CYCLING:Following the recent announcement that the Unibet.com team will contest the new Tour of Ireland, a second ProTour squad has been confirmed for the world-ranked event. T-Mobile are one of the heavyweights in cycling and are expected to send a strong squad to the five-day race, which will run from August 22nd to 26th.
The team includes triple world time trial champion Michael Rogers, top German stage race riders Patrik Sinkewitz and Linus Gerdemann, plus British duo Roger Hammond and up-and-coming sprinter Mark Cavendish.
The latter has been faring extremely well in his first professional season, taking five victories thus far and beating riders such as triple Tour de France green jersey winner Robbie McEwen.
The line-up of the Tour of Ireland squad will be announced closer to the event.
"It's great to have T-Mobile on board," said event organiser Alan Rushton: "They have a real focus on team work, and are famous for the pink train on the front of the peloton in the final kilometres as they set things up for the team sprinter."
Despite the question marks over former riders Jan Ullrich and Bjarne Riis, the 2007 incarnation of the squad is seen as perhaps the most pro-active in the peloton at fighting doping. New general manager Bob Stapleton was brought on board by the sponsors for this reason and has been the catalyst for a complete change in the line-up and the philosophy, introducing internal testing costing hundreds of thousands of euro.
The Tour of Ireland will be run along the same lines as the former Nissan Classic. Its main backer is Fáilte Ireland and it is organised by The Events Group.
Irish road race champion David McCann will line out as part of the Colavita Sutter Home team for the Philadelphia International Championship on Sunday.
Compatriots Ciarán Power and David O'Loughlin may be part of the Navigators Insurance line-up, with a decision to be made after today's Commerce Bank Reading Classic.
In Europe, Daniel Martin took a step closer to a pro contract last Sunday when he won the final stage and the overall classification in the Tour du Pays de Savoie. One week earlier he won the mountains classification in the Ronde de l'Isard.
Martin is likely to take a break from competition, then return for the Irish national championships in Waterford on July 1st.
Fixtures - Saturday:NI Youth RR champs, sign on at A2 Bangor-Donaghadee Rd. Racing starts 11am. Track training, Eamonn Ceannt Park, Sundrive Road, Kimmage. Starts 11am. Audi Grand Prix, Ballynure, Co. Antrim. Starts 11am. Dromara Hill Climb, Dromara village square. Starts 6.30pm.
Sunday:Ulster RR championships, Roe Valley Leisure Centre. Starts 10am. Ras Conemara - postponed. Kevin McInerney Memorial, Dunlavin. Starts 1pm.
Monday:Waterfront Criterium, Carrickfergus. Track training, Eamonn Ceannt Park. Starts 7pm. Monday - Wednesday: Jimmy Stagg 3 Day, stage one sign on in Caffrey's Pub, Batterstown at 6.30pm.
