Much good work is being done with the national squad, but Cycling Ireland's neglect of the home scene is one thing that needs to be seriously examined.
In this piece we examine 10 points about the Irish road cycling scene and the work of Cycling Ireland in the wake of the World Road Championships and as the domestic road season closes. (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
1. Cycling Ireland’s plans are working
Team Ireland went into the World Road Championships with realistic hopes of medals in three races and came home with one. But that fact disguises the success of recent work by Cycling Ireland.
In the past three seasons young riders have had the benefit of the Talent Team 2020 squads; which has seen them nurtured in their racing and training at home and also taken abroad for extended racing and training stints, on both road and track.
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There is every sign that those FBD and Neenan Travel-backed youth squads will continue.
If so, the junior and U23 teams at all championships in the years to come will be littered with riders who are not overawed by the occasion and can make a real contribution; by trying for a good personal result or contributing to a team mate’s efforts to take a top result.
2. The road scene should not be forgotten
It is difficult to work out what Cycling Ireland does for domestic road racing. The federation promotes no races and even farms out the running of championships events to clubs.
The federation should acknowledge that domestic road racing is the back bone of the sport here and that it is funded through public money and from members’ fees to promote all areas of the sport. Even a fraction of the effort that goes into the national road and track squad and the paracycling internationals could transform the home road scene.
Establishing classic leagues for elites and juniors, to add to the set-up for women, would be a good place to start reinvesting in the home road scene, as would resolving the issues with the calendar to avoid fixture congestion at the start of the year while the summer months offer little.
The federation needs to accept that a thriving domestic road scene would be an end itself and that the primary responsibility for the home scene rests with it. It’s not all about developing those who might one day turn pro. (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
3. The elite men’s team has massive potential
The quality in the elite men’s team was the best it’s been for many years, with three WorldTour and world class riders pulling on the green jerseys last Sunday in the shape of Nicolas Roche, Philip Deignan and Dan Martin (above).
All three still have plenty of years at the top. And if Ireland were to qualify a larger team for a Worlds it could add a range of other quality athletes to the roster including, amongst others, Sam Bennett, Sean Downey, Conor Dunne and Matt Brammeier.
With a sprinter like Bennett in the squad and climbers like the three who rode last Sunday, Ireland is becoming a nation that should be able to compete on any Worlds course.
4. The set-up is getting more professional every year
All of the riders who spoke to stickybottle during the Worlds commented on how the national set-up is continuing to improve every year.
Some noted that once in the Irish camp, they wanted for nothing and simply had to focus on their own performance; not the kind of verdict many would have shared privately before now.
The riders also looked sharp in their team kit; an important ingredient given the huge level of interest when the national squad takes to the roads. They even had a chef with them; Garmin-Sharp's Sean Fowler (above) cooking up a storm.
5. There is still lots of scope for Cycling Ireland to improve
There are some basic improvements crying out to be made; communication with the media, for example, remains patchy.
With the sport competing for funding and media attention with other codes that boast well oiled media operations on similarly small budgets, the federation needs to become better at selling its message.
Currently, racing can be harder to cover and riders harder to contact once Cycling Ireland is involved; policies seem to change with little communication before events as to when riders will be made available. But when Cycling Ireland is not involved, communication is easy.
The federation also needs to be much better at reaching out to the non-sporting media; with all the plentiful stories on the boom in cycling rarely getting any coverage in the mainstream press.
Without question, these are the glory days for Irish cycling. The sport needs to be doing better in the Irish media.
6. We should have junior medal contenders next year
Of the young guns at this year’s championships, Josie Knight (above) was unfortunate to crash during her junior time trial when she may have scored a top 10 to 15 placing. And the road rash she sustained ruined her road race chances and she withdrew after two laps.
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But with a medal already on her CV - silver in the pursuit at the European Track Championships this year - she can go to the Worlds next year targeting a medal as she is still a junior in 2015.
Similarly, Michael O’Loughlin will also be a junior again and took 8th in the junior time trial this year. Always a very strong rider even from his early days in the underage ranks, he has to be a medal hope at the Worlds next year.
However, even repeating his ride of this year would put him in the shop window for trade teams.
And as the next season plays out, Knight and O’Loughlin are sure to be joined by others who can impose themselves. There are already some very interesting riders coming through the youth ranks, who are within the Talent Team fold, and some outside it. (Photo: Sean Rowe)
7. Ryan Mullen is truly world class
This points goes without saying but it would be unfair not to state the obvious.
Mullen has been very exciting to watch since he was aged just 16 years and now at the end of his second year in the U23 ranks he is simply continuing to look more and more like the real deal.
His silver last week in the U23 time trial was very nearly gold. He already has a silver from the junior European time trial championships and a couple of bronzes from the U23 European track championships last year, not to mention at 4th place in the elite Worlds in the individual pursuit.
Whether it’s on track or road, he can do huge things. (Photo: Sean Rowe)
8. The future looks bright for Dunbar
Eddie Dunbar was probably the most disappointed rider in the Irish camp on the return home last week after failing to bag a medal in the junior road race.
The build-up put the O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk man under huge pressure; a fantastic season at home and abroad ensuring expectations reached unrealistic heights.
And while Dunbar did not feature in the finale of his race, he was aggressive earlier in the event and, along with O’Loughlin, made holding his place near the front of the bunch look very easy.
That may sound like a benign observation, but we have rarely had juniors who could do that at a Worlds.
He looks set for to join a team based outside the Republic for next year and is a rider who is capable of great things in the next few years; his natural talent backed by a real determination to progress. (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
9. An Post-Chainreaction’s involvement should be deepened
The Continental-ranked road team is now Irish registered and boasts it largest number of Irish riders since going Continental. It was fantastic to see the team’s vehicles and personnel thrown in behind the national set-up at the Worlds.
And with so many younger riders coming through nursing hopes of taking their cycling to Europe, it would be fantastic to see the relationship between the trade team and national federation deepened.
A set-up that would take in some of the younger guns in their first year at U23 level or even as juniors, without throwing them into full-on pro racing immediately, would act as a bridge for talented juniors into the team proper.
It could also assist young female riders to make the step into European racing, something that has never been done in the Irish context. (Photo: Sean Rowe)
10. Other riders can benefit from recent learning
While a group of riders is now benefitting from the better national squad set-up provided by Cycling Ireland with some support from An Post-Chainreaction, the numbers are small.
Ireland is a tiny nation with a small racing scene compared to our European neighbours. The numbers who will compete at major championships and who want to take on the lifestyle of full-time bike rider in Europe will always be modest.
Cycling Ireland should seek to give the home scene the benefit of the progress the internationals are benefitting from.
Sending a Cycling Ireland selection to major races in the UK a handful of times per year, made up exclusively of our top seniors at home, would give the domestic scene a fantastic boost.
There are plenty of men and women competing at home who have no desire to pursue a full time racing career abroad. But this does not mean they should not get a chance to ride for a Cycling Ireland selection, even if it were not for a full international cap. (Photo: Amy Norah Farrell)
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