By Shane Stokes
Megan Armitage, one of the breakthrough riders in Irish cycling over the past 12 months, has hailed the growth in women’s cycling, saying that there are very promising developments in the sport and good signs for the future.
The first-ever women’s Paris-Roubaix was held on October 2nd, the same date as the Irish women’s road race championships. Armitage told stickybottle she was encouraged by the event and also by other progress being made in cycling.
“It’s amazing. It’s so exciting to see that happening,” she said. “And for women's cycling in general, the level is just coming on and on and on every year. It’s really, really good to see it. We are all kind of getting onto an equal platform now, so it’s great.”
Advertisement
Paris-Roubaix aside, there are many signs of progress. For example ASO, the organisers of the Tour de France, will reintroduce the first Tour proper for women next season. Teams are stepping up a level, with several WorldTour squads in existence.
The increasing seriousness with which this area of the sport is treated is reflected in the decision of UAE Team Emirates to take over the Alè BTC Ljubljana team and run it in tandem with its male squad.
Several other men’s WorldTour teams already have top-level women’s squads, including Team DSM, Movistar, Bike Exchange and Trek Segafredo. The developments within women’s cycling are happening at the perfect time for riders such as Armitage, giving them motivation for the future.
“I started around a year ago,” she told stickybottle about her entry to the sport. “I used to run and then I got injured. I started cycling just for fun, and then I really liked it. I never stopped.”
Armitage was a good runner, competing in a range of races with UCD and finishing third in the women’s category in the Cork City Marathon in 2019. Interestingly, she only ran properly for a period of just over a year before injury hit. But she was clearly making the kind of progress in athletics as she has now made in cycling, and some.
From Birr in Co Offaly, Armitage studied law and French law in UCD, saying she "ran for year, just out of pure enjoyment”.
“I was just starting to really get into running when I got injured in France and that was how I ended up cycling," she explained.
“I was training for the Seville marathon and a heap of sky running (races in the mountains at altitude) that summer when Covid hit. I never got to see how far I could take running but I’m glad I found cycling instead.”
Related News
She competed in her first UCI race at last year’s national championships, and has made brisk progress since.
The 25-year-old made her international debut at UCI level in the Kreiz Breizh Elites Dames in July and rode aggressively, finishing a solid 23rd overall. She secured a guest slot with the UCI-registered Team Rupelcleaning and had a strong showing for the team in August.
Back then she beat five-time Belgian TT champion Ann-Sophie Duyck to win the Emptinne GP Roland Warnon in Wallonie. Armitage was also second in the Kermis Erwetegem, also in Belgium.
She rode the world championships for the first time earlier this month and while she crashed and was a non-finisher, ultimately needing stitches to her face, she gained valuable experience at the highest level.
She showed a clear indication of the improvements she made since taking eighth in last year’s national championships when she finished second to Imogen Cotter in this year’s race.
“It’s obviously disappointing not being able to win,” she said. “But I think I just have to look at how much I’ve improved over the year. So hopefully, I can just keep doing that. And hope for the best next year, I guess.”
Armitage returned to Belgium the day after the nationals and went on to ride solidly in the 1.2 ranked events Grote prijs Beerens and the Binche Chimay Binche, closing her season off.
“I really like it,” she said of racing in Europe. “I went over to Belgium like maybe two months ago, and I have just been racing out there and I'm trying to learn as much as I can. So yeah, it's good being thrown in at the deep end. And hopefully I can just keep improving.”
She said that she expects to remain with Team Rupelcleaning next season.
“I’m happy out,” she said. “I’m lucky to have a team to support me. And I can just try and keep developing.”
Given her rate of progress thus far, it seems likely that her momentum will continue into 2022 and beyond.
