WHAT IS CYCLING IRELAND?

Cycling Ireland is the National Governing Body for the sport of Cycling on the island Ireland affiliated to the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF JOINING Ballymoney Cycling Club and CYCLING IRELAND

Insurance, Competition and Leisure events, camaraderie and learning:

As a member of Ballymoney CC and Cycling Ireland you will enjoy many benefits:

INSURANCE: you will be covered for personal injury, and third party damage/liability. This cover extends to training, and events (See "What kind of licence am I looking for" for details of the events covered under each licence).

EVENTS: once you become a member of Ballymoney CC and Cycling Ireland you will get a yearbook, which has, among other information, a calendar of events for road racing, off road racing, and leisure tours. Throughout the year the weekends are full of events in which you can participate.

CLUBS: Our members are one of our greatest assets in Cycling Ireland. While you don't have to be a member of a club to join Cycling Ireland, we recommend you join one, i.e. Ballymoney Cycling Club, it is in the clubs, through our members, that you will learn vital skills and training methods to help you improve as a cyclist.

NEWSLETTER: Since 2009 "Braking News" is a quarterly newsletter that we post to our members, keeping them uptodate with what's going on.

WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS CYCLING DISCIPLINES?

The most visible discipline is road cycling, but there are plenty more ways you can ride your bike!

Road Cycling: This type of cycling is done on regular roads, and the type of bike used is a road bike, or racer, that's the one with the handle bars that curve down. This cycling is most commonly associated with big races like the Tour de France, and our most popular cycling super heroes - Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche. Kelly and Roche (after whom our office is named!) were top international riders in the 1980s. Road cycling is not exclusive to racing, as the leisure tours, and mass participation challenges have become hughely popular over the last few years. Audax cycling is a branch of road cycling, which is a long distance cycle or race that is usually several hundred miles in duration - not for the faint hearted!

Off Road Cycling, or MTB: This type of cycling is done off the beaten track, and is popular with the more adventurous rider. There are many races and events organised by the off road commission throughout the year, with events in Cross Country Mountain Biking, Downhill Mountain Biking and Cyclo Cross being the most popular. BMXing is making a comeback lately also.

Track Cycling: Over the past few years track cycling has become very popular, and it is mainly associated with the Olympics. A track bike has no gears and no brakes, and the races tend to be short and powerful. While Ireland does not yet have an indoor velodrome, we have two outdoor tracks (Sundrive in Dublin and Orangefield in Belfast), where bikes can be hired, and race programmes are in place throughout the summer. This is a very exciting type of cycling, and is very popular with the young, and the young at heart.

Time Trials: A Time Trial is a race against the clock. The bike is similar to a road bike, but has "tri bars" (which look like two horns) coming out of the handle bars. The rider can get into an aerodynamical position and power their way through a course as fast as they can. This type of riding is often an introduction to cycle racing for athletes who are a bit nervous about racing in a bunch, but want to go fast, it's a true test of strength and endurance, a race between you and the clock.

Artistic Cycling or Indoor Cycling: This is like a mix between cycling and gymnastic, where riders perform the most amazing tricks on bikes in gyms. This is popular in Germany and Holland.

WHAT KIND OF LICENCE AM I LOOKING FOR?

Introductory Licence (2010 prices)
If you have never been a member of Cycling Ireland, and are not interested in racing you can select an "Introductory" licence for €10. This covers you while you are out training, on club spins, and while participating in leisure tours. 

Club Competition Licence
This licence is €55 if you are in a club, and €85 if you are not in a club. If you are from Ulster, there is a further €10 charge. This licence allows you to race in club leagues in road racing, but not in Open Races. 

Restricted Licences
You have the option of getting a restricted licence if you want to race unlimited  domestically in one discipline. This licence is €85 if you are in a club and €115 if you are not in a club. There is a further €10 charge if you are from Ulster. Once you select a restricted licence you must select a category. The choices are "Time Trial", "Track", "BMX", "Bicycle Polo", and "Off Road". If you select "Off Road" you must select the type of licence you need depending on your standard. If you are unsure as to which type you need you are best off asking a member of the club for advice. The types are: elite; expert; masters; senior/sport; veteran. 

Full Competition Licence
This licence costs €120 if you are in a club, and €150 if you are not in a club. There is a further €10 charge if you are from Ulster. This licence qualifies you for racing in any discipline in Ireland. If you want to race overseas you can get overseas authorisation for an extra €20, and submit/upload a photo ID electronically. If you want to race on the road in open races, this is the type of licence you want. The categories you can select from are based on your ability, the highest being A+, which is reserved for those road riders who are on pro-teams (with the exception of female pro riders). A1 is the next highest category, then A2, the majority of the members are either A3 or A4 riders, with the A4 category being reserved for new members, and weaker/less experienced riders. The distances vary depending on the category.

Junior, Women and Vets
In previous years there were seperate categories for Juniors, Women and Vets, but due to the varying speeds and abilities of riders within these categories, this old system has been replaced with the new grading system. Now riders are racing against riders of similar speeds. At the National Championships there is still a seperate race for Juniors, Women and Vets. The Women's Commission also run a programme of races for women only, for those of you not ready yet to race in big bunches.