As always, he hears the engine long before the machine comes into view. A low bee-like drone, it preempts the small motorbike by a good two or three seconds on these twisting roads. The old man is no longer surprised by what he sees, but still he turns to watch. Not much else doing on a weekday morning around these parts.

By this stage, he knows the unfolding scene perfectly. That initial noise, the growing silhouette over the hill which unravels into two separate figures as they draw nearer. The first, a middle-aged man perched on top of a blue Honda 90 moped. In his wake, a brightly-coloured tight-clothed cyclist, muscular legs oiled and shaved and pumping furiously away as he strains to remain in the slipstream. Head down, backside up, mouth gulping in great gasps of oxygen.

With a whoosh of air they pass, a peculiar tandem doing 35, maybe 40 miles an hour. The old man watches for a few moments as they head into the distance and the decibels melt away, then gets back to doing absolutely nothing at all.

Take an ex-Beatle, an Olympic champion, a vegetarian pledge and what do you have? Ciaran Power isn't quite sure, but his hope is that the surreal blend will bring success. This week he is due to trade in his amateur licence for a professional contract with the Linda McCartney racing squad and with that signature, a myriad of possibilities have opened up. Big team, big races, big targets. For him, that translates into one simple concept: big opportunity.

In ways, team and rider have traced a similar path. Two years ago, talk of a British squad riding the Tour de France would have been shot down with a dismissive wave. The notion of an Irish amateur turning pro after years of disappointments was only marginally more credible.

But then founder Julian Clark approached Paul McCartney and his wife Linda for backing. They saw a link between cycling and the environmentally-friendly ethos of their vegetarian products, and jumped at the chance. Clark couldn't believe his ears. "The squad must ride the Tour de France," he was told. "Money is not a problem". The smile didn't leave his face for weeks.

Two years on, Linda McCartney may have passed away but the squad continues to grow. Olympic champion Pascal Richard and Atlanta bronze medallist Max Sciandri are amongst the latest signings, bringing valuable world ranking points and taking the team closer to that eventual Tour dream.

Ciaran Power, meanwhile, has also been tracing a burgeoning path; winner of the FBD Milk Ras in 1998, he rode with distinction amongst professional riders this year in the Prutour and the Australian Sun Tour, where he finished fourth overall. Last month, Power finished third in the inaugural "B" world championships in Uruguay and thus secured qualification for Sydney.

And now, some would say inevitably, their paths have finally crossed. English-speaking team, hungry for success meets talented young Irishman who will bust a gut to impress. There are many who feel the partnership will prove to be mutually beneficial.

Who knows what lies ahead for the 23 year old? Power doesn't know what to expect, but after years striving to make an impression he is elated at his big chance. "It is going to be something else. . . I am really looking forward to it, especially with the two big riders, Pascal Richard and Max Sciandri in the team. It will be great to race alongside them and learn as much as I can. They are two really, really experienced guys."

Signing these two big names is a deliberate ploy by team manager Sean Yates. All part of the team's expansion. This year, Yates is targeting participation in races such as the Tour of Italy. In two or three year's time, the plan is to tackle the big one, the Tour de France. It is an ambitious programme, which necessitates many changes within the team; it is credit to Power's ability that he is getting a shot when many of the English riders who were associated with the team have being jettisoned.

"We first noticed Ciaran during the Prutour," says Yates, "when he was up there amongst the professionals every day. We were looking for another English-speaking rider at the end of the year so when I heard he was riding the Sun Tour I told those on our team to keep an eye on him.

"He rode really well out there, was up in the results on every stage and that is why we made an approach to him. That, and the fact that the Irish have a really good reputation for being tough and determined.

"I see him as a bit of an all-rounder. He can sprint well, he can climb well - basically, he is the type of guy who will be up there (at the front), be aggressive and get in the moves. At the same time, he will be there for the better riders in the team when they need him. Maybe some of the bigger races will be hard for him at first, but hopefully he will mature and get better as he goes along."

Those who know Power have little doubt he'll do just that. A strong junior who represented Ireland on a number of occasions. as in 1998 and then went on to finish 13th in the European under-23 championships in the same year. This season, he has moved up another notch, winning stages in the Tours of Egypt and Hokkaido and impressing greatly in the Prutour and Sun Tour pro-am races.

In truth, his single-mindedness has set him apart from many other Irish riders. Determination, stubbornness - call it what you will. The simple fact is that when others doubted, he remained convinced a professional contract was attainable.

Even considering the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune. When the Irish Sports council cut the Irish Cycling Federation's international budget by half this year, demoralised cyclists learned that they would miss out on topclass competition and reconciled themselves to a slump in results. Power, on the other hand, weighed up his options and bought a moped. Not for himself, you understand. He spent £400 on the bike, £120 on insurance and then handed the keys over to his father Pat. For the next six months, he trained behind the machine on the roads around Waterford. Sunkissed mornings, dog-day afternoons. Father and son against the world.

Things will change soon. He's only got another few weeks left tearing up and down Irish roads and bewildering the locals. At the beginning of January, Power jettisons the rain gear and heads off to Australia for three weeks of warm-weather training. His professional debut follows in the Tour of Malaysia and then the Rapport Tour in South Africa. After that, who knows where the team will be off to next.

It is a nomadic lifestyle, but that isn't the only big change he has to contend with. Bizarrely, with a vegetarian food company as it's major sponsor, one stipulation of racing for the Linda McCartney outfit is that the riders eschew products of the flesh in favour of a meat-free diet. According to Power, even the mechanics and masseurs are committed to this policy.

After waiting this long, it is a small sacrifice. "It will be interesting to try it out for the year," he says, "and hopefully for longer, if I find my feet and get to re-sign. There is no problem giving up meat.

"After all," he adds with a grin, "I am getting paid to be a vegetarian."