The prospects of Irish cycling growing in strength in the years ahead have been boosted by the news that FBD Insurance has committed to backing Cycling’s Ireland’s youth development programme.
The company sponsored the Irish Rás stage race for over 25 years, and has now signed up to a long term sponsorship of the Talent Team 2020. Cycling Ireland has established the programme to support riders that it feels can develop into genuine medal contenders for the 2020 Olympic Games.
The FBD Insurance backing will be for at least three years. It is expected that the funding will be used to send teams abroad and to provide coaching and sports science assistance.
Ireland will have at least four riders in this year’s Games, with three slots secured for the road events and Martyn Irvine also sealing a place in the Omnium track event. The riders who will fill those places have reached their current standard without having had a very structured, co-ordinated youth development.
Cycling Ireland is hoping that having a clearly defined pathway will both boost the numbers of riders reaching the necessary level and also ensure that each one is as strong as possible.
Other countries such as Great Britain have long had a system of support and guidance for their riders; the FBD Talent Team 2020 is now a step in the same direction for Ireland.
Martin O’Loughlin, Talent Team coach and current Irish Olympic Cycling manager, thanked FBD Insurance for its backing at yesterday’s launch in Corkagh Park. “We are thrilled by the fact that despite the current economic climate, FBD have shown the commitment to invest in this initiative for the next three years and beyond that again,” he said.
The eight riders range in age from fourteen to sixteen years of age, and have all taken victories in Irish championship events. They are Mark Downey, Shane O’Hara, Aaron Swan, Declan Mulholland, Dion McCarthy, Jake Grey, Adam Thatcher and Michael O’ Loughlin, who is currently part of the international Canyon Young Heroes Team. Downey represented Ireland in last year’s European Youth Olympics in Turkey.
The octet have had three training sessions together over the winter, these taking place in Dublin, Kilmessan, Co. Meath and Clonmel. They were given advice by current An Post Grant Thornton Sean Kelly team riders Sam Bennett and Ronan McLaughlin, as well as Cycling Ireland’s Anti-Doping Officer Declan Byrne.
The FBD Talent Team has already clocked up international success in the Youth Tour of Scotland over Easter. There, Downey took the King of the Mountains competition ahead of O’Loughlin. More international racing will take place in Belgium and Holland in August.
FBD Insurance’s sales and marketing director Adrian Taheny is known as someone who has long had a strong interest in cycling, spending time on the Rás during the company’s backing of the 2.2-ranked race.
He explained what the company hopes to be able to bring to the sport. “FBD’s connection with the cycling world goes back many decades with its title sponsorship of the Rás. We are now delighted to come on board with Talent Team 2020 so that we help shape the future champions of the cycling world,” he stated.