Ryan Mullen wrote more Irish cycling history on Thursday, as he won a record eighth time trial title in Swinford, County Mayo.
Mullen started the day holding more victories in the men’s race than anybody else, but his latest victory – the first time he has claimed consecutive victories since 2019 – takes him two clear of David McCann.
The 31-year-old had a 22-second lead at the halfway mark, and went on to beat his nearest challenger by 47 seconds. Mullen averaged 51.2kph for his ride.
“I was happy to execute a decent performance – shout out to Simon Clarke for helping me with my new position, which helped today,” he says.
“I recced the course today, and annoyingly, the wind completely flipped direction by the time I started, so I had to rethink my pacing. But I invested in the places where I had to invest and carried as much speed as I could into the easier sections.
“There was no hiding on this course, which is what I like. I can get into a rhythm, get my head down, and push.
“I suffered in the final few KMs. I didn’t get any time checks – I just did my ride, and I’m happy with how it went.”
Across the Irish Sea, NSN Devo Team rider Fin Tarling finished third in the British U23 TT Championships.
The Welshman was just three seconds off taking second in his home country of Wales, with the race being won by Ben Wiggins, son of 2012 Tour de France champion Bradley.
Ethan Vernon, who returned to action following a nasty crash in the Giro d’Italia, placed fourth in the elite race.
Canadian rider Pier-André Côté was on the podium in his country’s race, matching the third-place finish he achieved 12 months ago, in Saint-Georges. Compatriot Ben Morin finished fourth in the U23 race.
“I’ve had a lot of training disturbances over the past couple of months, I just haven’t been able to get consistency in training because of illnesses and everything,” says Côté.
“I was hoping for a miracle, but this weekend was all about adjusting my usual expectations from showing up here to go for the titles to trying to maximize what I can get with the legs I have.
“I actually felt pretty good about the ride itself in the first half – I was hitting my numbers, staying aero, and I felt ready to open up. Then I came apart slowly; it became a slow burn on the way back. I got away with a 20, 25-minute effort, but there was nowhere to hide over 40 minutes. The lack of preparation showed itself over the second half.”
There was also a medal for Dawid Lewandowski, another NSN Devo Team rider, who placed second in the Polish U23 event in Rasząg. The 20-year-old will defend his U23 road race title on Friday.
Photos: (C) Sean Rowe [Irish Championships], SWpix.com [British Championships], Rob Jones [Canadian Championships]