Action from this year’s Junior Tour (Photo: Stephen McMahon)
Junior riders are to be issued with a special A3 licence for the 2012 season as part of Cycling Ireland’s bid to clarify the rules and to re-establish the junior category following its absorption into senior grades in recent years.
The move is also aimed at making it clear to junior riders, race organisers and commissaries that in the normal course of events juniors can only ride with A3s and A4s.
The juniors can in special circumstances still ride races with A2s and A1s, but this practice is to be very much restricted.
In recent years juniors have been issued with A3 licences at the start of their junior careers. In some cases they have been able to get an A4 licence if they have requested it.
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If they had gained enough points through race wins or placings, those who started as A4s progressed to A3. And those who started as A3s would have progressed on to A2.
Under the new system, juniors will be issued with an A3 licence and they will remain A3s for the duration of their two-year junior careers.
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Their numbers will be a different colour to A3 senior riders, making them easier to pick out in the bunch and effectively re-establishing the junior category with a visible identity of its own.
Cycling Ireland is hopeful this move may encourage more race organisers to award more junior prizes within primarily senior events.
Under the new rules, if there is no junior race at a particular location but there is a race for A3s only or for A3s & A4s, this is the race juniors must rider.
They cannot opt out of this race in favour of riding a race at the venue for A2s & A1s.
However, if juniors have been selected on a development squad and are preparing for a particular international event, they can opt not to ride an A3 race and can instead ride against A2s or A1s if they have the written permission of the junior development coach.
The only other circumstance under which a junior can race against first or second category riders is if there is only one race on at a venue and it is open to all senior categories, from A4 to A1.
The changes to the junior category follow a motion on the issue by Drogheda Wheelers at Cycling Ireland’s AGM.
The new rules have no implications for traditional junior gear restrictions. These remain as they have been.
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