Giro d’Italia champion Ryder Hesjedal abandoned the Tour de France ahead of stage seven today.

Dan Martin’s Garmin-Sharp team have endured more than most in the opening week of the Tour de France but matters worsened yesterday when their team manager Jonathan Vaughters was taken to task before the stage start in Rouen about reports in a Dutch newspaper that some of his riders had received six-month bans after confessing to doping.

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.

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

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.