Irish junior riders planning to race abroad next year face dropping back down to junior gears after two of the main European cycling federations have decided not to scrap junior gears in road racing for fear of overloading young riders on higher gears and increasing the 'drop out' rate from the sport.
The UCI has moved to lift junior gear restrictions from the start of next year. Cycling Ireland is one of the national governing bodies which has already confirmed it will follow the direction of the UCI, meaning juniors can ride whatever gears they wish next season. However, two of the bigger European federations having decided against scrapping junior gears as they do not want to overload developing young riders.
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Both the Dutch and the Belgian federations have come to a joint agreement to retain junior gears for national and regional races. It means any Irish juniors racing abroad next year - save for UCI-ranked races - in Belgium or the Netherlands will need to switch back to junior gears.
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"Safety in the peloton is very important to us," the Dutch cycling federation said in a statement. "This also includes the ability for youth riders to develop without their growing bodies being overloaded. In addition, it is possible that by releasing the resisting speeds in competitions for juniors will be higher, which can lead to dangerous situations. Both cases can lead to an increased 'drop-out' among youth cyclists.
"Since many Dutch cycling athletes also compete in Belgium, and vice versa, the KWBW and KNWU have decided to apply the same rules regarding the resistance for juniors. In the coming year, the Belgian cycling federation will conduct a thorough study into the possible adjustment and tuning of the various gears. The KNWU will join the evaluation and reconsider the decision regarding the maximum resistance before 2024."
