Sport Ireland names 19 Irish cyclists funded for new 2024 Olympic cycle

Eve McCrystal, pilot, and Katie George Dunlevy, stoker, celebrate winning gold as they cross the line in the Women's B road race at the Fuji International Speedway at the Paralympics (Photo: David Fitzgerald-Sportsfile)

Sport Ireland has named 19 Irish cyclists who are funded in the first year of the new Olympic cycle. There are potentially 22 riders supported under this round as a sum of €40,000 pool funding has been granted to the men's madison set-up.

Cycling Ireland has only named one rider of a likely four in that madison pool so far - Europeans scratch race bronze medalist JB Murphy - meaning three more named riders will be added soon.

While Mark Downey and Felix English represented Ireland in the madison at the Olympics, and Fintan Ryan was reserve, none of three has been included to date by Cycling Ireland in the current men's madison pool funded by the €40,000 sum.

However, both Emily Kay and Shannon McCurley - who represented Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics - are included in this round of funding, as individual riders rather than as part of any pool. Kay has been awarded €25,000 while McCurley receives €18,000.

The paracycling team tops the funding, as expected given their results at last year's Paralympics. Double gold medal winners Katie George Dunlevy and her pilot Eve McCrystal - the stars of the Games for Ireland - are awarded €60,000 as a duo. They won the TT and road race in Tokyo and also claimed silver in the individual pursuit.

*Lara Gillespie as European champion as a junior. Now an U23 and elite rider, she is among those funded for this year*

Ronan Grimes, who won bronze at the Worlds last year, is funded to the tune of €40,000. That sum follows a very strong performance in Tokyo where he set a new personal best twice in the individual pursuit, racing into the bronze medal ride-off and eventually finishing in 4th place.

Gary O'Reilly was one of the stories of the Paralympics when he won a surprise medal and was very open to sharing his surprise. The Co Laois man took bronze in the H5 TT and is now rewarded for that with €40,000 in funding for this year.

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Other members of the Paralympic squad to receive funding are: Martin Gordon and Eoin Mullen tandem, €37,500; Damien Vereker and Marcin Mizgajsk tandem, €27,000; Richael Timothy €18,000, Declan Slevin, €18,000 and Chris Burns, €18,000.

Moving away from the Paralympic squad and back to the Olympic set-up, the big winners are the team pursuiters - who are also riding madison events and other endurance races. They have progressed significantly in recent years, setting new national records repeatedly and also winning bronze at the Europeans last year.

*JB Murphy is a dual road and track rider but is now funded for the track (Photo: Cassandra Donne)*

All five are now deservedly rewarded with €25,000 each. They are Mia Griffin, Lara Gillespie, Alice Sharpe, Kelly Murphy and Emily Kay. While Gillepsie has been injured of late, she won silver in the U23 individual pursuit at the Europeans in the Netherlands last summer. She has seven medals at junior and U23 level in the Europeans and Worlds, though she has just turned 21 years.

Orla Walsh is a new name on the funding list, though she has already represented Ireland. She has turned her attention to the sprint events in recent years and having made great progress she has won backing to the tune of €18,000 this year.

There is no funding for any road riders. World Tour and Pro Continental riders are excluded from the criteria. It means only Continental riders are eligible for funding and they did not meet the criteria.**

There is also no pool funding for the U23 men's road team, despite such funding having been supplied in the past and despite Cycling Ireland also recently saying it was "expanding" the U23 road programme.

The absence of U23 road team funding is a real shame especially given the quality Ireland has at present in the U23 category and Sport Ireland's criticism of the lack of a pathway for young cyclists in Ireland in its review of Cycling Ireland at the Olympics.