Cycling Ireland seeking new ‘high performance pathway coach’

Cycling Ireland is now recruiting a new ‘high performance pathway coach’, a position that aims to aid the development of Irish riders on a pathway from the youth and junior ranks, through the U23 years and up to elite level.

Michael Black has occupied the post for the last year but is now being promoted within the national governing body’s high performance structure and a new candidate is required to fill the role he is vacating.

The successful candidate will lead coaching delivery in the high performance pathway programme, including a talent identification function, towards “competitiveness on the world stage”.

Cycling Ireland added Black had undertaken “a strategy refresh and building a new high performance pathway programme for junior and U23 cyclists”. He was now being promoted into a high performance pathway lead role “to focus solely on HP pathway development and on-going management of the programme”.

A new candidate to work under him was now being recruited after Cycling Ireland had secured money from Sport Ireland.

“We established early on the critical need to revitalise the HP pathway, and furthermore align our activities with those of participation and development in Cycling Ireland who focus on the younger age riders,” said Cycling Ireland’s high performance director Iain Dyer

“Michael’s work in consulting with all our key stakeholders and forge ahead with reimagining the HP pathway is invaluable, but inevitably it’s difficult to be the sole coach in the programme at the same time.

“This funding from Sport Ireland allows to take the jump to committing Michael fully to strategy and HP pathway programme management, and enables us to recruit a full-time coach to work solely with the HP pathway riders under Michael’s leadership.

“We are looking for an experienced coach, with a road or track bias, or perhaps a multi-disciplinary background to help take our HP pathway to the next level. We have some hugely talented young riders to work with and I’m sure it will be an exciting challenge.”