WITH THE Southern Region putting on a three-day race in place of the one cancelled at Blarney, and the Tour of Ulster staying at its new date in May, the Easter cycling programme is similar to last year with three stage races.
The Tour of the North starts this evening (5.0) with a time trial in Ballymena and goes on to Tuesday, with the finish at Larne.
The Irish Road Club-Amev promotion to Gorey and back has a change of starting point tomorrow. The Circuit of Ireland Rally crosses the route at Brittas, so, organiser Sam D'Arcy had to rearrange plans and the start will now be at Blessington (12.0). Signing on there from 9.15 to 11.15.
The Southern event starts tomorrow (1.0) from the Sunset Ridge Hotel, Cork, and goes to Killorglin, 70 miles, by Blarney, Macroom and Killarney. On Sunday morning (9.30) there is a hill-climb time trial of less than a mile at Rossbeigh with 17 laps of a three-mile circuit around Killorglin at four o'clock. The final stage, on Monday (11.0), is back to the starting point, but through Rathmore and Mallow.
First category licence holders are excluded from the Gorey race and, because of the new graded system, with third category dropped, there will be the smallest field for many years.
With the start in Blessington, the first stage through Baltinglass, Hacketstown and Tinahely, followed by a circuit of eight miles at Gorey, will be less than 70 miles.
There is the usual four miles time trial on Sunday morning (9.0) with four times around a lap of 15 miles at 2.30. The final stage on Monday goes through Carnew and then Tinahely, Hacketstown and Baltinglass with the finish at Brittas.
A time trial over two-and-a-half miles opens the Tour of the North this evening at Ballymena and tomorrow's stage of 65 miles is from Belfast (11.0) to Portadown.
There is the usual Sunday time-trial stage over 13 miles at Corr's Corner with 75 miles on Monday, starting and finishing at Limavady. Tuesday's finale is from Larne up the Antrim coast road, but then into the mountains for a harder slog back to Larne.
The entry includes Conor Henry, the 26-year-old Belfastman who won the 1992 Tour of Britain and who has been gradually getting back into competition after staking a break from cycling.
Following last weekend's two-day race for women, an Irish team was chosen for a similar event at Leicester tomorrow and Sunday. Although Susan O'Mara emerged best last week, she declined selection for this event as she is chief, commissaire for the Gorey race. Those going are Geraldine Gill, Marie Boyle, Michelle Crinnion, Deirdre Murphy, Jane McGoey and Sue McMaster.
Ireland's international commissaires were not allotted many assignments last year, but Jack Watson has been on duty in South Africa already this season and Michael Robb and Ian Gallahar have been assigned races in France next month. Robb is to officiate at the Grand Prix de Rennes bn April 6th, while Gallahar goes to La Cole Picardy and the Grand Prix de Denain on April 22nd and 24th.
