Denis Toomey with Catherine Walsh after another medal-winning ride at the London Paralympic Games last year.
Having taken early retirement and stepped down from his position as the Irish paracycling team manager, Denis Toomey is running for president of Cycling Ireland. In this dispatch he puts forward his priorities if elected and why he thinks he's a suitable candidate to take the post when members vote at the AGM in three weeks time.
I am writing to seek yours and your club’s support at the election and to outline a little about myself and why I believe you should support me as a candidate.
Membership
I have been a member of Cycling Ireland since the late 1970s, having first joined Blarney Cycle Touring Club and then moved to Midleton CC when the Blarney club folded.
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I went on to form Tandem Cycling Ireland in 2000 after piloting a tandem for blind cyclist Joe Bollard in a coast-to-coast challenge across America with a group led by Sean Kelly.
I am the current chairman of Tandem Cycling Ireland and also chairman of the paracycling commission. In the past I was PRO of the Munster Cycling Federation (now Cycling Munster).
I had the honour of being bestowed with honorary life membership by the board of Cycling Ireland last year following the success of my squad at the London Paralympic Games.
I completed my training as a commissaire in 2013 and am a national classifier with Paralympics Ireland and am awaiting a place on the UCI international classifiers course.
Board
I was elected to the board of Cycling Ireland at the 2012 AGM and have participated in all board meetings since my election. In addition, I have represented the board at meetings of the Movement for Credible Cycling and have written a new communications policy which when fully implemented will see big improvements in how we communicate with our membership, the media and the general public.
I am Cycling Ireland’s representative on the European Handcycling Federation and at Paralympics Ireland.
Paracycling
I am probably best known for my work in growing paracycling since Ireland’s first involvement at the bottom of the ladder in 2001 to securing five World Championship titles in 2012-2013, both on the track and on the road and winning two gold, one Silver and two bronze medals at the London 2012
Paralympic Games
I competed as a tandem pilot at the Athens Games in 2014 and was cycling manager for the 2008 Games in Beijing and the London Games last year.
I stepped down as Paracycling manager at the end of 2012 but am still very active in the development area, and am back piloting the tandem at sportive level events like the Ring of Kerry, Tour de Kilkenny, Trip to Tipp etc.
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Velodrome Project
As paracycling manager I experienced at first hand the difficulties we as a sport suffer by not having an indoor velodrome in Ireland. In 2012 the paracycling squad spent 108 days outside Ireland, much of this training and competing in foreign velodrome.
I have been working with the board to spearhead a drive to rectify this. Plans that we were working on to develop a training track in Tallaght recently died a death when the Government pulled the plug due to issues around the length of lease that could be obtained.
Since then we have made serious progress on looking into the possibilities of developing a semi-permanent structure to house a track on a green-field site at the Sports Campus in Abbottstown.
This is in association with Badminton Ireland. We have recently awarded a contract for the preparation of a feasibility study as a first step in submitting a joint application for capital funding to the Government.
I am very confident that this project will happen and pledge to use the office of president, if you elect me, to apply any necessary leverage and will leave no stone unturned in driving its move from feasibility to reality. We are one of the few National Governing Bodies that do not have a home to show-case our sport and I hope to change that during my term of office.
Time and commitment
Having seen over the past year the huge time and effort put in by the outgoing president Rory Wyley, I am under no illusion that the job of president is as near to a full time role as you can get.
I was lucky to be in a position to avail of an early retirement package from my job as health, environment and safety manager in 2011 to concentrate full-time on the management of the paracycling squad in the year before London.
Having now stepped down as paracycling manager I am free to give the necessary commitment required to undertake the role of president. And I am available during the normal working hours to fulfill the role and meet with staff etc.
I think I have proven my capabilities, drive and commitment as paracycling manager and during my time on the board and will give of my all in carrying out the duties of the role of president.
I have been studying the feedback given by provincial executives, commissions and the general membership on how we can improve the way we run the organisation and provide a better service to you our members.
I plan to continue this consultation process and push forward with implementation of some very good suggestions already received. I will be happy to meet with clubs in every part of the country should you wish to meet me, either before the election or hopefully after I have been elected.
I sincerely ask for your support, and that of your club, by voting for me in the election at the AGM and encourage all clubs to send delegates to represent them at the AGM on the 26th of October.
If you need further information please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or by mobile 087-2533630.
Yours in Cycling
Denis Toomey
Cycling Ireland's AGM takes place on October 26th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan. There are two candidates for the presidential election; Denis Toomey and Ciaran McKenna.
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