With four weeks to go to the start of the FBD Milk Ras organiser Dermot Dignam had 105 entries at the closing date on Wednesday. Late entries, costing an additional £10, will be accepted up to next Friday and, with some counties due to select teams over the weekend, Dignam expects to receive about 30 more.
This would be well short of last year's record of 165 starters but Dignam said: "Last year was exceptional and we would prefer to have a more manageable total of 130 or 140. If we get any more we will, of course, be able to cope." He added that he also required a few more officials for the Ras which is from May 16th to 24th.
Dignam also announced yesterday that Belgian-based Irish champion Morgan Fox will lead the team representing Belgium in the Ras. Fox returned to win the Irish road race championship at Carrick-on-Suir last June and he has been a regular member of Irish teams on international duty since then.
In the Ras last year Fox was the first holder of the red jersey as leader of the king of the mountains competition at the end of the second stage in Clifden. However, he was involved in the first of a few crashes that day and eventually lost the jersey on stage five and was forced to abandon the next day on the way to Bandon.
Dignam also said that the FIC Board will probably decide at their meeting in Dublin tonight on the position of part-time national team director. Four applications were received.
After the Easter stage races it's back to more ordinary fare this weekend with promotions at two venues tomorrow and three more on Sunday when the Stamullen Grand Prix is the main attraction.
Last year Bill Moore was a popular local winner of the Joey Whyte Cup for the senior race at Stamullen while Teddy Mulvihill made it a great day for the club with victory also in the secondary event for the Pat Howard Cup.
With third and fourth placings on stages and fourth overall in Ras Mumhan last weekend Moore is obviously coming into form and is expected to go well again on Sunday.
The main event is over six laps of 12 miles at 1 p.m. with four laps for second category and veterans and 48 miles too for juniors and women. There is also racing for under-16, -14 and -12.
The Garda club stage the Ben McKenna memorial at Batterstown tomorrow morning - it was held at Balbriggan last year when Mel Sutcliffe was the winner. East Tyrone have their annual Spring Classic at Drum Manor, near Cookstown.
In addition to Stamullen on Sunday the Killarney club Currow promote the John Drumm memorial races while there is further action in Co Tyrone with Fintona's Credit Union Grand Prix.
Ruairi Mitchell reports that things are going well for the group he is with in France. Mitchell went with Dermot Healy, John McCarthy, Paul Roland and Keith Gallagher on a scheme funded by FAS and they are based at Tinteniac, near Rennes. Initially they had problems entering races but that has been resolved and Mitchell said it is the best set-up for young Irish riders in France and they expect to have regular competition for the rest of the season.
