Lydia Boylan is one of the women who have taken Cycling Ireland to task over its general attitude to women's cycling and the National Championships which she won (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Irish cycling lead women criticise Cycling Ireland
Some of the most prominent women in Irish cycling, including national road race champion Lydia Boylan, have been strongly critical of Cycling Ireland.
They say holding the elite women’s road race championships on the same time as the elite me’s last weekend was unacceptable.
And they have also insisted the plans were out of step with the higher levels of respect afforded to women’s racing elsewhere in Europe on championships weekend.
The concerns have been expressed in an open letter to Ciaran Cycling president Ciaran McKenna.
It has been written and signed by Boylan, Rás na mBan race director Valerie Considine and Orla Hendron who is responsible for Youth Development on Cycling Ireland’s women's commission.
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Boylan has won the national title for the last three years and is a road and track international.
Considine and Hendron have been the driving forces behind the women's cycling scene in Ireland for many years.
The three women also say the lack of priority given to the women’s race in Wexford last Sunday is the latest episode in Cycling Ireland’s poor attitude towards the women’s sport.
When the men's race caught the women on their last lap, the women's race was pulled over about 10km from the finish to let the men pass.
While the championship organisers have pointed out the women’s race was slower than expected, Boylan, Considine and Hendron say this is irrelevant.
They argue the women’s event should never have gone ahead on the same 20km course at the same time was the elite and U23 men’s event.
And they point out women’s title races were not run in that way anywhere else in Europe on national championships weekend; adding the women’s race has been caught at least three times in the last 10 years.
“The idea that the women’s race should run at the same time as the men’s race is part of the thinking that has stymied the sport for countless years,” they write.
“We would like to point out that currently there is no woman on the board of Cycling Ireland. There is no woman on the new road commission.
“Earlier this year Cycling Ireland saw fit to sanction a junior and Masters women’s National Road Championship event which clashed directly with An Post Rás na mBan in September.”
The criticisms are contained in the open letter the women have penned to McKenna and sent to stickybottle.
It comes 24 hours after McKenna said Cycling Ireland would look into the reasons why the women’s race had to stop on their last lap to let the men pass.
And he also said the format of championship weekend would be reviewed generally. He said Wexford Cycling had put on a well-run championship weekend and thanked them for it.
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We’ve carried the full text of the open letter below.
28th June, 2017
Ciaran McKenna President, Cycling Ireland
Open Letter Re: 2017 Elite Women’s National Road Race Championship
Dear Ciaran,
Following Sunday’s National Road Race Championships in Wexford we would like to comment on the situation which led to the Women’s Road Race being halted to allow the men’s race to pass within ten kilometres of the finish.
It should be noted that this is at least the third time that this has happened at the National Road Race Championships in the last ten years.
We look forward to, and fully expect, a time when Irish women’s bike racing is treated equally.
Field size and average race speed are irrelevant. Whether one race catches another or not is of little consequence.
Women’s cycle sport deserves a stand-alone road race on the national championships weekend as was the norm throughout Europe last Sunday.
The idea that the women’s race should run at the same time as the men’s race is part of the thinking that has stymied the sport for countless years.
We would like to point out that currently there is no woman on the Board of Cycling Ireland. There is no woman on the new Road Commission.
Earlier this year Cycling Ireland saw fit to sanction a Junior and Masters Women’s National Road Championship event which clashed directly with An Post Rás na mBan in September.
These can be resolved on a case-by-case basis but until there is a fundamental alteration in thinking regarding the status of women’s bike racing, issues of this nature will continue to occur.
The Elite Women’s National Road Race Championship is the culmination of the hard work and dedication of the athletes involved and their achievements should be acknowledged in their own right with a separate event.
Direction on this needs to come from the top of our administration and we look forward to hearing a response from our governing body on this matter.
Yours in cycling,
Valerie Considine
Race Director An Post Rás na mBan
Orla Hendron
Youth Development, Women's Commission Cycling Ireland
Lydia Boylan
Women's National Road Race Champion 2015, 2016, 2017
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