Top men missing

THE WINTER training is put to the test over the weekend as the season gets under way with promotions at three venues but it will be an unusual opening with so many of the top men missing.

David McCann, Richie McCauley, Paul Butler, Ciaran Power and Eugene Moriarty are struggling in the Tour of Malaysia which ends at Langkawi on Sunday - Brian Kenneally was forced to abandon because of illness - and all except McCauley will then be going to race with clubs in France.

Also campaigning on the French circuit are national champion Peter Daly, Aidan Duff, Philip Collins, Michael McNena, Robert Whelan, Paul Griffin, Mark Hutton, Aidan Crowley, Morgan Fox and Dermot Finnegan. Scott Hamilton is going to a club in Italy.

Padraic Quinn is switching from the team he was with in Lorient to Dijon and he may have an outing at Navan before departure.

What is regarded as a well balanced list of fixtures, drawn up by Frankie Campbell, Richie Beatty and Tony Allen, starts off with the first event in the Mid Eastern Region's league tomorrow morning (11.0). Beatty has decided on the 4.8 miles circuit at the rear of Dublin Airport - sign on at the Ballymun Kickhams premises. It will be over 10 laps with women off first, followed by juniors, then veterans and second category with the first category men on the scratch mark.

The northern season has its usual opening with the Banbridge club's handicap race at Annaclone at noon.

Then on Sunday the pedals will be pounded with greater urgency as the more serious competition starts with the Beechmount Cup at Navan (12.30). With the third category scrapped this year the main event is for first category licence holders.

Despite the absence of so many of those aiming to make the breakthrough to the elite ranks in France competition should still be keen and it will be interesting to see who emerges to the fore. The Navan races are over the usual 18 miles circuit taking in Tara Hill with the main event over four laps. Second category and veterans do three laps with the juniors and women going off together for two laps.

Last year Simon Coughlan went on out of the leading group near the end to win 20 seconds with Butler best in the sprint for second place from Whelan.

Some clubs are not in favour of the decision to alter the system from six regional committees within the FIC Board to just one for each province and the Eastern Region are to carry out a survey among riders and officials at Navan on Sunday to try and find out who is in favour of the change.