Maximillian May of the German Thuringer Energie team claimed today’s fourth stage of the FBD Insurance Rás from Oughterard, Co. Galway to Tipperary Town.

Mayoman David O’Loughlin crowned one of the highlights of his career with a stunning stage win in the FBD Insurance Rás into Oughterard, Co Galway today.

FOUR riders participating in the FBD Insurance Rás spent last night in hospital in Enniskillen after an horrific crash on the descent from Bellavalley Gap that caused the second stage from Dundalk to Carrick-on-Shannon to be declared null and void.

Dan Craven (Rapha Condor Sharp) won today’s opening stage of the FBD Insurance Rás from Dunboyne to Dundalk after he bested Mark McNally of the An Post Sean Kelly team to the line in glorious sunshine.

Philip Lavery, one of Ireland’s most exciting young riders, will be in the line-up for this weekend’s FBD Insurance Rás after all.

PHILIP LAVERY, one of Ireland’s most exciting young riders, will be in the line-up for next week’s FBD Insurance Rás next after all.

In the lead-up to the FBD Insurance Rás which starts on Sunday May 23 and runs until Sunday May 30, breakingnews.ie gives you a run-down of the basics of professional cycling.

With the An Post Sean Kelly cycling team announced yesterday for this Sunday's FBD Insurance Rás, breakingnews.ie has compiled a short history of the cycling team in the lead up to the tournament.

The An Post Sean Kelly cycling team has today announced its team for this years FBD Insurance Rás which starts this Sunday in Dunboyne.

TONY MARTIN, one of the favourites for this year’s Tour de France, won the FBD Insurance Rás three years ago and the team he led back in 2007, Thuringer Energie, is set for a return for this year’s edition of Irish cycling’s showpiece which gets under way on May 23.

CHRIS NEWTON, who won the overall title twice, will join last year’s champion Simon Richardson, and the 2008 winner, Stephen Gallagher, on the line for next month’s FBD Insurance Rás.

The Sean Kelly/ An Post Professional Cycling team endured a most difficult day in the Dwars door Vlaanderen classic today in Belgium, with just one rider of the eight starters finishing the race.

The man killed in a single-vehicle crash in Ardee, Co Louth last night has been identified as 31-year-old Paul Healion, a leading cyclist who had been due to compete in this week's Tour of Ireland as a member of the national team.

DAVID O’LOUGHLIN (An Post/Sean Kelly) attempts to win the Elite road race championship for a fourth time at Dunboyne on Sunday.

SAM BENNETT washed his stage winner’s blue jersey yesterday morning to show it off at last night’s club league race in Carrick-on-Suir and his coach, Martin O’Loughlin, insisted Saturday’s victory in the FBD Insurance Rás stage into Clara was the first of many.

JAAN KIRSIPUU powered his way up the finishing straight to thrill the fans who thronged Cahirciveen at the end of the longest stage in this year’s FBD Insurance Rás yesterday.

CHRIS NEWTON has the opportunity to join the legends of cycling over the coming week by winning the FBD Insurance Rás for a third time and John Herety, manager of the British Rapha Condor team, admitted on the eve of Irish cycling’s showpiece that the former world champion and three-time Olympic medallist has that as his ambition.

TWO of Ireland’s leading hopes for the FBD Insurance Rás, Brian Kenneally and Paul Griffin, have been out of sorts recently but expect to go to the line in Kilcullen for Sunday’s opening stage to Wexford town with all guns blazing.

CHRIS NEWTON can join a handful of legends who have won the FBD Insurance Rás three times when he lines up for the 2009 edition in Kilcullen next Sunday.

BRIAN KENNEALLY has recovered from his third win in the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan, but has not yet decided if he will contest the Shay Elliott Memorial in Bray next Sunday when he could opt for the big race down south, the Bill Hyland Memorial in Clonmel.

BRIAN KENNEALLY goes to the line for today’s opening stage of the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan in Killorglin with his sights firmly set on a third victory in the race.

PAUL GRIFFIN wants to fulfil one of his lifetime ambitions by winning the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan at the weekend but he is fully aware of the tough task ahead of him.

DAVID McCANN (Ireland National Team) just can’t wait for tomorrow’s penultimate stage which takes the FBD Insurance Rás high into the Wicklow Mountains where he feels the destination of the overall title will be decided.

