The new reforms to rider grading will apply immediately. There will be new races and many riders will start the year in a higher category than they expected (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Just over one month out from the beginning of the new domestic road racing season Cycling Ireland has introduced significant changes to category grading.
The reforms will impact all levels, with new A2 only races to be introduced from the early part of the season.
The changes come about after much debate on how to grade juniors at the annual general meeting late last year where no consensus could be agreed at the meeting.
However, it was decided on that occasion that a grading group would be established to examine the proposals put forward at the annual general meeting.
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The remit was then extended to include an examination of all grades, not just juniors.
And with that process having been completed, the board of the federation met last night and agreed a number of reforms aimed at addressing the huge glut of riders – at around 2,500 – in the A3 and A4 categories.
Because juniors were racing against these categories and best young riders were constantly claiming the placings that points were awarded to, it was proving very difficult for all but a relatively small numbers of senior riders to be promoted from the A3 and A4 ranks.
With that in mind, the number of points needed for promotion across the board has been lowered.
And riders will now carry points forward to the next season, meaning the tally of points won over a number of years will secure promotion for a rider.
And with those changes being implemented immediately and applying to points won last year, it means many riders who fell short of moving up a grade through last season will now be upgraded.
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This will happen before the start of the 2016 season and downgrades have also been put on hold.
The changes include:
- A3 riders amassing 10 points in 2015 and subsequent years will be upgraded to A2 with zero points.
- A3 riders with less than 10 points at year end will carry the points earned forward to the following year.
- A4 riders on amassing 15 points, cumulative across years, will be upgraded to A3.
- All downgrades are on hold for 2016.
- A2 rider with less than 15 points at year end will carry points earned forward to the following year.
- Category A3 or A2 riders may opt to upgrade by one category on their first licence application for the season.
- A junior on reaching senior grade will be categorised as A3 unless they have amassed 30 points or more in their last year as a junior in which case they will be graded as an A2 rider.
- At the discretion of the National Development Coach a junior who has amassed 50 points or more in their last year as a junior may be graded A1 or a member of a UCI team A+.
- No junior will be upgraded beyond A3 without written permission from the National Development Coach.
- An A2 rider on amassing 15 points this includes points carried from the previous year in a calendar year will be upgraded to A1 with zero points.
- An A2 rider, on the first full year following their upgrade and each year thereafter, must obtain 6 points or revert back to A3 grade with 5 points. Downgrades are on hold for the 2016 season.
- An A1 rider, on the first full year following their upgrade and each year thereafter, must obtain 6 points or revert back to A2 with 7 points. Downgrades are on hold for the 2016 season.
Cycling Ireland said in a statement it was hopeful the reforms would “fundamentally change” the senior road racing scene.
It believed the changes would benefit the scene by lowering the ever increasing number of A3 riders and reducing the “ability step” needed to jump from A3 into the A2 and A1 ranks.
It also said juniors who were eligible to ride elite races could “use the A2 category as the logical step”.
And it believed by reducing numbers in A3 and A4 bunches, by virtue of more of those riders being promoted, the safety risks associated with larger bunches would be reduced.
Cycling Ireland president Ciaran McKenna said the federation was away the changes introduced would affect riders immediately, adding steps had been taken to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.
“We contacted a number of race organisers, particularly those race organisers at the start of the season, and requested that they introduce separate A2 races,” he said.
“The majority of race organiser contacted agreed to introduce separate A2 races. We are hoping that these separate race categories can continue wherever possible during the year.”
The change will mean smaller A1 only fields at the start of the year competing in separate races, but as more A2s become A1s those fields will grow.
“The success of these changes will be greatly aided by the support of the clubs,” continued McKenna.
“Cycling Ireland is appreciative of their support with the introduction of A2 races where possible which will assist towards the safety of our athletes.”
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