Ryan Mullen has been called up for big weekend on the Belgian cobbles as team mate Taylor Phinney has been ruled out.
Ryan Mullen has been called up for big weekend on the Belgian cobbles as team mate Taylor Phinney has been ruled out.
Ireland’s Mullen has been drafted into the Cannondale-Drapac team for tomorrow’s opening race of the classic season, the 1.UWT-ranked Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Belgium.
Mullen replaces Phinney who has cried off injured today after aggravating a knee injury during a recce ride of the course this week.
It’s a real feather in Mullen’s cap as he is already down to ride Sunday’s Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne race, a 1.HC-ranked 200-kilometre brute of a contest.
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Will not be racing Omloop tmrw. Tweaked my knee yesterday before the recon... Back on ice like the old days ☠️?? definitely bummed.
— Taylor Phinney (@taylorphinney) February 24, 2017
It will be a huge weekend for him as tomorrow’s race is just shy of 200 kilometres as well with plenty climbing and exposed sections of road to contend with.
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But he comes into the race on the back of some superb performances at the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal last week where he put in a brilliant - if ill-fated time-trial and an even more impressive breakaway ride the following day.
Cannondale-Drapac have named a strong team for tomorrow with 2012 winner Sep Vanmarcke and Dylan Van Baarle their protected riders, though they have as strong a roster as anyone in the race and should be there to challenge in the finish.
Mullen has been in fantastic form of late, riding well against the clock and showing himself in a near stage-long breakaway in Portugal.
He did very well in his classics debut in Paris-Roubaix and can face into the challenges now ahead of him with huge confidence despite his relative youth, at just 22-years-old.
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