Last weekend saw a Women’s Development Camp take place in Avon Rí in Blessington, Co. Wicklow with the Women’s Commission of Cycling Ireland, aimed at riders under the age of 23. Run by Youth & Junior Women’s Development Coach Orla Hendron the aim of the multi-discipline camp was to gather cycling enthusiasts together to improve skills, meet like-minded people and enjoy the many disciplines of cycling.
With 19 young riders gathering from all around Ireland, the mixture of road riding, track cycling and mountain biking gave everyone a good taste of the sport, while getting great advice from experts. Nicole Evans, who is studying Sports Coaching in Waterford,used the opportunity to hone her coaching skills. Over the years these camps have provided a great pathway for Women perusing a career in Coaching/Management or Sport Science. Naoise Sheridan, a former Junior Squad member also dipped her toes in the coaching to help Nicole with the skills session.
DAY ONE:
Cycling skills and a road spin – the group was split into two with the younger riders focusing on skills like eating & drinking while cycling and descending.
This was followed by a talk about bike cleaning and the importance of it, and in the evening the girls joined the National Squad for a very impressive and interactive presentation on Anti-doping by the National Anti-doping Officer, Declan Byrne.
DAY TWO:
Mountain Biking – This was a great session in Ballinastoe led by biking.ie instructor Janos Kohler, with the assistance of Una May.
In the afternoon Paddy Doran worked with the group to present a workshop type talk on goal setting and motivation, going into detail on the various different types of motivation. After Paddy Nicole Evans gave a demo on age appropriate Strength & Conditioning.
DAY THREE
Track Cycling – Paddy Davis provided accreditation for the riders, while the more experienced tested their skills behind Mark Kiely on the derny.