Power fine tunes Down Under

New Year, new ambitions. With the 2001 racing season about to begin in Europe, Ciaran Power, Mark Scanlon and David McCann have begun final preparations before kicking off their campaigns in the professional ranks. This week, Power flew to Australia to fine tune his form before the start of the Tour Down Under, which runs from the 16th until the 21st of this month.

Although Italian sprint specialist Mario Cipollini withdrew from the line-up on Tuesday, the six-day, 2.3-ranked tour boasts many more big names, including Andrei Tchmil and Jeroen Blijlevens (Lotto), Tom Steels (Mapei) and Stuart O'Grady and Bobby Julich of Credit Agricole. It's a good season opener for Power, providing both top-level racing and the opportunity to secure some world ranking points early on.

The Waterford cyclist is then due to take the long journey back north to Trafalgar Square for the Linda McCartney team presentation on the 26th, where he will be joined by new team-mate and debut professional Mark Scanlon.

Next stop for the duo is the five-day Mallorca Challenge, beginning on February 4th, then Power branches off to contest the Ruta del Sol (18th-22nd) while Scanlon targets the Vuelta e Algarve (11th-15th).

As for David McCann, the national road race champion has gone to Poland to prepare for his season with the Mat Ceresit CCC team. McCann was one of the most impressive Irish riders last season and will be determined to make a strong debut in the paid ranks.

No such joy for David O'Loughlin, however. Following his ninth-place in the world under-23 time trial championships, the Mayo cyclist had hoped to secure a professional contract, but now he will race with the UVCA Troyes outfit this season. Also lining out with a French amateur club is Dubliner Aidan Duff, who will compete in the colours of the 23 La Creuse team.

Finally, the Irish Cycling Federation (ICF) is gearing up for the season. Applications are due in today for the positions of manager to senior, junior/ladies, mountain-bike cross country and downhill squads.

The ICF has also announced that it will hold a meeting in the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan, on January 21st to present the 2000 championships prizes and to assess the national squads.

Fixtures

Sunday: Sligo Weekender 10-mile TT, 1.0 p.m., Rosses Point. Contact Dessie Foley at 081-77353 for more information.