CHRIS NEWTON, one of Britain’s most decorated cyclists, has a treasure chest of Olympic and world championship medals but would still love to add his name to the list of FBD Insurance Rás legends who have won the title three times or more.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

STEPHEN GALLAGHER (An Post/Sean Kelly/Martin Donnelly/ Grant Thornton) won the overall title and the national road race champion, David O’Loughlin (Pezula Racing), won the high-profile final stage of the FBD Insurance Rás in Skerries yesterday as Irish riders reclaimed control of Irish cycling’s showpiece.

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.

JOY can quickly turn to disappointment for any cyclist but for Mark Cassidy it was heart rending yesterday when a crash on the outskirts of Limerick City stripped him of the yellow jersey and put his FBD Insurance Rás hopes on hold for another year.

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.

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.

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.

PÁIDÍ O’BRIEN, chasing a stage win all week, turned his attentions to overall victory after yesterday’s sensational fifth stage in the FBD Insurance RÁS which ended in Buncrana.

MART OJAVEE (Estonia Kalev Chocolate) bounced back for a second stage win as Jesse Anthony (US Kodak Gallery) became the first man to retain the race leader’s yellow jersey when stage 4 of the FBD Insurance RÁS to Dungloe developed into another high speed chase.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 goes to the start line in Tallaght tomorrow defending his FBD Insurance Rás title.

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.

THOUGH the result was a foregone conclusion there was drama aplenty before Chris Newton (Recycling.co.uk) finally clinched the FBD Insurance Rás title in the Phoenix Park yesterday.

British rider Chris Newtown swept to his second FBD Insurance Rás title in two years, after finishing comfortably in the bunch at the end of today's eighth and final stage criterium in Dublin's Phoenix Park.

Norwegian Morton Hegreberg bagged a sprint finish victory in today's seventh stage of the FBD Insurance Ras from Rathdrum to Wicklow town.

The Fourth Stage of the FBD Insurance Rás is due to get underway this morning.

Chris Newton has retained the leaders yellow jersey after the third stage of the FBD Rás.

CHRIS NEWTON, the 2003 winner, took custody of the race leader’s yellow jersey at the end of yesterday’s second stage of the FBD Insurance RAS.

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 withdrawal of Mark Scanlon from the FBD Insurance Rás due to illness came as a huge disappointment to debutant Irish rider Bryan Keane.

TWO more former winners have been added to the list of entries for the FBD Insurance RÁS, which gets underway in Dublin on May 22.

DAVID O’LOUGHLIN and David McCann are hitting top form but Irish team manager Frank Campbell yesterday said this year’s FBD Milk Rás will be the toughest yet for Irish riders.

TEAM Bianchi Nordid, one of the most powerful cycling teams in Scandinavia, will contest next month’s FBD Milk Rás.

CHRIS NEWTON (Great Britain), the world points champion, is virtually assured of overall victory going into the penultimate stage of the FBD Milk Rás.

Tommy Evans has lost the yellow jersey after stage five of the FBD Milk Ras from Letterkenny to Buncrana.

TOMMY EVANS, riding for the Irish Sports Council team, got the FBD Milk Rás off to a flying start yesterday when he won a two man sprint for stage victory with the young Dane, Ari Hojgaard, into Roscrea and claimed the first yellow jersey of this year’s showpiece.

Ireland's Ciarán Power moved a step closer to winning the FBD Milk Rás as he finished second to Britain's Chris Newton in today's penultimate stage.