The five members of the FIC Board who have to seek re-election at the annual general meeting in Malahide on Saturday, November 29th, were nominated again before the closing date last weekend. But three of them will be facing opposition.

The president, Pat McQuaid, along with Dermot Dignam and Brendan Donoghue, who head the development and coaching committees, are faced with election contests. Peter Purfield (mountain bikes) and Paddy Griffin (leisure cycling) are unopposed.

Myles McCorry, secretary of the Appolo club in Lurgan, is the unlikely challenger to McQuaid's position. John O'Mahony, of St Finbarr's, opposes Dignam, while Paddy Doran, who has been adviser to many of the top racing men in recent years, is nominated against Donoghue. Donoghue has a busy time next week. As part of a Department of Education exchange deal between the Irish and French federations, two coaches from France arrive in Dublin on Sunday and Donoghue has arranged an interesting programme for them.

Monday morning the visitors will meet local coaches in the FIC headquarters, and that afternoon there will be a schools coaching session at the Sundrive Road cycle track.

On Tuesday, the French pair will visit the National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick, and on Wednesday they will conduct a Munster and Connacht session there.

There has been a change of venue for Thursday's Ulster gathering. Instead of Queen's University, it will be at the House of Sport in Belfast.

Then, after returning to Dublin next Friday, the Frenchmen will attend a coaching session for the national squad on Saturday, 10.0 a.m.5.0 p.m., at Kylemore Road. Although victory has eluded the French in the major Tours in recent years, they won six of the 12 titles at the world track championships in Sydney at the end of August. They also took all three elite events in the world road title races.