New faces for Ras

While Dermot Dignam expects to have the usual teams from France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Japan in the FBD Milk Ras in May he said it is likely that Israel will be included for the first time and there is also a possibility that Egypt may be in the line-up.

"The Israelis are looking at their programme for the season as they want to make sure their best team is available for the Ras," Dignam said.

An Irish team is going to the Tour of Egypt from March 5th to 12th and in the course of negotiations for that engagement it was understood that the Egyptians would also come for the Ras. However, Dignam has not heard anything definite from them and it was not certain that a place would be available now with so many other visiting teams confirmed.

After training at Eindhoven in Holland this week with the Rabobank amateur squad Mark Scanlon goes to the Dutch team's training camp at Calpe, near Benidorm next Tuesday.

The world junior champion from Sligo, who has received sponsorship from the North Connacht Farmers Co-Op, will be at Calpe until February 28th and will have his first race on March 7th.

While the struggle continues until Sunday for the Irish team in Malaysia another six-man selection leaves next Wednesday for a race in Greece from February 24th to 28th. Ciaran Power, Ray Clarke, David O'Loughlin, Kieran MacMahon, David McQuaid and Stephen Gallagher will have a week's warm weather preparation there beforehand. Meanwhile, the Solar Drive is the latest technological aid for leisure cyclists. The solar charged electric power unit is easily fitted, pannier style, to drive the rear wheel and is being launced on the Irish market for Energy Enterprise Limited of Newport in Wales by Richard Copeland of Ashdown Energy in Dublin (ph: 8327332).

Solar Drive was tested extensively over 500 miles of varied Welsh countryside in 1997 and has two ratios. One has a top speed of 15 miles an hour and can climb moderate hills up to 14 per cent (one in seven). The other version has a speed of just seven miles an hour but is capable of negotiating hills of 20 per cent (one in five).