Cycling Ireland has drafted in three former international riders well known on the domestic racing scene to form a group to advise its high performance plans. Olympian Robin Seymour, above, is one of them.
With Cycling Ireland facing something of a rebuilding challenge after the current Olympic cycle ends the federation has established a new group to advise on high performance.
And it features a number of names that will be well known to those in the racing community.
Olympian Robin Seymour will advise on all things off road and securing the services of a man of his calibre seems like a major coup for the national governing body.
On the road race scene, former international road rider Aidan Duff has also been taken on by Cycling Ireland to aid the high performance road racing programme for junior and U23 riders but will also advise elites from time to time.
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And Stephen Barrett, a former road and track international, completes the trio of ‘new signings’ by Cycling Ireland and will use his sports science background to aid the high performance programme.
The trio is to make up a high performance subcommittee within Cycling Ireland to be chaired by former top domestic road rider John Horgan, who is already a member of the board of the federation.
The subcommittee will advise the high performance programme.
Horgan said he believes bringing Seymour, Duff and Barrett into the fold is a very good move for the national federation.
“It’s great to have the assistance of such experienced and knowledgeable people,” he said.
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“With their input Cycling Ireland can continue to progress across all disciplines enabling our athletes to fulfil their potential.”
Cycling Ireland’s technical director Brian Nugent echoed those sentiments.
“This is a much needed development as the rate of growth has been tremendous over the past four year cycle,” he said.
“This will bring our (national governing body) into line with all the other successful (governing bodies) worldwide and here in Ireland.
”It’s very important to bring together an independent group that each have extensive expertise in their own area.
"This will only strengthen our system going forward and push it to new levels.”
Cycling Ireland said Olympian Seymour would be “assisting in the development of the off-road programme to include cross country and downhill mountain biking, along with cyclocross”.
It added Duff would assist “with the development of a road programme for junior and U23 athletes, along with offering assistance to senior road racers where required”.
Barrett holds an MSc in exercise physiology and is a lecturer and researcher at Waterford Institute of Technology.
Further names may be added to the subcommittee over the coming months, Cycling Ireland added.
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