Tour de Yorkshire has unveiled the teams that will take part in the race in May. And there may well be plenty of Irish interest as the Continental squads are well represented. Michael O'Loughlin, above, is likely to get a ride with Team Wiggins.
Five of the teams confirmed as starting the Tour de Yorkshire have Irish riders and most of them will be hopeful of selection.
Just four WorldTour teams are riding the event in May, while all six British Continental teams have secured a place.
That raises the prospect or more open racing, where riders from some of the second and third tier squads may get a better opportunity.
For Team Sky, which will be Team Ineos by the time the race comes around in May, Eddie Dunbar (22) should be back in action and may be picked.
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Dunbar rode exceptionally well in his first race of the season; Tour de la Provence (2.1) last month.
He climbed with the best, making the select group on the climbing stages. He took a 5th and a 10th on the hardest stages.
On the final day he went on the attack with David Gaudu (Groupama FDH) and they were caught just 1km from the line.
But he was 8th overall and runner-up, to rising French star Gaudu, in the young rider classification.
However, that early season condition was derailed when he crashed on the opening stage of Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta (2.HC).
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Eddie Dunbar and Chris McGlinchey would both ride the Tour de Yorkshire in just over one month's time (Photos by Kim Caritoux and Sharon McFarland)
Eddie Dunbar rode impressively in Yorkshire last year; claiming 4th on the final stage and 8th overall when riding for Aqua Blue Sport.
He had also finished 12th on the second stage, with an uphill finish, into Ilkley; showing his potential racing against big company in the shape of the WorldTour teams.
Canyon DHB p/b Bloor Homes is also in the race this time around. It counts two Irish riders among its ranks; Robbie McCarthy (24) and Rory Townsend (23).
McCarthy took a very useful 5th place on stage 3 last year. He survived in the 70-rider reduced peloton on a day when more than 50 riders did not and then got up for the sprint.
Michael O’Loughlin (22) is on the Team Wiggins roster this year and he should get the nod for the British stage race.
He has been riding abroad of late with the team; the four-stage Tour of Antalya (2.2) in Turkey followed by the Classica da Arrabida - Cyclin'Portugal (1.2) where he was 15th.
O’Loughlin rode the six-stage Volta ao Alentejo (2.2) in Portugal last week; working well for his team as it took a stage and yellow for a day with Gabriel Cullaigh and the climbers’ classification with James Fouché.
Chris McGlinchey & Jake Gray
New to the Continental ranks this year, Chris McGlinchey is riding for Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK.
He told stickybottle recently while the squad was a strong one and competition for Yorkshire would be stiff, he was hopeful of selection.
Ribble Pro Cycling has also been included in the Yorkshire line-up, with young Jake Gray possibly in contention.
He has just turned 21-years-old and is in his first season at Continental level. Like Dunbar, Gray’s early season has been hit by a crash.
He was among a number of fallers in Spain in January when his team training group crashed with the driver of an oncoming van.
Jake Gray is yet to race as a result of that crash. But he should be back in the peloton very soon. Yorkshire may come around too soon for him but he could be in the reckoning.
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