland last week and informed it they were resigning.
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Their letter to Sport Ireland said the board was progressing "specific and focused governance-related work", which was believed to be a reference to the examination of the deal agreed late last year between Cycling Ireland and EvoPro Racing. That means the deal with the team is the so-called "second issue" Cycling Ireland has been dealing with.
There is no suggestion whatever of any wrongdoing on the part of anyone in EvoPro Racing. Nor does the matter raise any allegations of wrongdoing on the part of anyone in Cycling Ireland. Instead, the manner in which the deal was agreed, and the level of information shared within Cycling Ireland, appears to have become the contentious issue within the federation.
The decision to review the contract also pre-dates the appointment of the new board members, who were only unveiled 24 hours ago.
In reply to queries from stickybottle, Cycling Ireland confirmed its board had contacted Sport Ireland last week related to the EvoPro deal.
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"As outlined in a letter to Sport Ireland on 16 February, the board of Cycling Ireland has raised governance concerns in relation to a possible agreement between Cycling Ireland and Evo Pro Racing," the statement said.
"Having raised these concerns, Cycling Ireland has appointed BDO to complete a review with the terms of reference as per the letter to Sport Ireland. While this process is ongoing, we are not in a position to provide further comment."
EvoPro Racing told stickybottle its focus remained on its team's operations and helping young Irish talent to develop. It did not make any substantive comment on its deal with Cycling Ireland being under review.
The fact Cycling Ireland was going into an arrangement with EvoPro, which included funding for the team, was announced by the national governing body during Christmas week. It was welcomed by many in the Irish cycling community, especially within the road racing scene, as the deal would help ensure the team's future and offer a pathway to young Irish riders trying to break into European pro racing.
The team, which was founded by former racing cyclists and businessmen PJ Nolan and Morgan Fox, is going into its fourth season on the road in Europe. It continued operating over the last two years despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, which were especially difficult for a new cycling team.
The deal between the team and the national governing body was agreed late last year. On the strength of the arrangement, EvoPro Racing had finalised its roster for this year, including 10 Irish riders in its 15-rider squad.
The high number of Irish riders was a crucial part of the arrangement with Cycling Ireland. Furthermore, other Irish cyclists, who were not members of the team, also looked set to benefit from the team's house and other infrastructure in Belgium on an ongoing basis through 2022.
It was not clear if the future of the team would be threatened in the event the current review of the Cycling Ireland contract resulted in its cancellation or any reduction in funding. However, a decision on that is imminent.
