Javan Nulty leads the winning breakaway in the Harry Reynolds Memorial last year; the race and two others have now been called off as part of a worrying and worsening dispute (Photo: Amy Norah Farrell)
An ongoing dispute between Dublin and Meath cycling clubs and the Garda and councils has forced the cancellation of three popular races at the end of the month.
The annual Harry Reynolds Memorial, Jezzer Wherity Memorial and Ben McKenna Memorial races were due to be fought out in north Co Dublin on the weekend after next; March 28th and 29th.
However, the Garda and Fingal County Council have been pressing for road closures to be put in place to increase safety for road races in the area.
And while Balbriggan Cycling Club successfully managed the situation over the past two years, it appears the Garda and council are now insisting the closures be put in place.
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Fearing the move would create a dangerous precedent for racing nationally and also fearing prohibitively large fees for road closures in the years ahead, the club has had no option but to cancel this year’s races after no agreement could be found.
Eoin Morton and Greg Swinand take a UCD 1-2 in the Ben McKenna Memorial last year. The event will not run this time around (Photo: Amy-Norah Farrell)
The closures being pressed for would see vehicles blocked from the roads were the racing is set to take place. However, a system of local access would be in operation meaning there would still be traffic on the course.
The fixtures have been run down the years without incident and with the club marshalling its own events; as clubs nationwide have done for decades.
Stamullen M Donnelly Road Club has had similar problems with the Garda and Fingal County Council in recent years.
However, its early April fixtures – the Pat & Monie Nolan Memorial and the Stamullen GP – have gone ahead as planned in the past couple of seasons despite an escalating dispute with the authorities.
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But the Garda’s and council’s insistence around road closures has become much more hard line of late, threatening racing in the Fingal County Council area for the years ahead.
There are also fears if clubs in the region or other parts of the country succumb to the pressure being applied on them, road closures may be requested all around the country, making road racing much more difficult to promote.
Balbriggan Cycling Club has issued a statement confirming the races are off for this year and expressing its disappointment at the latest turn of events.
The races now called off attract more than 300 riders annually. Let's hope the situation can be resolved for further years (Photo: Amy-Norah Farrell)
“Balbriggan Cycling Club has been running cycling road race events safely and successfully, without incident over many years,” it said.
“Unnecessary restrictions were imposed on the running of the club’s annual memorial races in 2014 which it dealt with and overcame at the time.
“In the meantime there have been ongoing discussions with Cycling Ireland... and the various statutory bodies including Fingal County Council which has failed to resolve the matter.
“The preparatory work, the financial outlay involved and the management structures have been in place for some time for this year’s events.
“However, because of the continuing difficulties with the statutory bodies, Balbriggan Cycling Club regrets that, at this late stage, it is necessary to cancel this year’s cycling road races.”
It was unknown at the time of writing if the development would have any impact on Stamullen M Donnelly Road Club’s plans for its races next month.
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