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.

CIARÁN POWER (Pezula Racing) may have been dumped on the scrapheap when the Sports Council were handing out their grants to elite sports people, but he was at the top of the pile yesterday evening when he won the opening stage of the Pauline Sugrue Auctioneers Rás Mumhan into Killorglin.

BOBBY POWER, one of the legends of Irish cycling, will be back on the bike on Sunday for the Lacey Cup in Tralee — a race he won back in 1975.