Conor Murphy has opened the Irish team's campaign in real style at the European Youth Olympic Festival today, taking silver in the TT. The Irish teenager, who rides for Rostrevor MTB, is only the second Irish cyclist to win a medal at the Youth Olympics, striking silver six years after Lara Gillespie was 2nd in the girls' TT.
The riders were battered with very heavy rain and wind for the boys and girls TTs in Maribor, Slovenia. Indeed, conditions so adverse that some of the other events in the multi sport festival were postponed for 24 hours while the TTs were postponed for a short period today.
However, both the boys and girls TTs eventually went ahead, with Murphy clocking 12:55.38 for the test, just 2.49 seconds down on winner Gijs Schoonvelde (Netherlands). Benedikt Maximilian Benz (Germany) was 3rd, at 8.52 seconds.
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Murphy was one of three Irish riders, of 89 starters, in the boys TT, with David Gaffney placing 18th in a time of 13:20.63 and Philip O'Connor finishing 45th in a time of 13:51.31.
The girls' TT was won by Megan Arens of the Netherlands in a time of 14:24.66, just 2.76 seconds ahead of runner-up Erin Boothman (Great Britain), with Jente Koops (Netherlands) in 3rd, at 5.95 seconds.
Ireland had two riders in the girls TT, with Katie Murphy placing 27th at 55.8 seconds and Greta Lawless finishing in 40th at 1:12.53 in the 79-rider field.
