Ryan Mullen Vuelta a San Juan stage 3 TT win: The Irish rider was in great form after his big victory. He's not getting carried away but sets out some major goals for the season ahead.
Ryan Mullen after Vuelta San Juan stage 3 TT win
Having gone close to some very big wins last year, Ryan Mullen has already scored his first victory of 2018.
And after claiming yesterday’s stage 3 TT of the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina he said he was feeling confident.
In a 14.4km flat TT that took him less than 18 minutes – 17:43 to be precise – Mullen won by 25 seconds.
Italian Filippo Ganna (UAE Team Emirates) was 2nd. And Tour de France king of the mountains winner Rafal Majka (Bora-hansgrohe) rounded out the podium.
Mullen was in the hot seat for a long time. And for much of that he was leading by more than one minute over his nearest rivals.
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And while the margin of victory was trimmed somewhat, it was still a very convincing win.
It bodes well for the rest of the season; the 23-year-old clearly having enjoyed a good winter.
After his victory, which was his first international professional win, he sounded delighted.
Furthermore, he has pinpointed some big goals ahead; Irish and European championship gold medals uppermost in his thoughts.
“When I saw this course a few weeks ago I was actually really happy with it,” he said of the flat test starting and finishing in San Juan.
“This distance and this type of terrain is really good for me. I’m a pretty heavy rider and I don’t really go up hills very fast. So when I saw this was flat I was happy.”
He suggested the harder than expected last section had caught a few riders by surprise.
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“I think everyone today maybe got it wrong,” explained Trek-Segafredo rider Mullen.
“You always push harder in the headwind. But everyone kind of forgot the last 4ks was into the headwind.
“I forgot and I just started going slower and slower and slower.
“But everyone was the same, even Filippo,” joked Mullen gesturing to the runner-up beside him at the winner’s press conference.
Asked how this win set him up for the rest of the year, he said it was still very early in the campaign.
“It’s January, it was the first race of the year for me. And I wasn’t sure; I didn’t come into the race with expectations of winning.
“But it was a benchmark to see where I would come against some of the really good guys, like Filippo.
“So obviously taking the win today gives me a lot of motivation and hopefully a lot of momentum to take into the next races. I think everyone on the team is really proud.
“The next race for me Volta Algarve. That also has a really nice TT; a similar distance to here so it’s also good for me there.
“It would be nice to keep the momentum rolling and continue to, I don’t know; win.”
Asked what his big season objectives were Mullen said: “It’s hard to say. To try and retain the national titles is a pretty big goal for me.
“I also want to put a big focus on the European Time Trial Championships,” he said of the race he was 3rd in last year.
“This year they’re in Glasgow and it’s close to home for me. It would be nice to try and take a victory there.”
Ryan Mullen said he rode a 56 chain ring on the way to TT victory. He described that as “small”. He would normally ride a 58 tooth on a time trial bike, he said.
All of the riders competed on their road bikes yesterday.
The Vuelta a San Juan Internacional (2.1) continues in Argentina until Saturday. Mullen was 18th in Sunday’s opening stage, in the same time as winner Fernando Gaviria (QuickStep).
Monday’s stage 2 saw the Irishman lose time. Mullen would finish in 112th, some 2:45 down on stage winner Roman Villalobos (Canel’s Specialized).
However, that result matters little now as he has taken his and his new team’s opening win of 2018. Ganna leads the race overall from Majka.
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