Cycling Reports

The stage is set for the 2000 FBD milk Rás 

(May 15) With the days, hours and minutes ticking away to the start of the 2000 FBD Milk Ras, Irelands top cyclists are fine tuning their bikes and their bodies in preparation for the nine day event.

The Ras gets underway at 12.00 p.m on Saturday with a ceremonial dropping of the flag outside the G.P.O on Dublin's main street. This first stage takes the 200 top class international cyclists on a 143 kilometre trek from Dublin to Longford, taking in towns such as Slane, Athboy and Delvin along the way. The aforementioned towns also play host to the first of many hot spot sprints along the route. These intermediate gallops earn the riders bonus seconds which are then deducted from their overall time, thus ensuring a fast and furious first stage, which should set the tone for the rest of the week.

The race then travels across to the west with stage ends in Newport and Oughterard on Sunday and Monday respectively, before moving south to finish in Listowel on Tuesday where Ireland team member and local resident Eugene Moriarty will be eager to impress. This heralds the start of two punishing days of climbing, with the climbs of Slieve Mish, Seefin, Drom West, Mount Foley and the Coomakista Pass all coming on Wednesdays stage and the mountains of Inchee, Ballingrane, Musheramore and Aubane the next day. Fridays 150km stage to Enniscorthy will seem like a godsend for the survivors as it is mainly flat, but this just means that speeds will be upped again as the sprinters make up for lost ground of the previous two days. As if that wasn't enough Saturdays eighth stage resumes the skyward trail with the mountains of Aughavannagh at 47 miles, Drumgoff at 52 miles, Wicklow Gap at 61 miles and Slieve Carragh at 70 miles before the drop into Tullow. Tired bodies and spirits will be broken on this stage and the overall classification could change dramatically before the spectacular criterium finish in Dublin on Sunday week.

So who are the contenders for this years race ? Well, with teams from Holland, Belgium, U.S.A, Ireland, Scandinavia, Germany and Great Britain, not to mention the Irish County selections all eager to impress in Olympic year it is like the proverbial needle in the haystack. If form is any indicator then last years winner, 38 year old, Meathman, Philip Cassidy is the best bet for a homegrown winner. He has won almost every race he has entered this season and has aimed since winter to defend his Ras crown.

The Dutch team Energiewacht squad won six stages last year but, with Harm Jaansen now riding professionally with Saturn in the U.S.A and Erik Daagelet not riding this year, last years green points jersey winner Pelle Kille should find it harder this time around. The German Telekom team are the nursery squad of the Jan Ullrich led Deutsche Telekom pro team and could maybe yield a successor to the 1997 Tour De france winners throne. The Scandinavian squad has produced some notable professionals over the years,1999 Tour De France stage winner Magnus Backstedt to name but one of many. The young Welsh team are also one to watch out for, they have been training in Surfers Paradise, Australia for the winter under the watchfull eye of former Aussie pro Shane Sutton. They have a lot of experience for a very young squad and should take a stage or two.

On the home front, Cassidy leads an Irish team which also contains Bill Moore, Eugene Moriarty, Fergus McAuley and national road race champion Tommy Evans who is also a former Ras winner. The county selection of Tipperary, with the terrible trio of Brian Kenneally, Eddie O'Donoghue and Martin O'Loughlin should put up a good fight overall. Dublin Skip have in-form Paddy Moriarty, winner of Ras Mumhan at Easter. Derry Clarke Contracts have a very strong quartet of Dave McCann, Paul Butler, Ray Clarke and last Sundays runaway winner of the Shay Elliot memorial, Stephen O'Sullivan. Meath, winners of the County team prize for the last two years have been weakened by the presence of Moore and Cassidy on the Irish team, but the two Finnegan brothers, Derek and Dermott shouldn't go away from the Ras empty handed. Throw in a few wild cards such as Paul Griffin and Aiden Duff of Dan Morrissey Carlow, Craig Sweetman of Meath, Paul Healion of Dublin Usher and David O'Loughlin of Mayo and the stage looks set for a very interesting nine days of racing.