Almost 800 female cyclists
participate in Cycling Ireland's online training programmes
National Champion Eve McCrystal inspires new cyclists
Cycling Ireland’s 6-week Bike Like Me online training programme concluded this week with over 780 women and girls engaging in the programme. The Bike Like Me Campaign was launched in March 2020 and is Cycling Ireland’s overarching campaign aimed at inspiring more women and girls to discover cycling and feel confident on their bikes.
Cycling Ireland’s National Performance Coach, Neill Delahaye designed the 6-week intermediate level training programme as a way for participants to re-establish a routine for the off-season and develop their aerobic fitness in a structured and balanced way.
This programme was available to female Cycling Ireland Members free of charge and to non-Cycling Ireland members for a small fee. A set of rollers or a basic turbo trainer and a desktop/tablet or phone to access the online platform was the only equipment required to participate. Eve McCrystal, one of Ireland’s top female cyclists, spearheaded the programme and was on hand to motivate and encourage the participants during each session. McCrystal was joined by Paralympic tandem partner, Kate-George Dunlevy for the last three training sessions.
Participants has access to live sessions every Monday evening or could view sessions on demand, so nobody missed out on the action. A 6-week training programme was also provided via the TrainingPeaks platform to guide new cyclist through all aspects of training and recovery.
Commenting on the Bike Like Me Online Training Programme, Elaine Cahill, Cycling Ireland’s Women in Sport Officer said:
“The Bike Like Me Intermediate training programme has been a huge success. Over the last 6 weeks it was wonderful to see so many women come together each week to train hard, to share tips and tricks, to share their stories and experiences all whilst having a laughing. A unique online community was created, and I’d like to congratulate all the women who took part for their engagement. A special thank you to Eve and Katie who made the sessions both enjoyable and entertaining.”
Bike Like Me participant, áine Fenner added;
“I found the Bike Like Me programme great. I looked forward to doing the Monday evening sessions. They meant I trained more but they also were good fun. The timing was great because the 5km lock-down restriction, dark days and bad weather meant I didn't feel like cycling outside. Also, the questions and answers meant the time passed quickly.”
Another participant also found the programme very beneficial, she added;
"This
programme has been without doubt the best programme I have ever signed up
to. The amount of knowledge I have gained, the improvement in my cycling
and the overall good feeling has been astounding."
A similar programme was available for girls between 12 and 17 years of age. This free, 4-week pilot programme which concluded on December 9th, was also designed by Neil Delahaye. Over 80 girls signed up for the programme accessing the live sessions each Wednesday. Eve McCrystal was on hand to lead the sessions, giving the girls an opportunity to ask questions whilst keeping them entertained along the way. Parents and family members also joined in making it a lovely family affair.
Cycling Ireland would like to thank everyone who participated in the Online Training Programmes. We would also like to express our gratitude to Eve McCrystal for leading the training sessions each week and to our guest visitor Kate-George Dunlevy. We wish you all an active and safe Christmas and look forward to seeing some familiar and new faces in our future programmes.