Scanlon moves up

Cycling: Mark Scanlon yesterday took his best result to date of this season when he was an excellent second in the GP Denain in France. The 23-year-old Ag2R-Prevoyance rider finished runner-up to Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) in the two-man sprint that decided the 1.3-ranked event.

With Scanlon due to take part in the Amstel Gold Classic this Sunday he will welcome this morale boost. The 36 world ranking points he took will be appreciated for another reason, as his season total now exceeds that accumulated to date by Ireland's other Olympic contenders.

Two slots are up for grabs in the road race in Athens and, until now, Scanlon had lagged behind Ciarán Power, David McCann and Philip Deignan. The cut-off date comes after the national championships at the end of June.

Power will have a chance to take some points next week when he rides the Tour of Georgia in America. Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and 2002 world champion Mario Cipollini will both take part, guaranteeing huge publicity for the race.

In other news, Santa Cruz/Fox rider Jamie Popham will this weekend compete in an invite-only 4Cross race at the British Bike Show in Birmingham.

He will line out with 32 of the top riders in the world in the three-day knock-out competition, with Steve Peat, Greg Minnaar and Cedric Gracia among those taking part.

Popham started his bid to defend his British NPS junior title in the best possible way last weekend, winning the opening round at Ae Forest in Scotland. Fellow Irishman Ben Reid was second, 0.35 seconds back.

Elsewhere in the UK, Kate Rudd rode strongly in the Easter Monday track meet in Manchester. She was second in both the Keirin and 20-lap scratch race, third in the devil-take-the-hindmost and part of the winning team in the Olympic Sprint race.

Rudd intends concentrating on track and criterium racing this year and so will miss the women's selection race this Sunday at Stamullen, which will be used to pick riders for the Bedford three-day next month.

The first race in the women's Boot Inn League will take place next Wednesday (details from Dolores Usher at 086 2302573).

The Stamullen programme also includes the Brendan Carroll Memorial tomorrow and several races on Sunday.

Hibernian Team Ireland squad for Zellik Galmaarden, Belgium, April 18th: Paul Griffin, Brian Kenneally, David McCann, David O'Loughlin, John O'Shea, Rory Wyley. Manager: Michel Bogaerts

FIXTURES

Saturday: East Tyrone Spring Classic, Cookstown, noon. Brendan Carroll Memorial, Stamullen, 2.30 pm (underage 3.45).

Sunday: Stamullen GP races, Stamullen, 1 pm (includes separate women's selection race). John Moore Memorial, Carryduff, Ulster, 1 pm. IVCA 25 mile TT, Batterstown, 10 am.