Cycling Ireland has set out a 10-point plan which it hopes can halt the decline in racing numbers, and race cancellations, and get the scene back to growth again. The plan has been compiled following a root and branch examination of trends in racing numbers and the reasons why those trends are going the wrong way.
The chief executive of Cycling Ireland, James Quilligan, said he was looking forward to implementing the recommendations of the Road Working Group, established last year, in a bid to improve racing numbers and the quality of events.
“This is a very exciting time for road racing in Ireland," he said of a scene in which the junior group is especially strong and we have a large group of male and female riders racing very well in pro events, even if the domestic road scene definitely needs help.
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"The road working group have put in an extensive body of work to get to this point. The recommendations aim to increase participation in road racing and to standardise racing. I look forward to implementing these changes for 2025 and beyond.”
The 10-point plan, below, arises from the new report compiled by the Road Working Group. That group is comprised of racers, coaches and race promoters including: Jennifer Bates, Matteo Cigala, Cathal Dillane, Niall Doggett, Vincent Gleeson, Orla Hendron, Drew McKinley, Stephen O’Shea and Aaron Wallace.
The report shows that in 2017 there were 3,249 racing cyclists in Ireland, which was the peak over the last decade. While numbers then declined in 2018 and 2019, there was a large drop; from 2,771 in 2019 to 2,197 in 2020 and 1,1861 in 2021. And though there was a bounce in 2022, numbers have declined again this year and last, to 1,947 at present.
The report - the main findings of which you can read about by following this link - identifies a range of issues including a need for a better spread of racing. It also points to the need for a more realistic, and fulfilling, scene for women, newly upgraded riders and for masters racers, which now comprise 19 per cent of the racing community.
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The 10-point plan put forward is as follows:
- Migrate full licence racing categories from four to three and modify limited competition licence
- Create a tiered race categorisation structure
- Changes to the grading points in line with race categorisation
- Continued work towards a more balanced calendar based on race categorisation
- Encourage promotion of a women's calendar annually
- Create opportunities for Masters racing
- Create ‘Road Cycling Cup' at each category, replacing the National Series
- Centralised interactive Cycling Ireland system for race promotion in one place
- Modernisation of road racing
- Set out minimum standards of medical cover and race facilities for national events
Road working group member, Cathal Dillane, believes the action plan represents "a comprehensive attempt to rejuvenate road racing".
"By categorising races to suit the different rider motivations, building bigger peloton sizes, establishing season long competitions, centralising race promotion and results, and building security for race promoters we hope to build a stronger more fun racing scene for all," he said.
"Ultimately, it’s about building a better sense of connection and identity within the sport for our members.”
Another member of the group, rider and race promoter Niall Doggett, said "the time has come to re-structure things in a way to serve Cycling Ireland members better".
"Our aim is to ensure road racing gets through this difficult period, before we can see it grow again. The appetite and drive for change is certainly out there within the Irish cycling community," he said.
"We hope this can be a springboard to a booming sport in the coming years. Our goal is to create an improved system to make road racing more organised, competitive, and enjoyable for riders, along with being more financially viable for race organisers."
