While there is a strong visiting challenge for the FBD Milk Ras, which gets under way in Dublin tomorrow, prospects of another home win are bright. Most hopes rest on the Ireland squad, even though national team director Richie Beatty had to make a change yesterday.
The original selection was Tommy Evans, Brian Kenneally, Conor Henry, Ciaran Power and Karl Donnelly, but Henry has been forced to withdraw because of sinus problems. He is replaced by Neil Teggart.
The line-up includes teams representing Estonia, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa and Japan. There are seven regional sides from England, one from Scotland and 17 county teams - five from Dublin, two from Kerry and then Antrim, Carlow, Cork, Down, Meath, Mayo, Offaly, Limerick, Wicklow and Westmeath.
Irish champion Morgan Fox leads the Belgian team, and, from their records, Christian Werner, Herman Fledderus and Jerome Desjarden seem to be the strongest on the German, Dutch and French selections. Another member of the Dutch team, Jeroen Slaghter, was a stage winner into Clifden last year.
With the new Tour of Britain starting on the second last day of the Ras, the British entry was below the standard of recent years. But two regular leading English contenders, Gethin Butler and Jeff Wright, are in again.
Last year's winner, Andy Roche, is in the Irish team in the British Prutour which starts tomorrow week at Stirling. A change is also necessary there, with Paul Butler in for David McCann, who has a knee injury. With the withdrawal from the Antrim team in the Ras of the 1990 winner, Ian Chivers, who also has a knee injury, Philip Cassidy (Meath) is the only other former winner in the line-up.
Tomorrow's opening stage of 70 miles is neutralised from O'Connell Street (12.30) to beyond Finglas, and there are bonus sprints on the hill at Slane, Soldier's Hill after Navan and then Knockmaroon, before entering the Phoenix Park. The course is then past the Ordnance Survey, right at Mountjoy Corner and left at the Eagle Monument, then right handed around the three-mile circuit past the Garda Headquarters and up the Main Road, with another lap to do when they go through the finishing point.
There is a transfer on Sunday morning to Mullingar for 91 miles to Tubbercurry, and Monday's 106 miles to Westport includes a loop around Achill, taking in three climbs there.
Tuesday's stage four is the longest, 116 miles to Kilrush. The Shannon ferry crossing from Killimer to Tarbert is the following morning, and there is another transfer to Listowel for the start of the 91 miles to Castletownbere. In addition to the Lady's View and Moll's Gap climbs outside Killarney, there is the Healy Pass 10 miles from the finish.
Stage six is 93 miles to Mallow, followed by 96 miles next Friday to New Ross. The second last stage tomorrow week should prove decisive as the 96 miles to Ballymore Eustace is over some of the Tour de France route, but is tougher, as it includes Ballygannon Hill and Drumgoff, before the Wicklow Gap.
After finishing in Swords for the last four years, and in Dun Laoghaire for eight years before that, there is a change back to what should be a spectacular, 25mile Dublin City centre criterium finale on Sunday week (3.0). It starts and finishes in O'Connell Street, and the circuit goes around Parnell Square and turns at the Abbey Street junction.
