Testing Days on the 4th and 18th January, in Dublin.

Cycling Ireland’s Paralympic Team would like to invite anyone (male or female) who may wish to be developed as a tandem pilot for the visually impaired cyclists for the Paralympic Games in London 2012 and Rio in 2016.

We are looking to run two testing evenings, firstly on Tuesday 4th January 2011 in Dublin and the second on Tuesday 18th January in Dublin. Please reply stating if you can come to the first or second testing date? These will be followed up by outdoor trials with a tandem on Sundrive track in Dublin.
The key criteria we are initially looking for are:

1. Enthusiasm for cycling and willingness to learn
2. Willing to commit to an initial 1.5 year Paralympic programme through to August 2012
3. Potential of a good power output/speed/athletic ability (i.e. trainability)
4. Time to commit to training on a tandem an agreed number of times per week/month
5. Availability to travel worldwide to World Cup (road and track)
6. Ambitious but willing to stay on a given programme within para-cycling

For those selected we will offer:

1. Full tandem training
2. Track training (to ride a tandem on a velodrome) – these will be in the UK or mainland Europe
3. Access to training and competition tandems (road and track)
4. Road training
5. Coaching/training programme
6. Athlete support services if accepted on the squad (physio, nutrition, psychology, life style, sports science screening, etc…)
7. An International competition programme 2011 through to the Paralympic Games 2012
8. Remuneration is possible but must be attained for 2011 and 2012 through continually reaching targets (medals & placings in competitions)
9. Full support team at events and training camps
10. An excellent team spirit and professional experience

Please confirm your interest by contacting Phil Leigh via the contact details below.

Phil Leigh

Email: phil@cyclingireland.ie

The Tandem of Catherine Walsh and Fran Meehan got a credible 8th place in the Road Race, despite an injury filled run in to the championships, and mechanical coming into the final lap. Congrats also to Mark Rohan who is the new handcycling champion of the world since last Saturday.

Irish Girls finish 8^th in Road Race at UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in Canada.

The Irish female tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and pilot Fran Meehan rounded off the 2010 World Championships with a great 8^th place finish in today’s Road Race in Baie-Comeau Canada.  But for an unfortunate incident when the girls chain broke at the end of the first lap there is every chance that the girls would have been in the running for the medals.  After getting the chain repaired the girls put in an extraordinary effort and had climbed their way back up to the lead group by the end of the third lap.

The attacks came hot and heavy after that and having expended so much energy in their chase the girls were unable to respond to everything and missed the race winning break that saw the Canadian tandems take gold and bronze with the New Zealand tandem claiming the silver.  The girls still managed to win the sprint from the chase group to secure a great 8^th place in the world.

Bad luck was the order of the day for the other Irish Riders in action today.  Cathal Miller and Enda Smyth were caught up in a pile-up in the first lap and whilst neither suffered injury by the time they got going again the leaders were too far ahead to allow the lads get back into contention.  In the male tandem race, Michael Delaney and Con Collis also suffered chain problems which left them chasing the field for the day and in spite of a Trojan effert by Andrew Fitzgerald and Paul Giblin the slipped off the leaders with just two laps to go.

All in all it was a brilliant World Championships said Ireland Paracycling Manager Denis Toomey.  Irelands first Paracycling World Championship Gold Medal, 3 fifth place and 1 8^th place finish will help to accumulate much sought after Ranking Points towards qualification for London 2012.  It shows that the squad is still progressing greatly in the right direction and will hopefully lead to a record number of places for Ireland at the Paralympic Games in 2012.

The team arrive back in Dublin at 08:20 on Tuesday morning.

Congrats to these talented athletes, we hope to have a report from Fran and Catherine  soon to hear what it’s like to have a Worldcup medal!

The key criteria we are initially looking for are:

1. Enthusiasm for cycling and willingness to learn
2. Willing to commit to a 2.5 year Paralympic programme through to August 2012
3. Potential of a good power output/speed/athletic ability (i.e. trainability)
4. Time to commit to training on a tandem an agreed number of times per week/month
5. Availability to travel worldwide to World Cup (road and track)
6. Ambitious but willing to stay on a given programme within para-cycling

We will offer:

1. Full tandem training
2. Track training (to ride a tandem on a velodrome) – these will be in the UK or mainland Europe
3. Access to training and competition tandems (road and track)
4. Road training
5. Full coaching/training programme
6. Athlete support services (physio, nutrition, psychology, life style, sports science screening, etc…)
7. An International competition programme 2010 Paralympic Games 2012
8. Remuneration through 2010 (this would have to be attained for 2011 and 2012 through continually reaching targets (medals & placings)
9. Full support team at events and training camps
10. An excellent team spirit and professional experience

Closing date 20th January 2010

Please confirm your interest by contacting Phil Leigh via the contact details below.

