Rás favourite Beukeboom endures more travel woe

WITHIN hours of arriving in Ireland Dutch cyclist, Dion Beukeboom, outsprinted the race favourites Brian Kenneally and Paul Griffin to win the first stage of last year’s Kerry Group Rás Mumhan, and trailed them all the way to the finish three days later when he ended up third overall.

After that, the 21-year-old, Amsterdam-based law student promised to return this year to win the race but, once again, he has incurred travel difficulties and the organisers were still awaiting his arrival in Killorglin last night ahead of today’s start (3.30pm).

Last year, he eventually had to make his own way to Kerry after arriving at the airport without his passport. It proved costly as he had to pay for another flight to Cork the following day when Tim Barry got him to Killorglin just in time for the start.