As the teams assembled in Dublin last evening for stage one of the FBD Milk Ras today organiser Dermot Dignam said he expected to have between 140 and 150 in the line-up in O'Connell Street and added that a comprehensive programme of drug testing will be undertaken as the nine-day event goes around the country.

In addition to the usual commissaires involved - Jack Watson is number one, assisted by Maurice Murphy and Phil O'Brien - Dignam said Englishman Norman Shelmardine will be travelling as well. A few years ago he was chief commissaire on the race but he is now a UCI Medical Inspector and he will carry out a number of tests on most days.

In previous years, when samples had to be sent to Chelsea, the procedure was very costly, but Dignam said that this week a different laboratory in Madrid will be used and it is considerably less expensive. It is unlikely that any results of even the earliest tests will be known by the end of the race tomorrow week.

In addition to the commissaires on duty Danny O'Shea is timekeeper with Eddie Tobin the recorder. Jim Traynor is chief judge, assisted by Michael Campbell.

There is another increase of £1,000 in the prize fund this year to £10,055 with £700 for the overall winner and £110 for each of the nine stage winners.

Some late changes to teams are expected but the visitors from Belgium, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, South Africa, France, Estonia, England and Scotland had all arrived last evening. With the defection of the Antrim team 16 county selections are left in.

Stage one today is over 70 miles finishing in the Phoenix Park. Tomorrow's stage is from Mullingar to Tubbercurry. The overnight stops are in Westport, Kilrush, Castletownbere, Mallow, New Ross and Ballymore Eustace with a Dublin City Centre finale tomorrow week back in O'Connell Street.