They may at times be tedious affairs, but tomorrow's a.g.m. of the Irish Cycling Federation will be anything but boring. The continuing clash between president Mick Lawless and the ICF board looks set to dominate proceedings, with Lawless's speech known to be highly critical of those who passed a vote of no confidence in him in August. Storm clouds brewing, but little sign of a resolution; Lawless's call for new faces on the board has not been met, as only two of the five places up for grabs will be contested.
Of those, outgoing secretary Jack Watson needs to fend off the challenge of Tom Mateer and Tommy Campbell if he is to retain his position, although he must also contend with a motion of no confidence proposed by the Hilltown cycling club. Chairman of the underage committee Sean O'Callaghan also faces competition in the shape of Dan Curtin, while treasurer Peter Thornton, sporting chairman Maurice Murphy and PRO Ciaran McKenna are all unopposed.
The a.g.m. is a crucial one for the ICF. Considerable losses - leading to the cancellation of the Champion's Night dinner and a 15 per cent drop in membership - have occurred this year. Both Lawless and the members of the board have called for a high turnout, on the grounds that members can decide who is best serving Irish cycling and, hopefully, lead to the resolution of the dispute.
Meanwhile, two months after she became the first Irish woman to compete in the Olympic road race, 1997 World Masters champion Deirdre Murphy has confirmed her retirement from competition. The 41year-old New York resident opted to hang up her wheels after a successful nine-year racing career which yielded several medals in world and American masters (over-35) competitions. She also finished fourth in last year's B world championship in Uruguay, thus securing Irish qualification for the Olympic women's road race.
"It's a difficult decision to make," said Murphy, who was ratified for Sydney but was lapped after being caught behind a crash and suffering a puncture. "I'm coming over next week for the OCI athletes' commission meeting. After that, I would like to do what I can to help the sport develop - I plan on spending more time in Ireland in the future, and hope to be able to give something back to cycling."
Finally, details were announced of the Fighting Blindness Borneo Challenge which will take place in May 2001. The trip comprises a cycle (or a trek) through tropical rain forests, the Crocker Mountains and ending at Mount Kinabalu, with the aim of raising funds for research into retinal degenerative conditions such as Ushers Syndrome.
Further details can be obtained from Fighting Blindness at 01 8559330 or at www.fightingblindness.ie.
