CYCLING:Several competitors from past editions of the FBD Insurance Rás have gone on to ride the Tour de France, but the reverse will occur this year when three-time Tour rider Daniel Becke will take part in the eight-day Irish event.
Becke was with the top-level Bianchi, Caisse d'Epargne-Iles Balears and Team Milram squads in recent years, and started the Tour de France from 2003 to 2005, taking five top-20 placings on stages. He is also an Olympic champion, having won the team pursuit title in Sydney seven years ago.
The 29-year-old leads a strong Germany-Thuringer Energie squad in the Rás, which starts in Naas on Sunday, May 20th.
Becke transferred to the German Continental squad at the end of 2006, and will be joined in the FBD Rás by some talented young team-mates. These include Tony Martin, who was sixth in the European championships time trial (2005) and road race (2006), and Nico Graf, fourth in the 2005 European championship road race and winner of the fifth stage of the GP Tell in Switzerland last year. The team will be completed by the 2004 junior track points race world champion Marcel Barth, and Florian Frohn.
Germany-Thuringer Energie joins Czech Republic-AC Sparta Praha as the foreign Continental-level teams confirmed thus far.
Several more will be announced soon.
Team manager Jens Lang is hoping for a good showing, although, given the calibre of the riders, they may well exceed the targets he has set for them.
"This is the first time for our team and the riders on it to start the race, but we hope we can have a good performance this year," said Lang. "We are aiming to finish in the top 10 on several stages, as well as reaching the podium on one of them."
The race will get under way with a 157km stage from Naas to Templemore.
Meanwhile, there are a number of big domestic events over the next few days. Defending champion Paul Healion will lead a strong Murphy & Gunn/Newlyn Group/M Donnelly Sean Kelly team in the Rás Mumhan, which starts today and runs until Monday. Elsewhere, the P&O Irish Sea Tour of the North gets under way with a prologue hillclimb at Stormont.
Tomorrow, a large field of senior, junior, veteran and women riders will begin the first of four stages in the Bertoni Gorey Three-Day.
Off-road competitors can look forward to the first round of the DH National Points Series in Cloon Wood on Sunday.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Friday-Monday: Rás Mumhan, Killorglin, stage one, starts 6pm; P&O Irish Sea Tour of the North, stage one prologue hillclimb at Stormont. Saturday-Monday: Bertoni Gorey three-day, stage one starts Brittas at noon.
Sunday: DH NPS round 1, Cloon Wood, Enniskerry, starts noon. (Practice open Saturday) Youth Race (in conjunction with Rás Mumhan). Contact Miceal Concannon on 064-44396.
