AFTER their sensational performance in the An Post Rás, where they won the Best County team prize for the Carlow Dan Morrissey outfit, Timmy Barry and The Edge cycling team will be back on home territory this coming weekend when they compete in the Blarney Festival of Cycling.

There was mixed news for former Armagh team-mates Kieran McGeeney and Justin McNulty as the O'Byrne Cup got underway in Leinster today.

BIG TIME road racing returns to Blarney this weekend when the Blarney Cycling Club Festival of Cycling gets under way tomorrow night with the Osborne Butchers Criterium, followed by the Donal Crowley Memorial and Kay Stratton Memorial races on Sunday.

THE three-week sabbatical had startlingly different effects on these two sides, with Kildare looking much like their old selves and Donegal but a pale shadow of the team that steamrolled Laois last time out.

Kildare 1-17 Donegal 1-9

Kildare 1-16 Tipperary 0-8

KILDARE overcame the 36th-minute dismissal of All Star midfielder Dermot Earley to edge past UCD in the opening round of the O’Byrne Cup at Newbridge yesterday.

Nicolas Roche, son of 1987 champion Stephen, will today become the first Irishman to compete in the Tour de France since Mark Scanlon took part in the world-famous race five years ago.

Kildare 1-14 Monaghan 1-11

Despite doubts over their fitness, Padraig Browne and Stephen Kelly have both been named in the Limerick team for tomorrow evening's GAA Football All-Ireland qualifier clash with Kildare (Gaelic Grounds, throw-in 7pm).

WATERFORD coach Davy Fitzgerald has made two changes from the side that defeated Offaly last Saturday for Sunday’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Wexford in Semple Stadium.

Enda Murphy has been recalled to the Kildare side for Sunday's NFL Division 1 meeting with Galway at Newbridge, throw-in 1.30pm.

FOR gamblers, it meant luck. For Pythagoreans, the perfect number.

THE last time Mart Ojavee contested the FBD Insurance RÁS, he was supporting an Estonian team-mate.

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.

THE world’s leading cyclists contest the five day Tour of Ireland next August.

SEAN KELLY and Stephen Roche enthralled us year after year with their endeavours in the 1980s but Irish cycling has been more accustomed to bringing up the rear of the peloton since that halcyon era.

Letterkenny's Philip Deignan finished a highly-credible ninth in today's Under-23 road race at the World Cycling Championships in Madrid.

MARK SCANLON is expected to lead by example at the World Road Cycling Championships which start in Madrid today.

CYCLING IRELAND yesterday announced their selections for next week’s World Road Cycling Championships in Madrid.

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

Brendan Mooney

JULIAN WINN, a former winner of the FBD Insurance Rás, will have a powerful new ally when he bids for a second title on Sunday week, with Yanto Barker an exciting addition to the Wales Stena team.

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.

A NEW chapter is about to be added to Brian Keane’s incredible sporting life story.

Mark Scanlon continued his early-season build-up, finishing 67th at the end of a tough edition of the Tour du Haut Var in Draguignan, France.

Cycling Ireland are hoping for something special from their U23 squad - Nicolas Roche, Philip Deignan, Tim Cassidy, Paudie O’Brien and Andrew McQuaid - today as they tackle the World Road Race Championships in Verona Italy.

Philip Deignan, one of Ireland's young cycling talents, moved up to 20th overall in the Tour of Britain this evening, after a bunch finish in the 379.3km stage two ride from Leeds to Sheffield.

CIARAN POWER will leave for the USA today with a smile on his face after the best performance of his cycling career in the intense heat on Saturday afternoon when he finished 13th in the Olympic Road Race.

Ireland's Ciaran Power came 13th in the men's raod race in Athens today.

Ireland’s Ciaran Power was pushing for victory in the Olympic men’s cycling road race today.

Ireland's Derek Burnett lies joint ninth in the men's trap shooting at the Athens Olympics. He successfully shot 23 of his 25 targets in the third round, and now has a running total of 72 out of 75.

Ireland’s Derek Burnett made the best possible start in the Olympic men’s trap shooting competition in Athens this morning.

Three Irish Athletes are in action today as the 2004 Athens Olympic Games gets underway after the opening ceremony took place in the Greek capital last night.

Brendan Mooney

By Brendan Mooney

IRELAND’S Mark Scanlon yesterday rejected an offer to compete in Wednesday’s individual time trial.

Just 24 hours after celebrating his 27th birthday, three-day eventer Niall Griffin will lead the Irish Olympic team in Friday's eagerly-awaited opening ceremony for the 2004 Games.

BOXER Andy Lee, probably Ireland's biggest medal hope at the Olympic Games, may be granted a bye to the second round of the tournament.

Grant Thornton Team Ireland produced a good performance at the European under 23 cycling championships in Estonia at the weekend, with Philip Deignan finishing 14th.

Accounting and business advisory firm Grant Thornton is to sponsor Cycling Ireland’s teams to the end of the 2004 season.

Lance Armstrong secured a record sixth Tour de France victory on the Champs Elysee after surviving the final stage unscathed today.

Lance Armstrong won his fifth stage of the 91st Tour de France today to all but seal his sixth successive victory and a pre-eminent place in the history of cycling’s greatest event.