Roche: Velodrome crucial to the future of Irish cycling

Nicolas Roche believes that the proposed new cycling velodrome in Abbotstown is crucial for the growth of the sport in Ireland and said that it would put the country on the map as a destination for major cycling events.

Last October the Government committed to the development of a national velodrome and badminton centre on the Sport Ireland Campus with room for up to 900 spectators.

The inclusion of the velodrome in the Government's National Development Plan means hopes ar ehigh in the sport that it will be ready in time for preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Since retiring from professional cycling at the end of last year, Roche was appointed as the sporting director of Cycling Ireland's senior road programme and is excited by the prospect of velodrome in Ireland.

"It'd be huge," he told RTÉ Sport. "The last couple of years we’ve seen that track cycling in Ireland has picked up, there’s been a lot of investment there but obviously they had to relocate and be in Majorca for most of the year.

"That means you have to make a choice between being a professional track rider and having anything else to do.

"If the track was in Ireland you would attract people who are not quite ready to leave their job or studies to go full-time on the track. Obviously you also need finance and funding to be able to survive and sustain as an athlete.

"If you have a velodrome in Ireland I think more people will try it and chance it and then there is a big cost to have a base abroad when actually track is a lot easier to develop that track is this country.

"I think road cycling is a difficult one because you do need to travel abroad to be able to perform at a high level, whereas with track you could easily organise a track race in a velodrome in