Cycling Ireland is examining ways to work more closely with its Off Road Commission on a development pathway for young cyclocross riders, including linking them into the national governing body's high performance set-up.
At present, Cycling Ireland's high performance resources are geared towards track, paracycling and road riders. However, it has now said a cyclocross training day for aspiring young riders this Saturday is the "potential first step in a longer term strategy to develop cyclocross".
"The Off Road Commission is in discussion with Cycling Ireland around how to further develop the sport and commence a development pathway for young riders," it said in a statement.
"We are keen to exploit the potential of cyclocross fully and develop it more as a performance sport in its own right and also as part of a wider feeder mechanism to dovetail with Cycling Ireland’s high performance strategies and pathways."
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The exact nature of what that "dovetailing" might be is not set out. However, the statement published on Cycling Ireland's website yesterday appears to be the first time it has mentioned cyclocross in the context of its high performance resources.
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Cyclocross has suffered from the fact it is not an Olympic sport. In Ireland, national funding for high performance is based almost exclusively on qualifying for the Olympics, meaning cyclocross has often been neglected. The Off Road Commission and Cycling Ireland have also tended to act independently of each other.
This Saturday, the Off Road Commission is holding a training day aimed mainly at junior and U23 riders who want to race internationally. The four provinces are also permitted to nominate some U14 and U16 riders for this Saturday's event, at the McCrystal track in Jenkinstown, Co Louth.
While the day is not a trial for the upcoming World Cyclocross Championships in the US, any rider who hopes to be picked for the championships is expected to be present on Saturday. The event will be used to help assess riders for suitability for selection, if an Irish team is sent to the US.
As the provincial championships are being run on Sunday, the event on Saturday will be run with that in mind; to ensure riders do not over exert themselves the day before the provincial title races.
You must register in advance for Saturday's event, which can be done by following this link.
