Cycling: Ireland's top professionals, Mark Scanlon and Ciarán Power, are in the final countdown before the start of their 2004 season next Tuesday. The Irish duo are part of a good pro field assembled for the 2.3 ranked race and are likely to come up against riders such as Tour de France green jersey winners Baden Cooke and Robbie McEwen in end-of-stage gallops.
The Tour Down Under gets underway with the 50 kilometre East End Adelaide street race on Tuesday. Four road stages of over 140 kilometres in length follow before the race concludes back in Adelaide with the 90-kilometre City Council circuit.
The two Irish riders have ridden strongly in Australia in the past, with Power faring well in the end-of-season Sun Tour on several occasions and Scanlon helping cement Ag2R team-mate Mikel Astarloza's overall win 12 months ago.
Both have had some disruption to their preparations - Power recently suffered a head cold while Scanlon has had a niggling rib injury, but despite this the two riders have the ability to finish to the fore on stages while building on their early-season form.
Elsewhere, former Irish international Liam Collins appears in line to beat his own long-standing 1,000-metre flying-start record after a good ride at the Russian Winter Track Championships on Wednesday.
Collins previously recorded a time of one minute 8.801 seconds during the 80s, but this week did a time of 1:8.708 for the distance. The new record is subject to ratification but with electronic timing and a UCI commissaire in place, the Russian-based Irishman seems set to be credited with the new mark.
Back home, three of Ireland's top internationals will join forces this season in the colours of the new Totalcycling-Corrib team. Reigning Irish national time-trial champion David O'Loughlin, FBD Milk Rás yellow jersey Tommy Evans and Marseilles-based Philip Deignan will be part of a squad which will target top Irish events such as the national championships, the FBD Milk Rás and also English premier calendar races. The team will be sponsored by Belfast's Totalcycling.com and McGrath's Quarry Group of Cong, Co Mayo.
UPCOMING FIXTURE: Connacht training camp (January 31st-February 1st), Westport. More information from Cycling Ireland's Padraig Marrey at (01) 8551522.
