It promises to be one of the most gruelling editions of the race in recent years and yesterday, at the official launch of the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan in Killorglin, a stellar lineup was revealed, with teams from Holland, England, the Isle of Man and France to converge on Kerry over the Easter weekend.

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.

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.

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.

NEW ZEALAND are to enter a team for the first time in the prestigious FBD Rás (May 23-30).

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.

DUTCH rider, Dion Beukeboom (Midi Center Ruiter Wielerteam), claimed stage victory in an exciting three-man sprint up the hill in Killorglin but all attention was focused on Paul Griffin (Team Earl of Desmond) and Brian Kenneally (Engraveit.ie/Cycleways/BDBC), who filled the minor placings as the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan got underway yesterday.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

BRIAN KENNEALLY (MyHome.ie/BDBC) won Rás Mumhan in a pulsating finish in Killorglin 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.

PAUL HEALION (Murphy and Gunn/Newlyn Group) heads into today's final stage of the Credit Union Ras Mumhan in Killorglin almost certain of victory.

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.

The Munster pair of Rory Wyley and Eugene Moriarty of the Cycleways.Com had to settle for the minor placings in both the Classic League and the Sheefrey Grand Prix in Westport.

KEN NORGROVE recorded the biggest win of his cycling career as he out-paced the field to claim the 121-kilometre Gene Moriarty in Listowel yesterday.

CHRIS NEWTON (Recycling.co.uk) maintained leadership of the FBD Insurance RAS with Malcolm Elliott (Yorkshire Trinity Capital) still the closest challenger after yesterday’s stage.

JOHN DEMPSEY (Dan Morrissey Carrick Wheelers) pounced six miles from the finish to claim the overall title as the Killorglin Credit Union Rás Mumhan drew to an exciting close yesterday after four days and 270 gruelling miles around the roads and mountains of Kerry.

PAUL GRIFFIN (Earl of Desmond) will don the race leader’s yellow jersey with a miniscule time advantage of .18 of a second over fellow Kerry cyclist Eugene Moriarty (Cycleways.com) when Killorglin Credit Union Rás Mumhan enters the final day that will decide the overall title over three laps of the 15-mile Beaufort circuit followed by four laps of the 13-mile Donal McKenna Circuit.

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.

DAVID McCANN will begin his build-up to a defence of his FBD Insurance RÁS title in Kerry over the Easter weekend, when he lines up as favourite to win the Rás Mumhan, the perfect prelude to Irish cycling’s showpiece.

DAVID McCANN finally got just reward for his endeavours all week when he won yesterday’s marathon fourth stage of the FBD Milk Rás that took the riders from Charleville to Caherciveen with a first brief but testing visit to the Kerry mountains.

David O’Loughlin won the Murphy and Gunn Shay Elliott cycling event in Co. Wicklow yesterday.

Brendan Mooney