An Irish sports promotion firm has landed a contract with Flanders Classics to be the domestic promoter of the Dublin round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup later this year. When the Dublin round was held last December, the lead-in time was tight meaning limited planning.
However, with more notice this year, an expanded programme of racing is being organised while additional facilities will also be on site. Sport Ireland chief executive, Úna May, signalled a bigger, better-run, fixture this time around when speaking to stickybottle after the inaugural Dublin World Cup last December.
While Flanders Classics - a Belgian-based international cycling promotions company - remains the main promoter of the UCI World Cup, including Dublin, now an Irish company usually involved in golf has been signed up as co-promoter.
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ForeFront Sports - based in Swords, Co Dublin - will partner with Flanders Classics and it is hoped the 2023 Dublin World Cup, in November, will be even bigger than last year's success, with 8,000 spectators braving the cold to watch the racing on the Sport Ireland Campus in west Dublin.
The fact an Irish firm will be so centrally involved this year will grow extra capacity in Ireland for the promotion of international cycling. The move hopefully signals the start of a long-term relationship between Flanders Classics, the World Cup and Ireland.
ForeFront Sports chief executive, Cian Branagan, said he believed the World Cup in November would be one of the biggest cycling events ever held in Ireland; a bold statement considering the popularity of the Nissan Classic and the fact both the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia have started on the island of Ireland.
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"We are really looking forward to the UCI Cyclocross World Cup here in Dublin and with the growing interest in the sport across Ireland, I foresee this year’s event being one of the biggest cycling events ever held in Ireland," Branagan said.
Flanders Classics chief executive, Tomas Van Den Spiegel, said last year's Dublin fixture was a "huge success" and he was looking forward to more of the same this winter when World Cup racing is back on Irish soil.
“We feel there is room left for the event to grow. Therefore we’re happy to join forces with Fore Front Sports to investigate the potential of this cyclocross event of the highest level on Irish soil. We are already looking forward to the upcoming edition on November 26th.”
Sport Ireland's May said it was clear from last year's Dublin fixture that international cyclocross racing in Ireland was a major draw for Irish and foreign spectators, adding the 2022 racing was "also viewed by a large television audience across Europe".
"We hope that the world class facilities at Sport Ireland Campus are home to events of this scale on an ongoing basis, and naturally welcome the inclusion of a Dublin round in the UCI Cyclocross World Cup calendar next season," she said. "We look forward to working with our partners the UCI, Flanders Classics, Cycling Ireland and Forefront Sports to build on last year’s success."
ForeFront Sports describes itself as a "sports and events agency" that was "now a leader in the Irish golf space driving innovation, diversity, and a new fanbase to the sport of golf". It was founded in 2020 by Branagan, who says he has "worked on over 40 sanctioned golf events on every major tour around the world". Branagan worked for international sports marketing company, IMG, before departing in 2019 to set up his own company.
ForeFront's operations director, Simon Honan, has worked for the Football Association of Ireland, Cricket Ireland and Tennis Ireland. He says he has "delivered several national and international sports events around Ireland" while building "a strong network and relationships with suppliers and venues".
