In addition to Sunday's Shay Elliott trophy race at Bray being the last big test before the FBD Milk Ras gets under way tomorrow week, it is the third of 10 events to count in the Callcard Classic League. It is very tight at the top in that competition with Tommy Evans, Kieran MacMahon and Brian Kenneally level on 15 points and David Hourigan has 14. Next come Ciaran Power, Philip Cassidy and Bill Moore on 12 points. Power, the Bray winner last year, has an added incentive as he is in with a good chance of being the first to record successive wins in the race since Sean Kelly did so as a teenager in 1974 and '75.
The winner of two stages of the Tour of Ulster last weekend, Power was also successful in the Coombs-Connor race at Drogheda last month, was second to Evans at Carlow and runner-up also to Kenneally in the four-day Ras Mumhan at Easter.
Power is on the Ireland team in the Ras with Evans, Kenneally, Conor Henry and Karl Donnelly and they and all the other top men will be involved on Sunday over the testing Co Wicklow circuit of 78 miles. A very interesting struggle for supremacy is assured with the Glenmalure climb to the Elliott monument likely to be the crucial battleground as usual.
Before Richie Beatty was appointed national team director last month, he decided that as president of the Leinster Federation he would head a committee to promote the road race championships. The club at Carrick-on-Suir were to stage the events again but withdrew and when no other club stepped in, Beatty set about looking for a suitable course and trying to entice a sponsor.
Beatty has decided on a Co Louth circuit of 13.6 miles at Collon, to be covered eight times, on Sunday, June 28th. The junior title race will be over five laps and the women's event will also be on at the same time.
At a reception in the FIC Dublin headquarters last evening Paddy Griffin launched the new version of their booklet, Leisure Cycling in Ireland. The publication provides a comprehensive list of all leisure cycling activities and requirements.
