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.

NICOLAS ROCHE (Ag2r) will wear the Irish road race champion’s jersey to the start of the Tour de France in Monaco next weekend although he was still awaiting confirmation from his team last night following his exciting victory in the Elite Road Race championship at Dunboyne yesterday.

SAM BENNETT washed his stage winner’s blue jersey yesterday morning to show it off at last night’s club league race in Carrick-on-Suir and his coach, Martin O’Loughlin, insisted Saturday’s victory in the FBD Insurance Rás stage into Clara was the first of many.

PAUL HEALION (South Dublin) won the senior men’s national time trial title in the absence of the professional riders at Newcastlewest last night.

THE Shay Elliott Memorial Classic in Bray tomorrow is the big event this weekend with the evergreen Malcolm Elliott returning to defend his title.

CIARAN POWER’S performances in the Kerry Mountains during Rás Mumhan over the Easter Weekend could strengthen his claim to a place on the Irish team for the Olympic road race.

CIARAN POWER (Pezula Racing) put his hallmark on a spectacular weekend when he won the final stage of the Pauline Sugrue Auctioneers Rás Mumhan, to copperfasten his overall victory in blustery conditions at Killorglin yesterday.

CIARAN POWER (Pezula Racing) strengthened his grip on the Pauline Sugrue Auctioneers Rás Mumhan when he won a three-man sprint into Waterville to take yesterday’s gruelling South Kerry Climbs. His victory highlights his disgust with having been denied a Sports Council Grant this year and Cycling Ireland’s refusal to put forward an appeal on his behalf.

THIS is Olympic year so we can expect big things from Ciarán Power — the most experienced Irish professional in the peloton — according to Martin O’Loughlin, who is former manager of the Olympic cycling team.

BOBBY POWER, one of the legends of Irish cycling, will be back on the bike on Sunday for the Lacey Cup in Tralee — a race he won back in 1975.

DAVID O’LOUGHLIN (Navigators Insurance) dug deep into his vast reserves of experience and knowledge to win the national road race championship in spectacular, if not dramatic, fashion in Waterford yesterday where he outsprinted a six-man leading group for his third title.

RAYMOND CLARKE (Dan Morrissey/Carrick Wheelers) will wear the race leader’s yellow jersey when Rás Mumhan leaves Killorglin today on the first of the three road stages.

BRIAN KENNEALLY is bidding to reclaim the Rás Mumhan title — the highlight of the Easter Weekend cycling programme — but he admitted it will be a tall order.

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.

THE Murphy & Gunn/Newlyn Group team will show the full extent of their powers when they line up for the Credit Union Rás Mumhan in Kerry this weekend, with the top two from last year, John Dempsey and Conor Murphy, in the line-up.

THE Martin Donnelly/Sean Kelly professional cycling team will make its Irish debut in this weekend’s five stage Credit Union Rás Mumhan in Co. Kerry.

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.

DAVID McCANN and Paul Griffin, team mates with the Giant Asia professional team, are the men likely to dictate Credit Union Rás Mumhan in Kerry over the weekend, but they won’t have it their own way when they join forces on the Earl of Desmond team.

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

DAVID O’LOUGHLIN aims to enhance his prospects of making the Irish Olympic cycling team with a podium finish in next week’s FBD Milk Rás.

DAVID O’LOUGHLIN gave his form another boost in advance of the FBD Milk Rás when he won the coveted Murphy & Gunn Shay Elliott race in Bray on Sunday.

Brendan Mooney

IRELAND will have two riders in next year’s Olympic Road Race in Athens thanks to some superb performances by the Irish team at the world B cycling championships in Aigle yesterday, with David McCann duplicating Ciaran Power’s performance of four years ago by winning the bronze medal.

IRISH team manager Martin O’Loughlin will be hoping that his charges can claim two places in next year’s Olympic Games at the World B cycling championships in Aigle, Switzerland, on Sunday.