OVER the last decade the Bathurst Cycling Club has forged a reputation as one the strongest in the state and there to see that progression was one of their finest.
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During her long association with the Bathurst club, Toireasa Gallagher has impressed on the local, state and national level while she has also attended two Paralympic Games acting a pilot rider on a tandem bike.
Gallagher has been on the committee for the past 10 years and worked to gain government assistance for the club while at the same time coaching emerging talents.
But now, after serving as president for almost three years, Gallagher has decided to step down and resign from the committee.
“I’d only been president for two-and-a-half years, so not a huge amount of time, but I’ve been on the committee for about 10 years,” she said.
“The club has grown in my times and I guess it is because of the change to focus on juniors through to seniors and creating that interest for kids. That helps gets kids into it and if kids ride, their parents ride.
“We’ve also had 40 plus people join just for fitness and then their friends join so they can ride together and compete against each other.
“The club is so supportive at every level and we offer races for all abilities.”
With the inception of the Blayney to Bathurst cycling race and hosting the NSW Hill Climb and a criterium championship at Mount Panorama, the Bathurst club has earned high praise from the state body and riders from across the state.
The club has also seen the emergence of junior talents like Harrison Carter and Hollee Simons, had Mark Renshaw transition to a professional road rider, and had their older members win countless masters medals.
It is a record Gallagher is proud of, but on an administration level she believes a move to foster all disciplines of cycling has been the highlight of her time on the committee.
“We are one of the strongest country clubs and we are the oldest cycling club around,” she said of the club which was founded in 1884.
“I think the highlight has probably been the management of the club. It has split into separate sections so the kids are taken care of. The road, mountain bike and track, they have all got their own sections now and that’s enabled growth in all of those specialities.”
While Gallagher will continue to act as a coach at the Western Region Academy of Sport, Phil Egan takes over as club president.
He will be assisted by a committee which includes Ken Birch (vice president), Elaine Ryan (secretary) and David Lowe (treasurer).
Gallagher was not the only committee member to step down at the recent annual general meeting, with Mark Simons, Scott Allen, Geoff Short and Rod Esdaile also resigning.
They all worked hard to develop the road cycling at the club.