THE route for the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan is expected to be finalised next week but the big news is the Easter Saturday stage will retain its traditional toughness.

A FORMER rider in standard-issue team colours with neat red hair pinned down under designer shades, Kurt Bogaerts doesn’t really look it – but he drives like Evel Knievel late for Mass.

PAUL HEALION (Ireland National Team) put down an important marker along the road to London 2012 by beating some of the world’s top sprinters for the stage victory when the FBD Insurance Rás arrived in Castlebar yesterday.

SAM BENNETT (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) was back up in the thick of the action as Nicholas Walker (Australia Cinelli-Down Under) outsprinted Jaan Kirsipuu (Norway Giant-Veolia) and Monday’s stage winner, Ian Wilkinson (Britain Halfords Bike Hut) for stage glory when the FBD Insurance Rás produced another explosive finish in Scariff yesterday evening.

DERMOT DIGNAM, Race Organiser of the FBD Insurance Rás which gets under way in Kilcullen on Sunday, feels there could be an Irish winner this year despite the impressive field.

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.

FORMER Belgian time trial champion Bert Roesems will lead the powerful Australian-registered Cinelli-Down Under pro team in this year’s FBD Insurance RÁS, which begins Sunday week in Kilcullen.

CYCLING IRELAND have chosen Philip Leigh, a former Great Britain international, to plot the route to London 2012.

EXACTLY 25 years and a day after his father, Philip, claimed his first yellow jersey in the FBD Insurance Rás, Mark Cassidy donned the yellow fleece for the first time in Lisdoonvarna after yesterday’s dramatic stage from Claremorris.

LAST October Ken Hanson came over from California to visit his aunt and cousins in Leitrim and yesterday his relations were celebrating his return to the county of his ancestry as he claimed the first yellow jersey of this year’s FBD Insurance Rás in Ballinamore.

THE organiser of the FBD Insurance Rás has had to turn down a request from the Italian Cycling Federation to have their Olympic track team included in the line-up for this year’s showpiece which gets under way on Sunday week.

CIARAN POWER’S performances in the Kerry Mountains during Rás Mumhan over the Easter Weekend could strengthen his claim to a place on the Irish team for the Olympic road race.

CIARAN POWER (Pezula Racing) put his hallmark on a spectacular weekend when he won the final stage of the Pauline Sugrue Auctioneers Rás Mumhan, to copperfasten his overall victory in blustery conditions at Killorglin yesterday.

THE potential presence of Stuart O’Grady with Team CSC could add an exciting dimension to the inaugural Tour of Ireland (August 22-26).

BRIAN KENNEALLY from Kilkenny, a member of the Meath Myhome.ie/BDBC team claimed the glory of stage victory while German Tony Martin held onto the yellow jersey when the FBD Insurance RÁS concluded in Skerries yesterday.

German Nico Graf claimed today's fifth stage of the FBD Insurance Ras - the 131 km trek from Dungloe to Buncrana.

American Jesse Anthony is still in the yellow jersey heading into the fifth stage of the FBD Insurance Ras today.

NORTH American riders took custody of all the important jerseys when the FBD Insurance RÁS arrived in Sligo last evening after a 106-mile stage from Loughrea.

BRIAN KENNEALLY (Myhome.ie/BD BC) was rewarded for his courage with a sensational victory after riding clear of the breakaway group a mile from the finish of yesterday’s 91 mile second stage of the FBD Insurance RÁS from Templemore to Loughrea.

MARK SCANLON will make his return to international cycling in a familiar green jersey when he lines up with the Subway Eat Fresh Irish team for the start of the FBD Insurance RÁS in Naas on Sunday.

OSCAR FREIRE edged a classic sprint finish to win the fifth stage of the Tour de France yesterday as Tom Boonen retained the yellow jersey.

AUSSIE Joshua Marden (FRF Courier) claimed stage victory when the FBD Insurance RAS arrived in An Daingean yesterday after a tough 107 mile stage from Cobh.

DANNY PATE, a former world under-23 time trial champion and member of the US TIAA-CREF team, inflicted what could prove to be irreparable damage on the peleton when he sprinted up the hill to Cobh Cathedral to win the second stage in this year’s FBD Insurance RAS and claim the raceleader’s yellow jersey.

DEFENDING champion, Chris Newton (Recycling.co.uk), pipped former winner, Tommy Evans (IRC Usher Insulations) in the first stage of this year’s FBD Insurance Rás from Tallaght to Enniscorthy yesterday.

CHRIS NEWTON (Recycling.co.uk) maintained leadership of the FBD Insurance RAS with Malcolm Elliott (Yorkshire Trinity Capital) still the closest challenger after yesterday’s stage.

ROGER AIKEN (Louth Safe Cycling), who turned 24 three days earlier, got a belated birthday present yesterday in the form of his first ever stage win as the FBD Insurance RAS got under way with an 84 mile stage from Dublin to Emyvale.

The Czech Republic professional cycle racing team, Elmarco KK Cube, is the first of the six pro teams expected to take part in the FBD Insurance RÁS, to name its squad for the big eight-day international cycle race, which starts from Dublin on 22nd of next month.

THE foreign challenge for the FBD Insurance RÁS was strengthened yesterday with six professional teams confirmed in a record entry of 200 when the event starts from Dublin’s GPO on May 22.

The world controlling body for cycling, Union Cycliste Internationale, has appointed Denmark’s Ulf Jensen as president of the race jury for the FBD Insurance Rás 8 Day International Cycle Race.

FBD INSURANCE will take over sole sponsorship of Ireland’s premier international cycle race from next year when the event will take to the roads as the FBD Insurance RAS.