Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali’s Astana team avoided having their WorldTour licence withdrawn last month after cycling’s Licence Commission deemed that the punishment would be disproportionate to the doping offences committed by some of their riders last season, it has been revealed.

Kerry Group Rás Mumhan champion Mark Dowling has played down his chances of repeating his heroics of 12 months ago when the race rolls out of Killorglin on Friday.