Powerful Scandinavian team for Rás

TEAM Bianchi Nordid, one of the most powerful cycling teams in Scandinavia, will contest next month’s FBD Milk Rás.

The team’s Directeur Sportif, Tommy Prim, a former professional who finished second in the Giro D’Italia twice yesterday confirmed that 24-year-old Tobias Lergard who lost out to the more experienced Briton, Chris Newton, by a mere five seconds last year, is again set to race.

The team includes fellow Swedes Jonas Holmkvist and Petter Renang, Kimmo Kananen from Finland and Glenn Bak from Denmark.

Last year, Team Bianchi, drawn from Sweden only, won two stages and took the award for the leading international team. The inclusion of the other Scandinavian riders will strengthen this year’s squad.

Although Prim has named the Dane, Glenn Bak, as team leader it is likely that Lergard and Jonas Hoomkvist will be the biggest threats.

At 21, Holmkvist won last year’s longest stage into Clifden and then the mountainous stage from Buncrana to Donegal Town.

The German pro team, ComNet Senges were joined this week by New York’s Team CRCA/Sakonnet.

But Race Director, Dermot Dignam, predicted yesterday that the title could stay in Ireland. David O’Loughlin’s display in the Shay Elliott on Sunday last is the cause for such optimism.

“He took over 50 seconds out of the field and it should be remembered that Mark Lovett and the former professional, Malcolm Elliott, were there,” he pointed out.

“I would have been putting that particular pair forward as big contenders for overall victory in the Rás but O’Loughlin has put himself right up there. I think he is going to be the man to beat.”

The addition of a US team to the ever growing field after the New York-based CRCA/Sakonnet Technology team is a positive development according to Dignam.

“Initially the team was looking to take a squad to either Portugal or Spain but the Rás made much more sense,” Team Manager Basil Moutsopoulos, said pointing out that the team’s title sponsor, Sakonnet Technology, has offices in the UK and racing in Ireland will allow them to gain publicity in a key market.

This year’s route includes stage ends in Charleville on May 25, Caherciveen the following day and then Millstreet before the mountain top finish on Seskin Hill outside Carrick-on-Suir, the Capital of Cycling, on May 28.

All the big mountain climbs in Kerry are included while the penultimate stage includes The Heights, Corbutt Gap and Mount Leinster.