CYCLING:Following a good showing in last year's FBD Insurance Rás, the Australia-FRF Couriers squad have confirmed it will travel to this year's event. In 2006, Peter Herzig finished seventh overall and second in the mountains classification, while Joshua Marden won stage three to An Daingean. The riders were also third in the international team classification, and between them took nine top-10 placings on stages.
Herzig and Peter McDonald will be back again this time round, and team manger Andy Portess has high expectations. "This year the squad will be hoping Herzig can improve on his seventh spot on GC," he said. "He will again be looking for the king of the mountains jersey (he led the competition for two stages in 2006), and will be motivated following his win in the KoM classification in the Tour of Hainan late last year.
"Peter McDonald is also one to watch and is in hot form this season, placing 10th against all the top Australian pros in the national championships. He recently won the Blaney to Bathurst race with a 20 km solo breakaway from Australia's top riders."
The squad will be completed by the team's new under-23 riders Jason Hegert, Chris Jory and Brendan Brooks.
Also announced for the race are the Denmark-Team Vision Bikes squad. Managed by former CSC professional Jimmi Madsen, the line-up comprises Benjamin Justesen, Simon Lerbech, Michael Johansen, Mads Bugge Andersen and Thomas Bendixen.
Justesen and Lerbech are strong climbers, while the other three are experienced all-rounders. Madsen is expecting a good showing.
"The team will be after stage victories," he said. "Watch out for Michael Johansen in long breakaways, and Benjamin Justesen and Simon Lerbech in the hills and maybe even in the overall classification."
In domestic news, Ireland's top riders will clash this Sunday in the prestigious Shay Elliott Memorial race in Wicklow, one of the country's hardest one-day events.
The race is backed by Murphy and Gunn and as a result the Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group/M Donnelly Sean Kelly team have travelled from Belgium to try to defend the title they took last year with Andrew Roche.
Stephen Gallagher, Paul Healion and Morgan Fox, plus Belgians Rieno Stofferis, Devi Vervaeke and Tim Meeusen will lead the charge. They will be up against all the big Irish teams, plus several strong riders from Britain.
FIXTURES: Saturday: John Beggs/Sean McGreevy Memorial, Dromore, noon. Youth races count as a qualifier for the European Youth Olympics squad. Junior development testing day, Alsaa sports centre, near Dublin Airport, 10am. Sunday: Murphy and Gunn Shay Elliott Memorial, Bray/Wicklow, 10.30am. Munster open race, Ballinacurra, Midleton, 1pm. G Clancy Memorial, Oughterard, Co Galway. Underage races at 11am, other events at 1pm. Frank O'Rourke Memorial, Carnaross, Wexford, 11am. Traders Cup, Dowdallshill GFC, Dundalk, 1pm. K-Capital Cup round 4 (XCO Class 2 event), Castlewellan. Starts John Moore Memorial, Lough Moss Centre, Mealough Road, 10am.
