Cycling Club Isle of Man (CC Isle of Man) was announced as a Sporting Club Isle of Man owned team in March 2020 following in the footsteps of FC Isle of Man. The Cycling Club Isle of Man working group are now able to share this statement laying out their vision for their Men’s and Women’s teams.
The Isle of Man has a rich and successful cycling history. Over the last 50 plus years numerous female and male British National champions, not to mention Commonwealth, World and Olympic medallists, have called the Island home. Their achievements, alongside the fantastic efforts of the island’s cycling community to date, have inspired CC Isle of Man to create new IOM-Based cycling teams which they believe will play their part in ensuring this level of achievement continues to be possible for the next 50 years.
CC Isle of Man aims to support the next generation of talented riders from our Island by providing a strong foundation and structure so those riders can shine while competing in some of cycling’s biggest races. CC IOM believes its actions will sustain and enhance an already successful cycling legacy on the Island, provide team partners and sponsors unprecedented exposure to UK and European-wide audiences while inspiring and exciting a proud community and Nation.
In 2021 CC Isle of Man Men’s and Women’s teams will compete at ‘Elite level’ which is only two tiers away from World Tour Cycling: cycling’s equivalent to football’s EPL (English Premier League).
CC Isle of Man believe in the qualities of the riders, coaches, and other support personnel within the cycling community. Therefore, we are confident our Island community can develop a team of riders capable of thriving at the very highest levels of the sport. This is demonstrated by the club’s long-term aim of having professional CC Isle of Man teams riding in the men’s and women’s Tour de France.
CC Isle of Man spokesman Andrew Roche:
The Isle of Man cycling family already produce successful youth and junior riders who dominate National races and grab the headlines by winning races in Europe. So we know there are lots of great things already happening on the Island.
However, when those riders leave age-group categories they often find it difficult, regardless of results, to find a way into the next stage of their cycling development which would usually be an U23 team. CC Isle of Man will fill this gap and therefore offer these talented young riders the platform, via an IOM-based team, to showcase their capabilities and learn how to be a professional rider; which will ultimately mean they can fulfil their dreams and fly the 3 legs on the World stage!
Sporting Club Isle of Man’s Sporting Director Paul Jones:
CC Isle of Man, like FC Isle of Man, are right to be ambitious in their aims of creating IOM-based professional teams within their sport. We have some extremely promising and committed riders and performance professionals on the Island and we, via CC IOM, wish to provide them with the opportunities and challenges required for them to reach their potential. We hope the Cycling and wider-community get behind these new teams as enthusiastically as the football community have with FC Isle of Man.
On the 11th June individuals can become official supporters of CC Isle of Man via Sporting Club IOM’s annual membership scheme. More details can be found here.