Cycling: Seven of Ireland's top international riders get their season under way today with the start of the prestigious Tour de Langkawi in Penang, Malaysia. The 10-stage, 1,250 kilometre event has attracted 20 teams from around the globe, among them 13 professional squads who will be scrapping it out for the lion's share of the €300,000 prize fund.

The Irish squad - which comprises David O'Loughlin, David McCann, Philip Deignan, Denis Lynch, Eugene Moriarty, Paul Griffin and Tim Barry - went for a two-hour training ride in sweltering conditions yesterday, loosening up for today's 112 kilometre stage to Taiping and also shaking off the final effects of jet lag. The mood was high within the Irish camp, with the seven riders in good spirits and team manger Frank Campbell hopeful of a respectable performance.

"It is hard to judge which of the guys is in the best form as they have not raced for a few months," he said, "but we are going into the race with an optimistic outlook. We are hoping that the climbers like O'Loughlin and Deignan can do well on the summit finish on the second day, staying in the shake-up until the end. Then we will look at how things have settled out. In addition, McCann is hoping to do a decent ride in the time trial on stage 5."

The Irish riders on the team clearly lack the experience of their competitors on pro squads, but Deignan's strong ride in the Eagle Tour of Malaysia a year and a half ago will also serve to motivate. The Donegal rider is, at 20, one of the youngest in the field but has a promising climbing ability which saw him finish fourth on the key uphill stage of that race.

Today's first leg of the race takes the riders 112 kilometres from the land-linked island of Penang to Taiping, and should play right into the hands of the sprinters.