National team director Richie Beatty has decided on the five men to represent Ireland in the FBD Milk Ras next month, from the 15th to 23rd. He has chosen Tommy Evans, who was the winner in 1996 and second last year, the reigning Irish champion, Ray Clarke, along with Aidan Duff, Eugene Moriarty of Listowel and Paddy Moriarty (Les Jeunes). Beatty is the manager.
Ras entries closed on Wednesday and the organiser Dermot Dignam revealed that opposition to the Irish will come in the form of teams from Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Estonia, Egypt and Wales. There will be the usual county teams in the line-up of 140 and half-a-dozen regional selections from Britain. Also included is a strong British trade team from the Linda McCartney squad.
Sigvard Kukk, who won the opening stage last year and was race leader twice before finishing sixth overall, again leads Estonia, while the recent Tour of Egypt winner, Amr El Nady, is number one for the Egyptians.
The Prutour of Britain, which starts the day the Ras ends, May 23rd to 30th, has been the priority this season for last year's Ras winner Ciaran Power and Micheal Fitzgerald and they head the Irish challenge there. With them will be Paul Butler and exiles Michael McNena, Padraig Quinn and Les McKay, managed by Frankie Campbell.
Beattie also selected a team for the British classic league race, the Lincoln Grand Prix on May 9th and he has included world junior champion Mark Scanlon with Power, Fitzgerald, McNena, Evans and Clarke.
Scanlon arrived home in Sligo on Tuesday for a break after the first part of his programme with the Dutch Rabobank amateur team and he is to take part in Sunday's Noel Hammond memorial race promoted by Orwell Wheelers over the north Co Dublin circuit at Ballyboughal (11.30) before the Tour of Ulster next weekend.
Scanlon has failed to get a win or even a high placing with his new team, but he was 20th overall in the Tour de Loire et Cher in France last week and was third Rabobank man at the end of the six-day event. His participation in the Lincoln Grand Prix is not definite as he has to be back in Holland to go with the Rabobank squad to the Fleche du Sud in Luxembourg from May 13th to 16th.
