Message from Cycling Ireland President

Glencarraig

Bring back Paddy Sullivan 😁

if in doubt

It's starting to become clear why little detail of the financial arrangements on the CI - Evo Pro deal were mentioned in any of the news pieces around its launch.

A private team, being part funded by a governing body, with money from Sport Ireland and other stakeholders (that was originally granted on the basis of being spent elsewhere I'm guessing).

Look, a pro team signing young Irish riders and giving them a chance to further their careers is definitely a good thing. But CI having any hands on say in this, or covering any of the costs for it is definitely a red flag. There was never any issues like this or formal deals when An Post / Sean Kelly / ChainReaction were on the scene?

Whether we like it or not, or agree with it or not the majority of the high performance funding that CI gets from Sport Ireland, Sport Northern Ireland and the Olympic Federation is specifically ringfenced for track cycling. That's where the majority of the medals are and that's where CI has the greatest influence in qualifying riders and bikes for Olympic / Paralympic Games.

Sport Ireland and other funding partners are always going to be focused on the Olympics, followed by Worlds, Euro's and World Cups.

A vocal majority of people from road cycling backgrounds attending the AGM, or road cycling promoters on the board isn't going to change that.

There was expertise in certain areas missing from the board, coopting members with such expertise is common across all areas. Having these coopted members step down so publicly isn't as common though.

It's looking like a case of a one man show, a new man assuming a position of power and thinking he has carte blanche to run things any such way he pleases. Not the first time it's happened in Irish sport and probably won't be the last either.

Dowling you'd think won't be long waiting for an apology and his name being cleared. Whether that's the end of it or how much CI will be coughing up in legal fees to cover any other potential cases arising from this is anybody's guess.

wpd

why would cycling ireland look at such a deal as the evo pro one instead of using the money to send teams to races??

Also did cycling ireland not have a house in belgium to facilitate sending teams racing there for long stints?? what has

happened to that house

Chips Lovell

The idea behind the deal was not without merit. From what I can gather, the thinking was rather than create the infrastructure required to regularly send national teams to race abroad, you may get better value for money by funding someone who already has that infrastructure in place, i.e. staff, vehicles, accommodation, equipment, race invites etc.

That idea was certainly worth teasing out but it certainly raises a lot of issues on the governance front. The impression I get is that rather than try work through all those issues and see if a deal could be structured in such a way to address them, they ploughed on and presented it as a fait accompli.

Chips Lovell

Another piece in the Sunday Times today:

The Sunday Times has spoken to five former EvoPro cyclists and staff who say they are owed more than €20,000. They spoke out after seeing the GoFundMe campaign and reports about Cycling Ireland’s concern about the team’s financial records.

Doesn't look great, to be honest

if in doubt

"One former mechanic, who says he has been owed €4,400 since 2019"

"Some Cycling Ireland board members said the first they heard of the EvoPro deal was via a cycling website."

"In another exchange in September with a cyclist who complained he was owed €7,000"

Doesn't look great at all, appears that money was owed to staff and riders long before the deal with CI was in place. You'd hope the BDO report brings about more answers than questions once it's published.

Amazed that some board members found out the same time as the general public that CI was entering into a deal with a pro team worth €400,000.

Seth Brundle

Amazed that some board members found out the same time as the general public that CI was entering into a deal with a pro team worth €400,000.

...which makes the link with Delaney more worrying.

wpd

good podcast from Anthony Walsh with PJ Nolan one of the founder of evopro racing

about the cycling ireland agreement

https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-roadman/can-evo-pro-cycling-survive-DtzqQIWm4CL/

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118824755#Comment_118824755

I want to listen but I just can't listen to Anthony. I feel slightly bad as he seems, in the round, like a nice person but there is something (or more correctly several things) about him that grind my gears. Any points of note from PJ about the wages etc.

Weepsie

Can't listen to him either, and I am lately being plagued with his poxy ads. It's the "roadman" bolloxology. He's a qualified lawyer, and obviously, is or was a cyclist of some talent, but I don't see how he's qualified in anyway to be a coach beyond he uses the awful marketing type patter that I hear from groups at their coffee stops

GandhiwasfromBallyfermot

He has some good guests on the podcasts in fairness, the ones with Cory Williams & Laurens Ten Dam were very interesting. Agree about the roadman/hard man bolloxology though, it is utter nonsense.

cletus

I tried looking up "Roadman" in relation to cycling, but all I got were links to a podcast. Can anyone give a quick explanation as to what it means?

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118824929#Comment_118824929

I'd be the same - I tried, if nothing else to support a Irish podcast, but just didn't work for me. And I've a fairly low bar as I can listen to the Bobby and Jens podcasts 😀

buffalo

No matter what your opinion of the interviewer, I think that interview is well worth a listen.

secman

Just received a members email about the reconstitution of Cyling Ireland, jeez they are well lawyered up on the board now. Don't know enough about what was going on with previous boards to comment on it. But they "seem" to have appointed a board to cover themselves in all aspects required ?

Mr. Cats

Also just read the bio’s of the directors on the link that they provided. Looks like a very impressive board to me with the right skills to get the governing body on right track. Compared to lot of sporting bodies, it seems to me they have chosen professional people who have the skills to run things well.

Also, there’s a marked difference in the tone and professionalism of the most recent mail. I haven’t been following the story too closely but the changes and tone would give me some confidence that they will get things moving in right direction again.

Mercian Pro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118829193#Comment_118829193

Agreed and particularly delighted to see one of our own Boardsies in there as a new Board member 😊 Congrats NP.

Morris Garren

I read the correspondence from the new CI Board-- immediately it strikes a different tone. It is a very good change of direction. In a way, Mr Collins has done the state some service with his grenade-like destruction of a previous way of doing things, but looking at the new set-up I would be more confident in its future. I'm always a bit suspicious of men who spend a lot of time blowing their own trumpet. On the other hand, you never get that from the likes of GMcI or indeed, the new appointee from Audax Ireland, a fine addition to the Board. I wish them all well.