WHILE the cycling season does not start until the first weekend in March, the national team director, Alasdair MacLennan has a lot of planning to do at all levels, but particularly for those qualified for the Olympics, and he is busily engaged with schedules, budgets and compiling squads for international engagements.

There are training sessions arranged for the last two weekends in February in Dublin, while the women are catered for on January 27th and 28th in Carlow. Then the season opens on Saturday March 2nd with the Mid Eastern Region's league race over a north Co Dublin circuit and the Banbridge handicap at Anna clone, followed the next day by the Beechmount Cup race at Navan and the Kiely Cup at Blarney.

Declan Lonergan returned to America on Wednesday after spending Christmas at home in Waterford, but his plans are in doubt as the sponsor of his team, Saab, have pulled out.

Lonergan was based at Plymouth in Boston, but he has gone to Sacramento in California for the opening races of the season. MacLennan has agreed to two different schedules for Lonergan - if he joins a new American; team he will continue to campaign there, first on the road and then on the track, but if he does not he will be back to go with Irish teams to various stage races and track events, including the FBD Milk Ras in May, which he won in 1994.

Philip Collins goes to Manchester next week for special training on the track there. Although Collins and Lonergan have qualified for the pursuit and points race respectively at the Olympics, they will have to qualify also for the world track championships in Manchester at the end of August.

For Martin Earley and the pair vying for the other place on the Irish team in the Olympic mountain bike race - Alastair Martin and Robin Seymour - the first events on the World Cup mountain bike programme will be very important.

They are in April, at Lisbon on the 14th, at Houffalize, Belgium on the 21st and St Wandel in Germany on the 28th.