Phil Leigh,
High Performance Director,
Cycling Ireland,
Kelly Roche House,
619 North Circular Road,
Dublin 1, Ireland

Mobile:  086 8333818 
Phone:  01 8551640 
Email: phil@cyclingireland.ie
Web: www.cyclingireland.ie

Last weekend Ireland proved that they have some of the best tandem riders in the world – with Catherine Walsh and pilot Caroline Ryan winning a silver medal in the World Track Championships. If you are interested in being part of this exciting team, as either a stoker (visually impaired cyclist) or a pilot (the steerer of the bike) contact Bev at Bev@cyclingireland.ie . We are constantly looking for interested athletes in the Paralympic programme – and your first opportunity to give it a go can be at the National Tandem Track Championships in Sundrive at 10am on 21st November.

Caroline and Catherine getting off the tandem in training

The tandem of Catherine Walsh and her last minute partner, Caroline Ryan, came within .07 sec of claiming gold in the 3km pursuit in the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester yesterday. Check out the full report on Cycling Ulster http://cyclingulster.com/?thenewsid=3321&newstable=news

Joanna Hickey and Catherine Walsh practise a start

With good performances in Beijing behind them, the Paralympic cycling squad has already begun it’s journey towards London 2012.

Earlier this week the tandem squad attended a training camp in Aigle, Switzerland. It was the first track camp for the squad since the Paralympic Games, where Catherine Walsh and her tandem pilot Joanna Hickey came 5th in the 3km pursuit.

Like any other discipline, the tandems need competition in order to improve on their 2008 placings. So this year there has been a drive to increase the numbers on the squad. The team has been divided in two, with an elite group, including the Beijing competitors, and a development group.

The visually impaired athlete is called the stoker, and sits at the back of the tandem, and a sighted athlete rides on the front of the bike, in the pilot seat. The pilot cannot be a member of a pro team, and the pair compete in a road race, a time trial, and on the track. Last year Catherine and Joanna came a credible 5th place in the Paralympic Games, and are back for more this Olympiad, in pursuit of that elusive medal.

Catherine finished for the day

Catherine comes from an athletic background, having competed in every Paralympic Games since being a Junior in Barcelona in 1992. Her best achievement in athletics was a bronze medal in Sydney. However, after just two years on the bike she came close to equalling that with pilot Joanna Hickey (Usher IRC).

To up the ante, and add a little more competition there are currently two more riders challenging the pilot seat, myself and Caroline Ryan (ex-rower, and currently on the talent transfer programme). If anyone is interested in trialling or testing for either the pilot or stoker seat there will be a talent ID session in DCU on May 2nd.

Caroline and Catherine getting off the tandem

The male tandem in Beijing was Mick Delaney with pilot David Peelo. Mick also comes from an athletics background, with the High Jump as his discipline. For this camp there was an interesting addition to the group, with Michael Mulcahy teaming up with Mick for some sprints. Mulcahy, from Limerick, is a star on the track in Sundrive, holding several sprint records. Over the few days they managed to gel together and produce some fast sprint cycling.

Michael and Gavin resting between pieces

Challenging the stoker seat is Gavin Allman. Gavin raced in the World Championships in Bordeaux and is back for more this year. While the pilot seat last year belonged to experienced Sorrento/Kilcullen rider Dave Peelo, several new faces are contending the endurance seat – with Con Collis and Paul Giblin testing over the camp.

Monday started with 15-20min blocks on the track, riding as a group, with various conbinations on the tandems. It was a chance to get familiar with the track again, and for Paul it was a brand new experience! It’s a whole different game to outdoor cycling, or rowing for that matter!

Steep banking!

