Because of elbow injuries sustained in a fall in the Tour of Ulster last Sunday it is doubtful if Aidan Duff can take his place on the Ireland team in the FBD Milk Ras, which starts tomorrow week, and national team director Richie Beatty has David O'Loughlin on standby to fill the vacancy alongside Ray Clarke, Tommy Evans, Eugene Moriarty and Paddy Moriarty.

Mark Scanlon, Clarke and Michael McNena gave Beatty additional problems by withdrawing from the Irish selection for Sunday's Lincoln Grand Prix. That will now be a team of just five with Eddy O'Donoghue and 37-year-old Philip Cassidy chosen to accompany Ciaran Power, Micheal Fitzgerald and Evans.

After Duff's crash on an oily patch of road 10 miles from the finish of stage three of the Ulster tour at Monaghan an operation on the damaged elbow was necessary and he was released from hospital on Wednesday but it seems highly unlikely that he will be able to contest the Ras. The elevation of O'Loughlin to Duff's place would unfortunately seriously deplete the Mayo team.

There was always a doubt about Scanlon going to the Lincoln race but Clarke has not fully recovered from a bad cold he had on returning from the Tour of Majorca last month. The national champion is expected to be fit to head the Ras line-up at number one - a total of 165 are listed to take part. McNena was released to go to a stage race with his Marseille team which will be good preparation for the British Prutour.

Scanlon has to return to join his Dutch Rabobank team-mates on Monday morning as they travel on to the four-day Fleche du Sud in Luxembourg, which starts next Thursday. Scanlon is keen to have another race on the home scene before he goes to Holland and the Tour of Galway on Sunday was an obvious choice. The alternative was the Shay Elliott memorial event at Bray but the world junior champion has decided on the easier and nearer Galway promotion which he dominated last year and he wants a win to boost morale after finishing second to Cassidy at Ballyboughal and second again to Power in the three-day Tour of Ulster.

Now the Bray promotion, the last big test before the Ras, will have a much depleted line-up but it should still provide a good race with the battle up Glenmalure the decisive section. It starts in Bray's Main Street at noon with the finish back there after 78 miles and Brian Kenneally, who rides for Wicklow in the Ras, must have bright prospects of adding to his impressive list of triumphs.