WHILE Dermot Dignam expects to have at least seven visiting international teams in the FBD Milk Ras from May 18th to 26th - Poland will not be one of them.
Last year the Poles came to the Ras for the first time since their successful venture in 1963 and they accepted an invitation to return but Dignam has received confirmation from a team official that they cannot make it this time.
Last year Piotr Chmielewski was first on the opening stage from Dublin to Killeshandra and after Mariusz Bilewski and Chmielewski were second and third on the third day Chmielewski won stages four and nine at Dingle and Newbridge.
Despite these victories Chmielewski was only ninth overall, seven minutes and 10 seconds behind Paul McQuaid, and he was also beaten by Englishman Ray Eden in the points classification.
The Poland manager vowed to return this year, with a repeat of the 1963 overall triumph the aim, but because of difficulties in getting together a strong enough team the plan has been changed.
Dignam is studying a new UCI rule that apparently limits the number of foreign countries in national tours to three. As the Ras is not on the international calendar, however, Dignam is going ahead with his plans and he said yesterday he expects to have "between 120 and 130" in the line up and he will announce the other teams when they are confirmed over the next two weeks. A strong South Africa selection was revealed yesterday.
While the preparation of Olympic trackmen Declan Lonergan and Philip Collins is progressing satisfactorily the mountain bike men face an uphill struggle. In Lisbon last week Martin Earley did not finish the World Cup race and Robin Seymour was 58th with Alastair Martin only 81st.
Earley has apparently recovered from the ailment that troubled him and he will be the main Irish hope at Houffalizein Belgium this weekend. Seymour and Martin also try again and Richie McCauley will also be involved.
They all stay over then for the next event at St Wendel in Germany the following week.
In addition to fighting it out for the one place to accompany Earley in the Olympic line up - the decision is due to be made by the end of the month - an Irish team is also to be named for the Tour of Britain mountain bike event from May 14th to 19th and Seymour will not be available for that because of university examinations.
Lonergan boosted his Olympic chance with an excellent win in the points race at the World Cup meeting in Havana last weekend - Alastair MacLennan returned to Dublin yesterday and he said the occasion was the best he has experienced as national team director. Collins continued to show good form with a win in the Stonefield Grand Prix, outside Manchester last Sunday.
Collins will be in Dublin of tomorrow night's Olympic wards function and he is to contest the race at Stamullen on Sunday. He then goes to the Tour of the Vendee region in France next week but after that he will be concentrating on the track in Manchester with the World Cup meetings in Greece and Italy then on May 10th and 17th and finally in Germany on June 19th before setting out for Atlanta.
Eamon Byrne is here after an unsuccessful short period with the ACBB team in Paris and, because of a chest infection, a placement is expected to be named for him in the Ruban Granitier event Brittany.
There is a two day race listed for Tralee over the weekend and although the Banbridge club have a full programme at Dromore tomorrow most of the top Northerners will not be there as an Ulster CF team of Tommy Evans, Brendan Graham, Brendan Doherty, Neil Teggart, Mark Lyttle and Denis Easton are in the Tour of Majorca.
