Reasons to be cheerful | 9 things to look forward to in Irish cycling this year | Sticky Bottle

*Irish cycling has been through some lumps and bumps over the last couple of years, some of them very serious. But there is plenty to look forward to (Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan)*

Irish cycling has been through some turbulent times over the last couple of years, with controversies within the national governing body coming after the pandemic's damaging impact on the sport. As inflation spiked, and Cycling Ireland sought to absorb the money spent on consultants' and legal fees, a decision was taken not to send Irish teams to the road Worlds in Australia.

The fall-out is set to continue this year, with no Irish team being sent to Tour de l'Avenir, for example. Hopefully, Cycling Ireland is now through both earthquakes and aftershocks and there is a period of stability ahead.

As that process of rebuilding takes place, there are many things to look forward to in Irish cycling in the year ahead. An exciting new generation of riders is emerging as the sport here receives a number of significant boosts. It's definitely not all doom and gloom, indeed far from it.

A return to normality

Yes, the 2022 season was not impacted by Covid-19 like the previous two campaigns, but the sport in Ireland hadn't really returned to normal last year. Race numbers and entries to sportives were down and it often felt like we were in comeback mode; back in a predictable pattern of events but without the same fizz on the domestic scene. By now, however, the full impact of the pandemic should have washed through and we hope for a full - packed to the rafters - season of action. Whether you're a racing cyclist or a sportive rider, this should be the year when we are fully back to normal and enjoying a full range of events as before.

Irish women in pro peloton

The Irish women's pursuit team has just smashed the national record at the UCI Nations Cup meeting in Jakarta. And some of those riders are among a group of women who have secured places in some of the best teams in the world. Mia Griffin is the first Irish rider to be signed for a World Tour team and competes on the road this year in the colours of Israel Premier Tech Roland. Alice Sharpe has signed for Israel Premier Tech Roland Development and Lara Gillespie is now riding for UAE Development Team. Aside from those team pursuit riders, Megan Armitage has secured a contract with Arkéa Pro Cycling Team, Imogen Cotter is riding for Fenix-Deceuninck Continental and Fiona Mangan is competing with Spain's Soltec Team. With so many Irish riders competing at this level, it could be seismic year for the women's scene.

Eddie Dunbar leading a Grand Tour team

Ever since Dunbar went on the attack in some of the biggest U23 races in the world, winning Tour of Flanders, Irish cycling fans has looked forward to the day when he got a fully fledged chance to target his own results at a Grand Tour. That was never going to happen at Ineos Grenadiers but now the Irishman has moved on to Team Jayco AlUla. He will lead that team in the Giro d'Italia and his progress will be one of the most watched stories of the year by the droves of Irish cycling fans hoping he can do some damage, especially in Italy in May.

Irish winners at Rás Tailteann and Rás na mBan

Sam Bennett and Ryan Mullen at the Tour

When Sam Bennett sprinted over the line in 1st place on the Champs-Elysées at the end of the 2020 Tour de France, nobody would have predicted he'd miss the next two editions. He now looks back on track, with one of the best lead-outs in the business. And hopefully he is destined for what would be a fourth start in the biggest race in the world. One of his lead-out men is Ryan Mullen and the Irish powerhouse is yet to ride the Tour. Their places in this year's race are not guaranteed as their Bora-hansgrohe team could opt for a general classification line-up again, as it did last year. However, it looks likely Bennett and Mullen will be there - we certainly hope so - and combining to to secure more wins for Bennett.

Glasgow Worlds

Yes, the absence of an Irish team at last year's Worlds in Wollongong was a major disappointment, but this year's World Championships will be a different scenario. For the first time, all of cycling's disciplines will be hosted at the same Worlds. It means Ireland should have a bumper team across all the road categories, on the track, paracycling, BMX, MTB and downhill. If Sam Bennett had a good day, he could survive at the front in a reduced bunch sprinting for medals while the paracyclists are a nailed on certainty for medals.

Construction starting on velodrome

It's been many years in the making, and more than a few people in Irish cycling have grown tired of the repeated false dawns when it comes to the new indoor, international-standard, velodrome in Dublin. However, planning permission has now been granted for the shared cycling and badminton facility. The Government and Sport Ireland have both said construction should start later this year. Many have remarked they'll believe it when they see it, but stickybottle doesn't fall into that category. We're confident it's going to happen this time and that some construction work will be underway within a year. Irish cycling has never had much and even when the good times have rolled - the Kelly-Roche era and the Nissan Classic - they have passed quickly with little or no legacy to speak of. But the velodrome can be different and could really move on cycling in Ireland.

The new Irish generation

Ireland now has a group of young riders that are, hopefully, ready to really strike out this season. Darren Rafferty (Hagens Berman Axeon) and Archie Ryan (Jumbo Visma Development) have already taken big international wins and could both have a huge year in 2023. This could be the year that both secure World Tour contracts. Dean Harvey and Kevin McCambridge are now competing with Trinity Racing and will get exposure to big international events this season. And while Ben Healy is currently out injured, the EF Education-EasyPost rider will soon be back at it, with a big win not far away. Lara Gillespie is also healthy again and back racing hard, with a place in UAE Development Team for 2023. The O'Brien sisters - Caoimhe and Aoife - can also look forward to more progress, and hopefully more wins, this season while first-year U23 rider, Erin Creighton (McConvey Cycles), has already made her debut for the Irish senior track team. Dillon Corkery (CC Etupes) is competing in France this year and has put in the kind of performances that could help him secure a pro contract, while Aaron Wade (Equipo Cortizo), Ewan Warren (Brocar-Ale) and Jamie Meehan (Brocar-Ale) have already made strong starts in Spain. Ronan O'Connor is competing in Italy with one of the best U23 development teams in the world, Team Colpack Ballan. In the junior ranks, it will be great to see what Aine Doherty (VC Glendale) can do this year having proven so strong on the senior cyclocross scene during the winter. Seth Dunwoody has secured a place with Cannibal-Victorious U19 Development Team in his first year as a junior and is among a group of strong juniors who can do great things this year.

UCI Cyclocross World Cup Dublin

Last year's Dublin round of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup was a big success; the fixture attracting many of the best riders in the world - male and female - and also bringing out 8,000 fans to the Sport Ireland Campus venue to watch the racing. The events are coming back this year, this time being held in November. Furthermore, the programme of racing is also being expanded, to include World Cup events in the U23 and junior ranks. We hadn't had pro racing in Ireland for years before last year's Dublin World Cup. And the fact these races are coming back so soon will raise hopes it could become a permanent fixture. Either way, it's a great boost for Irish cycling this year.