By Caroline Martinez
Youth cycling for girls in Ireland was given a welcome boost last year with the creation of the Neenan Travel Talent Team 2020 concept. And those selected for the squad for 2013 are looking forward to an even stronger season next year.
The program seeks to create a scene for underage girls racing in Ireland and to develop them as riders who will be able to compete on the international stage. The hard graft by both riders and coaches is already paying off. For the first time this year the girls were able to ride girls-only National Championship races.
Coaches Orla Hendron and Nicola Oldham - experienced road, track and mountain bike riders themselves - shared their knowledge with their young charges in 2012 by taking the riders to compete against the best underage girls in Great Britain at the Youth Tour of Scotland. It gave the girls their first taste of international racing.
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With their first training and coaching day of the winter done and dusted last weekend, five of the riders will soon be moving from Under-16 to the junior squad. It is led by women's development coach Gillian McDarby. And they will be racing against the senior women for the first time in races such as the Women's National League.
Four of the Neenan Travel Talent 2020 riders took the time to speak to stickybottle during last Sunday's squad training camp in Corkagh Park, Dublin.
Hoping to make her mark in 2013; Racheal Kaye-Mellor (Photo: Brendan Culleton)
Racheal Kaye Mellor, 16, is a member of Orwell Wheelers in Dublin. The club, which has the largest female membership in the country, has been a great support for the talented teenager. Despite her youth, Mellor has already built considerable experience. Indeed, she has been racing for as long as she remembers, encouraged by her dad Ian since she was aged 11.
“I feel like I’m going up to senior women's racing knowing people on the home scene and knowing that I'll have other women supporting me. When I started racing I’m not sure I was aware what it was all about. Now I love racing.”
With her greatest victory to date being the Under-16 National Championships, she is excited and a little apprehensive about her step up to women's races. It won't be completely new to her as for the past couple of years Racheal has raced some of women's criterium races, such as the Orwell Crit League and the Summer Corkagh Park league.
“I don't feel ready just yet,” she said of her imminent move up the ranks.
“It's a bit scary. Distances are longer. It's going to be a big change going from 20km to senior distances. I raced 55km in Scotland, which was probably the longest race I've done. I just have to start training now and see how I get on.”
With the Rás na mBan at the end of the season, Racheal is hoping she can work towards it as a goal.
Hayley Priestley is hopeful of continuing her winning ways in the New Year
Hayley Priestley, 16, races with a small club in Co Down, La Lanterne Rouge. But “Lanterne Rouge” is certainly not an appropriate description of her as a rider. Her recent fifth place at the Women's Costa Classic, her first attempt at racing in the senior ranks, was a great boost for the Ulster teenager.
“It was different from racing with the boys, who attack a lot more. The girls were gradually building it up.”
And her result was all the more impressive as she raced the last 25km with a broken rear derailleur. Having spent the season training with the Talent Team, the trip to the Youth Tour of Scotland came as somewhat of a wake-up call.
“You think you're good until you go racing across the water. The talent over there is amazing. Because it was in Scotland, a lot of riders came from England. It was great to race with so many new faces but it was really hard. The races were longer and it was really hard. It was really good and it brought me on as a rider; definitely.”
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Although she's not yet sure if it's her goal to turn professional, Hayley wants to work in the sporting arena after she finishes school.
“This year I'm studying for my A levels and I have a lot of homework. Training is difficult but you can balance it out if you discipline yourself. You can do your homework and go out on the bike after.”
Unlike the Boy's FDB Talent Team, the girls' squad also aims able to support the aspiring mountain bikers of Ireland.
Leah Maunsell in action in Killarney this year
Leah Maunsell, 13, from Team Ballihoura, is lucky enough to benefit from the Talent Team programme. She is the current Under-14 Munster and National Cross-Country champion. She found inspiration this year when she went training with double Irish Elite Champion Melanie Spath.
“We went on a training day with Melanie Spath which was very helpful. She helped us prepare for the National Cross-Country Championships. We went around the tracks and she showed us all the fast lines.”
However, the young Munster girl knows that there are too few girls like her solely focused on mountain biking on the domestic scene.
“I have raced and won in Northern Ireland but I have never raced abroad yet. Next year I’m going to try and race in the UK.”
Fermoy youngster Emily Birchall is definitely one to watch in the next few years
Emily Birchall, has only been cycling for two years but the fourteen year old already has several titles under her belt; winning the Under-14 National Criterium and Road Championships at which she also beat all the Under-16 girls.
Selected to race in Scotland, Emily was sitting third overall in the Under 14 white jersey classification before a series of unlucky events cost her dearly.
“I crashed and I had a puncture and got a 30 minutes penalty and I ended way down in the GC. I had a good day on the last day; relaxed and tried to have fun.”
“I was very nervous because I didn’t think I would be anything like as good as the girls racing over there.”
When not racing on the road, she races off-road and on the track and has even tried her hand at other disciplines.
“I did triathlon National Championships and won it,” she says matter of fact.
She wants to keep her options open in terms of what discipline she will eventually focus on but even now she aspires to elite international racing.
“I'd love to be able to do that, we'll see.”
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