On Tuesday we had to get straight down to business, with timed 3kms and 750m pieces individually, and various combinations in the tandems for 2kms. The individual times varied a bit, probably reflecting the varying track experience, but it looks like it could get exciting with the tandems, with all the times close together. As coach, Brian Nugent, said – everyone recorded the fastest time in something – so looks like already it could be a competitive and interesting Olympiad.

On Wednesday morning there was just about enough time for a few more pairings, and practise starts from the blocks before we flew home. At this point I suppose I should apologise to Catherine once more for keeling over once the start gates opened!!! Lesson learnt the hard way…..

Gerry napping on the job

What a great team to be part of – exciting, competitive, and a great support team (thanks Gerry for constantly helping me with the bikes!). The banter was great – despite the absence of Enda Smith and Cathal Millar (who completed the Beijing line up). Team manager Denis Toomey is always looking for new talent to add to the team – so as I said earlier anyone can apply. There will be an open day in DCU for all interested candidates on the 2nd May. More details on the Cycling Ireland website HERE .

The weekend will involve fully coached training sessions, and various presentations. It will also have a social aspect, being located in the Avon Rí complex, in Blessington.

For more details please open the below poster, and download the application form HERE . All queries can be directed to Jenny McCauley at jenzerwoman@gmail.com .

march-training-camp-poster-2

Check out the reports on last year’s training camps JAN HERE and FEB HERE

The Cycling Ireland Disability Programme 2012 has just been announced, including a talent ID programme – download the form on this site if you are interested in being a part of this Squad. The talent ID is also to identify tandem pilots.

APPLICATION FORM TO BE DOWNLOADED HERE  ci-dis-app-form_v1

After a hugely successful 4 year campaign, cumulating with 3 fifth place finishes at the Paralympic games in Beijing, Cycling Ireland (CI) and the Paralympic Council of Ireland (PCI) are now undertaking a talent trawl to identify athletes with a disability and able bodied tandem pilots to try out for their 2012 Eye on London Programme. 

As with CI’s other successful programmes, 2008 saw the introduction of a fully integrated, athlete centred and coach driven joint track and road endurance programme for the Paralympic Squad.

The programme was designed to provide our selected Paralympic athletes with the correct environment to acquire the necessary skills and tactics to deliver career best performances on the track at the 2008 Paralympic games in Beijing.

With 7 Irish records and countless top 10 finishes this proved very successful allowing the individuals on the squad to deliver their potential at Paralympic level.

The success of the overall programme was highlighted with the squad qualifying 4 bikes for the 2008 Paralympic games as against just one for Athens in 2004. This was achieved by the Irish squad winning three bronze medals in Cali, Columbia last November at the Pan-American Games.

The squad went on to win Ireland’s first medal at World Cup level for many years by winning the bronze in the women’s 3km pursuit at the Manchester World Cup in May this year. The squad also won road stages in European Cups in Spain, with TT wins and countless podium places in competitions across the globe. A big step up from having just been placed in the top 10 at any previous World Championships.

After such a display, the programme will continue to grow this year and the selectors are looking for suitable riders to now apply in order to gain selection onto the 2009 programme with sights set firmly on a medal winning performance at London 2012.

Currently the squad consists of athletes in the following categories:

Blind and Visually Impaired – Male & Female

Locomotor Disorder (Upper limb disorder/amputees & mild spinal disorder) Male & Female

Cerebral Palsy – Male

It is hoped to expand the squad to include additional categories for 2012 including Lower Limb Disorder/amputees and Hand-cycling and female riders in all categories.

All members selected for the programme will be expected to meet identified track standards throughout the year at specific training camps or International Competitions.

Selected riders will each be provided with daily individual training programmes by the coach and will be required to fill-out dairies and return to the coach on a regular basis.

Applicants are invited from riders who feel they have the qualities needed to succeed at this high level of sporting performance. It is envisaged that initial screening tests using BT Units will take place on the weekend of 7th December in Dublin.  Athletes identified as potential squad members will go forward to further Track Trials in the New Year. Applicants are required to submit the application form for the disability squad available on the Cycling Ireland website under key downloads section before Tuesday 2nd December.

Any riders looking for selection as Tandem Pilots who have already being accepted to test for the CI Elite Talent ID trawl need not test again but must fill in the disability testing form and clearly state that they have already tested.

