Taco van der Hoorn of the Dutch Join-S de Rijke squad won yesterday’s opening stage of the An Post Rás on a day that saw 40-year old ex-Irish Olympian Ciarán Power roll back the years and barrel in for a mighty result of his own.

Irish domestic amateur Damien Shaw came within a whisker of landing a stage win at the An Post Rás yesterday, emerging just metres short following a thrilling 160km of racing from Ballina to Ballinamore.

Italian rider Francesca Reda is the first race leader of this year’s An Post Rás after a thrilling opening stage from Dunboyne to Carlow yesterday which saw the peloton lose over 10 minutes and Ian Richardson of UCD take the county rider prize.

Bryan McCrystal has shown himself a talent on two wheels and as a triathlete in recent years, but it was on the soccer pitch that the Dundalk man first created shockwaves. Ahead of the Rás, he spoke to Brian Canty.

There has been only one Irish winner of the An Post Rás in the last decade and that trend is unlikely to change this year, writes Brian Canty.

Páidi O’Brien made it three wins from four at the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan yesterday when he blasted to glory on the fourth stage of the race but it was Sean McKenna who took overall glory.

Sean McKenna of the Irish National team is the new race leader of the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan after a thrilling stage around south Kerry yesterday afternoon.

With five former winners on the start-line and a large overseas contingent competing, this weekend’s Kerry Group Rás Mumhan certainly lives up to its name as one of the country’s foremost international stage races.

Sam Bennett will break new ground tomorrow when he competes in the iconic Milan-San Remo. 

Dillon Byrne holds a one-second advantage over Bryan McCrystal (Aquablue CC) and just a handful of seconds over half a dozen others going into today’s final stage of the Suir Valley 3-Day after an epic weekend’s racing around Tipperary.

One of the country’s most exciting prospects, Ryan Mullen, took the biggest road race victory of his young career when he soloed to a stunning win at the National Championships at Multyfarnham, Co. Westmeath yesterday.

CYCLING: Sam Bennett is the hot favourite to win tomorrow’s Elite National Road Race title in Mullingar, but the Carrick-on-Súir rider is playing down his chances.

Patrick Bevin is the new race leader of the An Post Rás after he stormed to a solo win on the second stage of the race into Lisdoonvarna, Clare, yesterday.

The An Post-Chain reaction team may have fielded just two Irishmen out of a possible five in its line-up for this year’s An Post Rás, but it is the Belgian-based squad who drew first blood on stage one into Roscommon yesterday.

When Pádraig Marrey was booted out of the An Post Rás last year along with 28 others for missing the time limit on stage three, he would have been be forgiven if he decided to call time on his 27-year racing career.

Mark Dowling claimed the biggest win of his career at the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan in Killorglin yesterday when he wrestled the yellow jersey from overnight leader Paddy Clarke by 12 seconds.

With just two stages remaining in the An Post Rás, Belfast man Connor McConvey remains in second place overall, tied on time with race leader Marcin Bialoblocki of the UK Youth professional team.

Dundalk 0 NK Varteks 4 (0-9 on aggregate)

Shamrock Rovers 2 Dundalk 1