With all the top men in the line-up, including the reigning world junior champion Mark Scanlon, the Tour of Ulster should provide keenly fought competition over the weekend and reveal some guide to prospects in the FBD Milk Ras.

Scanlon was unable to match the strength of Philip Cassidy at Ballyboughal last Sunday and on stage one of the Ulster tour tomorrow over 81 miles from Omagh to Cavan the opposition will also include Ray Clarke, Tommy Evans, Ciaran Power, Micheal Fitzgerald and Brian Kenneally so there will be a better indication of how Scanlon has progressed since he joined the Dutch Rabobank amateur team. Scanlon must ride again as an individual in the Rabobank jersey.

Clarke and Evans head the Irish team for the Ras, with them will be Aidan Duff, Eugene Moriarty and Paddy Moriarty. Power and Fitzgerald lead the Irish challenge in the British Prutour which starts the day the Ras ends.

The Tour of Ulster starts at noon in Omagh tomorrow with the first stage through Enniskillen and Killeshandra to Cavan. Sunday's stage two is another 80 miles from Cavan (12.30) taking in Cootehill, Carrickmacross, Castleblayney and Keady mountain to Monaghan.

On Monday morning (10.0) there is just 46 miles back to Omagh but it includes first category climbs at Carnmore and Fivemiletown. The Tour then ends with a time trial in Omagh of just over a mile along High Street finishing outside the Court House.

Last year Evans clinched overall position in the final stage time trial at Dungannon and the 1997 winner O'Sullivan is also involved again. For those not going north the Garda club have the Ben McKenna memorial races at Balbriggan on Sunday (11.0), the main event for first and second category licence holders is over five laps of a 15 miles circuit.