STEPHEN GALLAGHER (An Post/Sean Kelly/Martin Donnelly) set out from Ballinamore yesterday morning hoping for a stage win, but by last night he had introduced an exciting new dimension to this year’s FBD Insurance Rás by claiming the race leader’s yellow jersey in a three-man sprint into Claremorris.

CIARAN POWER (Pezula) would like to take his place among the legends of Irish cycling next week by winning the FBD Insurance Rás for the third time.

CIARAN POWER (Pezula Racing) strengthened his grip on the Pauline Sugrue Auctioneers Rás Mumhan when he won a three-man sprint into Waterville to take yesterday’s gruelling South Kerry Climbs. His victory highlights his disgust with having been denied a Sports Council Grant this year and Cycling Ireland’s refusal to put forward an appeal on his behalf.

THIS is Olympic year so we can expect big things from Ciarán Power — the most experienced Irish professional in the peloton — according to Martin O’Loughlin, who is former manager of the Olympic cycling team.

CYCLING legend, Sean Kelly, unveiled his new An Post-sponsored cycling team at the GPO in Dublin yesterday and promised some big performances from the 14-man squad which is comprised of a mix of six Irish and eight foreign riders.

The team founded by Irish cycling legend Sean Kelly has been given a major lift today with the announcement that it has signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with An Post for the upcoming season.

PHILIP DEIGNAN’S performances to date in the Tour of Germany would indicate he has hit form at precisely the right time in advance of the Tour of Ireland professional cycle race which gets underway with an exciting stage from Kilkenny to Cork tomorrow week.

PÁIDÍ O’BRIEN can claim his first national senior title on Friday night in the criterium championship in Killarney where a closed 700m circuit will ensure plenty of entertainment.

NICOLAS ROCHE bids to succeed in one of the few races his famous father, Stephen, failed to win when he lines up for the national road race championship in Waterford on Sunday.

CHRIS NEWTON, who won the overall title in 2003 and 2005, is favourite to claim a third victory in the FBD Insurance Rás which starts in Naas tomorrow morning.

BRIAN KENNEALLY (MyHome.ie/BDBC) won Rás Mumhan in a pulsating finish in Killorglin yesterday.

BRIAN KENNEALLY is bidding to reclaim the Rás Mumhan title — the highlight of the Easter Weekend cycling programme — but he admitted it will be a tall order.

EUGENE MORIARTY would dearly love to win the race dedicated to his grandfather, legendary track cyclist Gene Moriarty, in his native Listowel on Sunday but feels that, at this point, it may be a bridge too far.

CIARAN POWER (Dan Morrissey) claimed his second stage victory and the race leadership changed hands twice in a matter of hours as the 1996 winner, Tommy Evans (Dublin IRC Usher Insulations) took custody of the yellow jersey in the morning team time trial only to pass it on to Kristian House (Recycling.co.uk), the form man going into the race, when the FBD Insurance Rás arrived in Westport last evening.

CIARÁN POWER (Dan Morrissey) claimed stage victory in a sprint with Lukasz Modzelewski (Poland Legia Bazylisek) in a spectacular finish to stage four of the FBD Insurance RAS in Listowel last evening.

The third stage of the FBD Insurance Rás takes place today, with the riders facing a 173km trek from Cobh to An Daingean.

HOPES of wresting the FBD Insurance RÁS title back from England’s Chris Newton got a major boost yesterday with news that two-time winner Ciaran Power is making a dramatic return on O’Connell Street on May 21 to lead the Dan Morrissey/Tipperary team.

THE Murphy & Gunn/Newlyn Group team will show the full extent of their powers when they line up for the Credit Union Rás Mumhan in Kerry this weekend, with the top two from last year, John Dempsey and Conor Murphy, in the line-up.

THE Martin Donnelly/Sean Kelly professional cycling team will make its Irish debut in this weekend’s five stage Credit Union Rás Mumhan in Co. Kerry.

WHILE the focus has been on the introduction of a team time trial and a gruelling final stage to replace the traditional circuit finish, this year’s FBD Insurance Rás will also include some old, familiar obstacles as the eight-day showpiece returns to Kerry.