Cycling Ireland has launched its 2027 membership campaign, inviting people across the island to rediscover the enjoyment of getting on a bike—and the timing could hardly be better.
The launch follows another major international performance from Lara Gillespie, who won silver in the Scratch Race at the UCI Track World Championships in Shanghai on Thursday, missing out on gold to Dutch star Lorena Wiebes in a photo finish.
It was the latest step in an exceptional period for the Irish rider. Gillespie arrived at the Championships having finished second overall in the Tour of Chongming Island, the best WorldTour stage-race result of her professional career, after repeatedly challenging Wiebes in the sprints.
The sporting success provides an attractive elite-level backdrop to a Cycling Ireland campaign aimed very deliberately at the opposite end of the participation spectrum.
Rediscovering the Joy
Under the message “rediscover the magic and joy in cycling”, Cycling Ireland is offering new members who join during October 15 months of membership for the price of 12.
The governing body has almost 25,000 members and a network of nearly 400 clubs, but the campaign emphasises that membership isn’t just for racers or highly committed club cyclists.
Cycling Ireland President Ciaran Cannon said the objective was to encourage people who might have drifted away from cycling, or who have never considered themselves part of the sport, to get back on a bike.
“Our invitation is simple: rediscover the magic and joy in cycling,” he said.
“You don’t have to wait until January to make a change that could bring real enjoyment to your life. Start now, and you could arrive at the new year with new friends, more confidence and something to look forward to every week.”
Membership starts at €22.50 or £20, excluding fees, with options for leisure riders, commuters, competitive cyclists, young people, and supporters.
Members can join independently or through a club and receive benefits including insurance, discounts and access to Cycling Ireland-sanctioned events.
Broadening the Audience
“You don’t need an expensive bike, a racing ambition or a wardrobe full of Lycra to belong,” Cannon added.
“You might cycle to work, enjoy a gentle weekend spin, love exploring trails or be returning to cycling after years away. There is a place for you in Cycling Ireland.”
The NGB’s remit stretches from community and recreational participation to athletes competing for medals on the world stage.
Sport for Business Perspective
Every sporting organisation wants to connect elite achievement with grassroots participation, but cycling currently has unusually strong ingredients to do it.
Gillespie is competing successfully against some of the biggest names in world cycling while Ireland prepares for the arrival of the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre at the Sport Ireland Campus. Construction of that long-awaited facility has already begun.
Cycling Ireland has the opportunity to turn visibility generated by performances such as Gillespie’s into something tangible: more members, more people joining clubs, and more people simply choosing cycling as part of their everyday lives.
Rather than selling competition, Cycling Ireland is selling belonging, enjoyment, health and community.
As Cannon put it: “The kilometres are only part of the story. It’s the company out on the spin that makes you want to come back.”
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Image Credit: FAI and Sportsfile
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