Ryan Mullen has been spoken about as a potential world road champion for Ireland since he was a kid. If he's going to do it, the time is now. He is among the first in action for Ireland at the World Road Championships in the US, taking in the U23 TT on Monday (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
Ciara Doogan underway at 3.24pm, Eddie Dunbar at 5.26pm and Ryan Mullen at 7.54pm.
With the trade team time trials decided on Sunday’s opening day of the World Road Championships, Monday represents the first day the national teams are in action.
And it brings Ireland its best chance of a medal, via the U23 men, in Richmond, Virginia.
This is a category that always generates a lot of interest given the talent Ireland has had in the U23 ranks in recent years and this time out is no exception.
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In Ryan Mullen Ireland undoubtedly has its best chance of a medal at these Worlds.
And in his final year of eligibility for the U23 crown, it's now or never for the 21-year-old.
Newly promoted from An Post-Chainreaction to WorldTour team Cannondale-Garmin; Mullen was 2nd in the U23 TT at the Worlds twelve months ago in Spain.
He was beaten to the gold by Australian Campbell Flakemore by less than half a second and returns this year as one of the hottest favourites in the 30km U23 test.
Eddie Dunbar on his way to silver in both the U23 and senior time trial at the National Road Championships in Omagh in June. His main interest at these Worlds is the U23 road race next Friday but he will give his all against the clock and may break into the top 20 on the day (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
The riders face two laps of 15km each, with no fewer than fourteen 90 degree bends on each circuit; that’s 28 in total.
And there is also a nasty short climb of 300 metres – with a gradient of eight per cent - followed by a false flat of almost 700 metres at the end of the circuit.
It’s not the kind of out-and-out power course that would best suit Mullen, but it can still suit him well enough for him to medal and even take the gold.
In his last outing before these Worlds – the Tour of Britain – he looked a much stronger rider than in the same event last year.
And his performance in the An Post Rás this year – where he was 3rd overall and won the U23 classification – was arguably his best ever road race result.
When he was 4th in the U23 TT at the European Championships in Estonia last month he said the result was a good marker for him to start his wind up towards the Worlds; an event that has been his top goal since his agony of last year.
And his 8th place in the elite TT at the European Games in Baku in June, where he was competing against WorldTour riders, was a strong indication that his progress against the watch is continuing unabated.
Ciara Doogan has gained a huge amount of experience abroad - on road and track - riding for the Neenan Travel Talent Team 2020, Cycling Ulster and the with the national team. Her TT in Richmond on Monday continues her exciting journey (Photo courtesy Julien De Bock)
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To come away from the U23 TT in Richmond with anything short of a medal would be a major disappointment for him.
Truth be told, having claimed silver last year he has his eye on one medal and one medal only; gold.
But on this stage everything has to go right on the day. If it did, he would join Stephen Roche and Mark Scanlon in a very exclusive club of Irish world champions on the road.
Mullen is accompanied by Eddie Dunbar in Monday’s U23 test.
The NFTO Pro Cycling man pushed Mullen much closer than expected at the National Time Trial Championships in June.
On that occasion Mullen was 25 seconds faster than Dunbar over the 37km distance in Omagh, with the two U23s taking gold and silver in both the U23 and senior categories.
Dunbar also performed very well in the U23 TT at the European Championships last month to claim 9th.
Video preview of TT course
The course in Richmond will not be to his liking but if he could pull a top 20 ride out of the bag it would be a great result for a man more interested in Friday’s U23 road race, which we will preview later in the week.
Also in action on Monday, Ciara Doogan is Ireland’s sole representative in the junior women’s TT, which involves one lap of the same course the U23 men will negotiate twice.
The Errigal CC teenager has performed strongly at major championships this year, taking 5th in the points race at the European Track Championships in Athens in July.
On that occasion she fell short of the bronze medal by just two points.
She followed that up with 25th place in the junior road race at the European Road Championships in Estonia in August; an event where she came home in the much depleted peloton sprinting for victory.
She had been 29th of the 50 starters in the TT earlier in the week and said afterwards she felt her track focus had taken the edge off her road legs.
With more time to train for the road effort in recent months; if Doogan were to come home in the top half of the TT field tomorrow, that would be a fantastic result for a young athlete destined for great things in time.
Profile of one lap of TT course; U23 riders to complete two laps and junior women to complete one.
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