Ireland’s Daniel Martin extended his overall lead of the Volta a Catalunya to 14 seconds following the fifth stage.

Bradley Wiggins last night became the most decorated British Olympian in history after he claimed a sensational gold medal in the elite men’s time-trial.

Mark Cavendish began his bid to claim Great Britain’s first Olympic gold of the London 2012 Games today, while Irish hopes rested on Nicholas Roche, Daniel Martin and David McCann.

The Olympic Council of Ireland’s Appeal Tribunal has turned down the appeal by Irish professional road cyclist Matt Brammeier against the decision of Cycling Ireland not to select him for the Olympic Road Race.

An “almost suicidal” man who held an imitation handgun under a man’s chin wanted gardai to shoot him, a court has heard.

Irish professional rider Daniel Martin (Garmin-Transitions) continued his winning ways by taking a splendid victory at the 1.1 ranked Tre Valli Varesine race in Italy earlier today.

Irishman Daniel Martin (Garmin-Transitions) claimed the biggest win of his career to date with a solo break on stage five of the Tour of Poland today to take the stage win and move into the yellow jersey as race leader.

Nicholas Roche will carry Irish hopes at this year's Tour de France which starts this Saturday with an 8.9 kilometre prologue around Rotterdam.

DEFENDING champion Nicolas Roche, his cousin Daniel Martin who won the title a couple of years ago, three-time winner David O’Loughlin and another former winner, David McCann will line up for the national road race championships in Sligo tomorrow.

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

COLOMBIAN Fabio Duarte took his country’s first amateur world road race title at the U23 cycling championships in Varese, Italy, yesterday.

JUST a week after winning the coveted Route du Sud in the Pyrenees, Daniel Martin returned to Ireland to claim the shamrock jersey of the national champion with another power-packed display on the Ballinacurra circuit, near Midleton, yesterday.

WITH three of Ireland’s four Olympic cyclists in the field, Sunday’s national road race championships in Midleton promise to be the most competitive in recent years.

Slovakia's Peter Velits won the men's under-23 crown at the cycling world championships in Stuttgart, Germany on Saturday.

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.

THE Martin Donnelly Junior Tour arrived in Carrick-on-Suir last night with no change to the overall positions.