The Listowel Club's Kingdom series with eight days of racing gets under way tomorrow at Killorglin and continues through to Kilrush tomorrow week.
Last year's overall winner and the new Irish champion Ray Clarke misses the opening events as he is a member of the Ireland team in the Tour of the Cotswolds on Sunday at Gloucester. With Clarke on that assignment are Paddy Moriarty, David O'Loughlin, David McQuaid and Mark Kiernan.
McQuaid bids for an unusual double as his father, Pat, was first in the sprint up along the grassy finishing stretch in the 1976 Cotswold event.
The Kingdom series opens with the Donal McKenna Cup race at Killorglin tomorrow, over 15 laps of a circuit that includes the steep hill up the main street in the town. The riders move on to Listowel on Sunday for the Gene Moriarty memorial event. It counts in the classic league with a separate event for juniors.
After Brian Kenneally's wins at Naas and Cork he is only a point behind Tommy Evans in the classic league - 45 to 46. Paul Griffin is third with 37 points and Kieran MacMahon has 35. Kenneally looks all set to take over the lead in the competition on Sunday.
There is a criterium on Monday evening over a closed circuit in Killarney, on Tuesday the action switches to Kanturk and Wednesday is a rest day.
The one mile hill climb is on Thursday in Listowel to find the new King of Ballygrennane, with a bonus prize if Christopher Kimmage's record of three minutes and 18 seconds is beaten.
Currow, outside Castleisland, is the venue for Friday evening's action and there is an alteration to the original list with a 10-mile time trial tomorrow week and then the finale at Kilrush the following day, the Crotty Cup.
The Navan club have the Mountnugent Grand Prix tomorrow evening (7.30) and the Klondyke Cup at Robinstown on Sunday (1.30) with under age events from 11 o'clock.
As the under-23 championship race listed for August 16th clashes with the European under-23 title race at Upsala in Sweden on Saturday 15th the promoters, the Comeragh club in Waterford, have switched with the Cycleways Cup at Navan. The under-23 event and the veterans' championship will now be on August 30th, the day the Junior Tour finishes in Dublin.
National team director Richie Beatty has finalised the team for Sweden. It is Aidan Duff, Michael McNena, Ciaran Power, David McQuaid, David O'Loughlin and Colm Farrell. Duff and Power are also entered for the time trial on Thursday, August 13th.
