This year Cycling Ireland has introduced new monthly awards to recognise the achievements and commitment of Irish cyclists. The winners of each of these categories every month will
form a shortlist for the Annual Awards next November.
We are delighted to announce that AQUA BLUE SPORT have come on board as sponsors of these monthly awards.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HERE
FEBRUARY WINNERS!
The Female Rider of the Month for February is Lydia Gurley – the Galway rider stormed onto the track cycling scene in Ireland over the past two years, already picking up medals on the world stage. In February she was competing in the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn, where a brave move in the Scratch Race saw her almost gain a lap on the field to compete for medals. Her move was reeled in agonisingly close to the line – resulting in a 15th place finish.
Lydia has already climbed onto podiums at major events – winning a silver medal in the Women’s Madison at the European Championships last year, and a bronze medal in the Scratch Race at the Track World Cup in Cali. We are confident you will hear this name a lot more!
The winner of the Male Rider of the Month for February is another very worth recipient. Darragh O’Mahony, competing for French club Nogent sur Oise, displayed strong form already this year with a 3rd place finish in the 138km Grand Prix du Pays d’Aix, followed by a 2nd place in the Grand Prix de Chateaudun one week later.
Originally from Cork, the 20 year old has been a regular on the Irish team, competing in the U23 ranks for the past two years. His strong performances at the early stages of the season signal that this is just the beginning for Darragh, and we are excited to see what success lies ahead!
The February Volunteer of the Month Award will come as no surprise to people – with Phil Skelton being awarded this accolade based on his phenomenal work on getting the Minimum Passing Distance Legislation over the line in February.
Five years ago, Phil began the Stayin’ Alive at 1.5 campaign to target the legislation around the distance that is required between bicycles and motor vehicles on the road. A huge amount of work was conducted by Phil to both raise awareness of this on the road, and in getting a bill passed by the government to write his recommendation into law.
The implications of this legislation will be that the roads will become safer for cyclists, they will have increased protection in the eyes of the law, and other road users will become more aware of cyclists on the road.
The nominations for the March Awards are now open – click on the below to vote on who you believe should win these categories for March.
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FEMALE RIDER OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY: Lydia Gurley
MALE RIDER OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY: Darragh O’Mahony
VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY: Phil Skelton
Every month awards will be announced to recognise the following categories; female cyclist of the month, male cyclist of the month and volunteer of the month.
The winners of each of these categories every month will form a shortlist for the Annual Awards next November. The results from the January Awards are in with very worthy recipients listed, following a fantastic month for cyclocross in Ireland.