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Last Updated: 13 Aug 2018 - 2:12:03 PM |
2018 EUROPEAN CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS - Sixth for Mullen in Men's Time Trial
By Heather Boyle, CI Communications Officer
8 Aug 2018,
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8th August 2018
EUROPEAN CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS - Sixth for Mullen in Men's Time Trial
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| Scotland - Ryan Mullen of Ireland, Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com - Glasgow 2018 European Championships Men's Time Trial |
Ryan Mullen has finished 6th in the Men’s Time Trial at the European Championships in Glasgow, with a time of 54.19.21 for the 45.7km race against the clock. Eddie Dunbar was 28th with a time of 58.05.82. Earlier today Kelly Murphy and Eileen Burns finished 17th and 18th respectively in the Women’s Time Trial.
Last year’s bronze medallist, Mullen, was the second last starter off the ramp, and was lying 11th at the first intermediate check. At the second check he clawed back a few places, moving into 8th place. By the finish line, Mullen had moved to 6th overall, within 13 seconds of a medal.
The 24-year-old was disappointed with his result, as it was an event that he had targeted – “By my standards I have done a really good ride – power and performance was really good. The top three are pretty light time triallists weight wise, so maybe the parcours of this course was favoured towards the lighter guys.
“There are some world class names behind me, so I kind of can take that with my head held high – but I didn’t come here to come sixth, I came here trying to win.
The Trek-Segafredo rider has been competing on the Irish team since he was junior, with the Time Trial as his focus. In 2014 he won a silver medal at the World U23 Championships, and was fifth in the Elite Worlds in Doha in 2016 – “The team around me is really good, and they always support me, and always back me 100% for this race and I thank them for that – it’s just that I tried to win this, and I haven’t won it, so I’m pretty gutted about that.
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| Picture by Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com - 2018 European Championships Time Trail - Riverside Museum Glasgow, Scotland - Men's Time Trail - Eddie Dunbar of Ireland |
Dunbar was also disappointed in his performance, while highlighting that it was a top quality field with World Tour riders – “It was tough out there – the course was very dead and I couldn’t get on top of the gear – I’m disappointed with that. I didn’t feel sharp at all – I felt I had good power, but felt a little dead.
“This is my first time doing a senior championship, I can still do an U23 Time Trial – so it’s good experience. There were 40 top quality guys on the start list today, and half of them are coming out having done the Tour de France, and even the Giro – and I’ve none of that in my legs. This experience will bode well for the future.”
Next up for the Irish cycling team is the Men’s Road Race on Sunday.
History is made this week when Glasgow and Berlin host the inaugural European Championships, an exciting multi-sport event bringing together some of the continent’s leading sports, including the existing UEC cycling championships.
RESULTS
Men’s Time Trial
Gold Victor Campenaerts (BEL) 53:38.78
Silver Jonathan Castrovierjo (ESP) 53:39.41 (+ 00.63)
Bronze Maximilian Schachmann (GER) 54:06.16 (+0.27.38)
6th Ryan Mullen (IRL) 54:19.21 (+ 0.40.43)
28th Eddie Dunbar (IRL) 58.05.82 (+ 4.27.04)
REMAINING SCHEDULE:
Sunday 12th August - 10.30 Men’s Road Race
Eddie Dunbar, Conor Dunne, Robert Jon McCarthy, Marc Potts and Matthew Teggart
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8th August 2018
EUROPEAN CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS - Murphy 19th Burns 21st in Women's Time Trial
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| Eileen Burns - © SWpix.com (t/a Photography Hub Ltd) |
Kelly Murphy and Eileen Burns have finished 19th and 21st respectively in the Time Trial at the European Championships in Glasgow today. The 32.3km testing course was won by Ellen Van Dijk of Netherlands, with her teammate Anna Van Der Bruggen taking silver. Trixi Worrack (GER) won bronze.
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| Kelly Murphy - © SWpix.com (t/a Photography Hub Ltd) |
Murphy finished in a time of 45.15, three seconds faster than Irish team mate Burns, who suffered a puncture in the closing 300m. Both riders were competing early in the race, and Ballymena’s Burns was first over the line, briefly occupying the ‘hot seat’ finishing as the first rider over the line.
In a Time Trial the riders have an ear piece, and are given information and advice throughout – Irish Team Manager Kurt Bogaerts was following Burns and informing her of her position during the race – “I had Kurt in my ear and his encouragement helped me to keep pushing.
“Once I knew I passed the first two riders before the ten-mile mark I knew. I wanted to be the first rider over the line. I know there was a girl a few behind me that actually won the Rás na mBan a few years ago, and I knew if anyone was going to catch me it’d be her.
“I’m just disappointed because coming in 300m to go I stood up to sprint and my back wheel blew – so I couldn’t go hard over the line because it was the disc wheel, and it would just have broken in bits, so I just had to come rolling over the line.”
The circuit was a testing one on a wet day – “the course is a bit of everything – it started to rain there. There’s a lot of draggy sections – there’s no dominant hill – it’s just constant work and as the time goes on it just takes it out of your legs and your body.”
Murphy pushed hard in her Time Trial – as the twelfth starter today – “I just wanted to ride hard and I definitely did that – I lost the ability to see towards the end. It was a really testing sort of course and there’s no option but to get your head down and dig.”
On a rainy morning the wet roads added another element to the race – “The rain didn’t help matters really but it’s the same for everyone. It was a bit sketchy in places, but that makes it an interesting race, hopefully today it would have made it quite an interesting watch.
Later this afternoon Eddie Dunbar and Ryan Mullen will compete in the Men’s Time Trial. Last year Mullen won a bronze medal in this event, and he will be the second last starter in the 45.7km race at 13.32. Dunbar will be the fourth rider down the ramp, starting at 13.03.
History is made this week when Glasgow and Berlin host the inaugural European Championships, an exciting multi-sport event bringing together some of the continent’s leading sports, including the existing UEC cycling championships.
RESULTS
Women's Time Trial
Gold Ellen Van Dijk (NED) 41:39
Silver Anna Van Der Bruggen (NED) 41:41
Bronze Trixi Worrack (GER) 42:48
19th Kelly Murphy (IRL) 45:14
21st Eileen Burns (IRL) 45:17
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Official Website: www.glasgow2018.com
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