 Application forms must be returned by 2nd December to info@cyclingireland.ie
For further information, contact the above e-mail address or contact Denis Toomey dmtoomey@marathonoil.com  (087-2533630) or Brian Nugent at brnugent@yahoo.co.uk (086-8333851)

Previous posts HERE

I reckon the guys just can’t wait to get stuck in.. the racing kicks off on the track tomorrow. Word has it the Velodrome is awesome, and everyone is dying to get stuck in.

The full paralympic schedule can be found on the RTE website here From an Irish point of view – first up is Enda Smith who has been consistently improving throughout the year. He will be followed by the male tandem of Michael Delaney and Dave Peelo.

In the afternoon women’s cycling will be represented in Beijing by Catherine Walsh and Joanna Hickey, when they will be looking for a PB in the Individual Pursuit.

Best of luck to everyone racing tomorrow!

Catherine Walsh and her pilot, Joanna Hickey, will be representing Ireland on the tandem in the Paralympic Games in Beijing next month.  PHOTOS ADDED thanks to Gerry Beggs.

I was fortunate to be invited to their final training camp last weekend, where they were fine tuning their preparation for the Games, just as they embark on the taper down for their key goal. The team consists of Catherine and Joanna, Enda Smith – who is racing in the CP4 category, Cathal Miller in the LC1 category, and Michael Delaney with pilot Dave Peelo on the men’s tandem.

It was so exciting to be around the team, and have their enthusiasm and drive brush off on me.. the training camp was a multi-sport camp, so I was surrounded by athletes who were right at the top of their sport in Ireland, and ready to compete against the best in the world. The atmosphere in the camp was awesome.

The Paralympic Council of Ireland have been doing great work in developing their sports in Ireland, and hopefully we will see the reward of this in September.. not putting any pressure on the cyclists – but they look to me like they couldn’t be more ready for these games… a couple of medals maybe? Bring it on…

I was there as part of the “paralion” programme, where they invited a handful of athletes from different sports to the camp, in the hope of inspiring and planting a seed in the mind of young athletes.. making them see that sometimes a dream isn’t so far away.

Coming from the high level in rowing I had been to similar talks, and camps.. but I surprised myself in the motivation and inspiration that it instilled – so from the PCI point of view – it was a job well done!

My partner for the weekend was Clarie Butler, from Cobh in Cork. She’s a young, visually impaired girl, one of the sweetest kids I’ve met. She doesn’t come from a sporting background, but had the kind of spirit that you just know will make her successful on the tandem if she chooses this route. It was very refreshing to be on the bike with someone who just loved the feeling of sport – the feeling of the wind on her arms, the speed we were going at when we did efforts, the craic of weaving around traffic cones (ooops.. not sure we were meant to be messing like that… )

But if there is anyone cycling in the Cork area, and would be interested in taking Claire out for a few spins please let me know.. as you can imagine she very much relies on other people to enable her to get out on the bike. And believe me, it’s very rewarding breaking sport down, and remembering that the first step to being good at something, is to enjoy what you are doing.. and who knows… 2012 is not so far away…

Anyway – back to 2008, and Beijing.. best of luck to the whole team for the weekend, what a great squad to be around.. thanks for letting me share some of your final preparation, guided by Denis Toomey, Brian Nugent, and Gerry Beggs.

Follow the progress of the team in Beijing on the pci website here

For reports on the event check out irishcycling.com here  and the report on the Irish Sports Council website here

Irish Riders Catherine Walsh and Joanna Hickey came one step closer to their goal of a medal in the Paralympic Games in Beijing, winning a bronze medal in the Track World Cup in Manchester this weekend.

In a strong field of riders, the pair demonstrated their strength by claiming third place in the pursuit, breaking an Irish record in doing so. Walsh switched from athletics to cycling last year, having represented Ireland in the Paralypic Games since 1992. Her most notable acheivement was a bronze medal in the Games in Sydney. Their performance this weekend shows the two are on track to be strong medal contenders in Beijing this summer…. Well done Catherine and Jo!!!

Want to try something new ?!!!??!!!!!  There is a tandem race on in Banbridge on Saturday 19th April.  We would like to get as many female bikes out as possible – looks like we have 3 female bikes at the moment. 

No need to have a tandem bike as the Paralympic Team has some spare bikes.  If you don’t have somebody to cycle with we can pair people up.

There will also be male tandems and we can do mixed tandems as well!!

For more information please contact Denis Toomey on 087 2533630