What was the best competitive event in 2017?

This year saw some incredible competitive events which were run at a professional level. The below nominations have been submitted by the Cycling Ireland Provinces and Commissions.




All Ireland A3/Junior Road Race Championships
Carn Wheelers hosted a hugely successful All Ireland A3/Junior Road Race Championships in September. The extremely well organised event provided an excellent course for the riders including one of the very few mountain top finishes for a national championships.


All Ireland BMX Championships
2017 was the first time in the 35+ year history of BMX Racing in Ireland that the All-Ireland Championships was held in Northern Ireland and the first event across the border did not fail to deliver. Lisburn BMX Club played host to a large number of championship and challenge classes, which showcased the best of BMX on this Ireland, and all the racing was run as smoothly as possible.

An Post Ras na mBan
The 2017 edition of Ireland's premier women's bike race may well have been the best one yet. It takes an enormous organisational effort for race organiser Valerie Considine and her team to produce the five-day, six-stage race which once again ran without a hitch. The race also earned widespread media coverage throughout Ireland and abroad including a TV highlights show aired on Eurosport, which can only be positive for the event and for Irish women’s cycling in general.




Dublin Track Cycling International
The Dublin Track Cycling International is one of the top events on the Cycling Ireland race calendar. The fifth edition of the annual UCI class 1 event featured World and Olympic champions racing against some of the best Irish track talent at Sundrive Velodrome in Dublin. The event also helps our riders get the points they need to qualify for World Cups and World Championships.





Emerald Enduro
This is the third year that this international race been held down in County Wicklow and each year it has got better and better. The call out to social media to "Fill the Hill" attracted thousands of spectators to Carrick Mountain, and they got to watch the best enduro riders in the world at senior, U21 and Masters level, including top Irish riders such as Greg Callaghan, Killian Callaghan, Michelle Muldoon and Leah Maunsell.


Errigal Youth Tour
For the sixth consecutive year the Donegal three day event attracted not only the cream of Irish youth cycling, but competitors from the UK, Europe and beyond. The race takes place on the August Bank Holiday weekend, and serves as a perfect preparatory race for the National Youth Road Championships.


National Criterium Championships
Greenmount Cycling Academy in Limerick hosted this event and did an exceptional job for such a recently formed club. The event at Limerick racecourse was a huge success and was run to a very high standard. The location and course used for these Championships were ideal and led to fantastic racing, which made the event more enjoyable for both competitors and spectators alike.


National Road Race Championships
The National Championships in June produced a great three days of cycling with the country's best riders competing on the roads of Wexford. The success of this event was due in large measures to the collaboration between multiple clubs that formed Wexford Cycling who put in countless hours to run this event. For this reason they deserve massive credit.





Rás na nÓg
Now in its 10th year, Ireland’s premier youth stage race continues to give our young riders a chance to compete competitively on the road, many of them for the first time. This event is a breeding ground that allows our youth riders to develop, and helps propel them towards the upper echelons of Irish Cycling. The event is run by Ger Campbell in a professional and efficient manner and is a credit to cycling in Ireland.