Crash disrupts Roche's plans

CYCLING:Nicolas Roche has suffered a setback to his season following a crash on Wednesday's opening stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race. Roche was one of 15 riders who fell after a race motorbike clipped a rider and provoked a pile-up.

Most were able to remount and finish the stage, won by Robbie McEwen (Predictor-Lotto), but Roche was forced to abandon.

"I crashed pretty heavily on my knee but there is nothing broken," he told The Irish Timesyesterday. "I got two stitches. My knee is very swollen. I should be off the bike for four to five days."

Roche had been scheduled to race until the end of the ProTour event on Tuesday, and was then due to ride the 1.1-ranked Cholet-Pays de Loire race on Sunday week. He says now that he is not sure if he will be lining out in the latter event.

Alexandr Arekeev (Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo) won yesterday's second stage of the Italian race, while across in France, Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) was first home on stage four of Paris-Nice. Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) took over the race lead there

Meanwhile, like Roche, Stephen Gallagher will miss some races with injury. The Murphy & Gunn/Newlyn Group/M Donnelly Seán Kelly rider broke his left wrist when he fell in Sunday's Grand Prix Lillers in France. He is hoping to return to racing at the Brandbitse de Pijl event in Belgium at the start of April, and will continue to build towards what he hopes will be a strong ride in the FBD Insurance Rás in late May.

Several of his team-mates competed in Wanzele in Belgium on Wednesday. Morgan Fox, John Dempsey and Mark Cassidy all punctured at a crucial point after chasing an early break, but Páidí O'Brien and foreign team-mates Christophe Beddegenodts, Glen Bak and Devi Vervaeke came home in the main bunch.

Finally, a number of events are taking place this bank holiday weekend. Junior co-ordinator Brian Taaffe has announced that Sunday's Hanlon Memorial race will act as one of the season's selection events for Irish juniors.

CYCLING LEINSTER TEAM (for Armagh - Downpatrick race):S Baker, S Bracken (both Usher IRC), D Kirwan (Lucan CRC), S Halpin (Swords CC), S Kelly (Newbridge CC).

FIXTURES: Saturday:St Patrick's Day road race, Batterstown. 11am. Carrick Cup, Carrick-on-Suir, 1pm. Sunday:Des Hanlon Memorial, Carlow, 11.30am. Armagh - Downpatrick St Patrick's Classic, Armagh, 12.45pm. Monday:Connacht MTB League, Ross Wood, Killanan, Co Galway, noon. Rás Luimni, Fedamore, Co Limerick, 1pm.