Conor Murphy, already shaping up as a top tier rider for Ireland in all disciplines, put in a powerful first half of the men's junior race at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Tábor, Czech Republic before disaster struck.
The teenager, a first-year junior this season, marked himself out as a real talent in December at Azencross-Loenhout (C1) in Belgium, where he became the first Irish rider to take a top 10 in a UCI-ranked cyclocross race in Continental Europe.
Today he looked on for a top 20 placing, at least, as he picked his way through the field to pass dozens of riders on the first and second laps.
However, having made his way into the low 20s, Murphy had persistent problems with his chain as it continuously slipped, losing more than 20 places as a result. He cut a frustrated figure as he finished in 38th position, shaking his head at the missed chance.
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Up front, Stefano Viezzi (Italy) and Aubin Sparfel (France) made the early running, riding away from the rest of the field and creating an apparent two-up battle for the medals. However, Kryštof Bažant of the host nation and Keije Solen of the Netherlands stuck together in the chase behind them and they would come into the fight on the final lap.
Just behind the top four came Denmark's Albert Philipsen, the reigning junior world road race champion and junior European TT champion, who eventually finished in 5th.
Ireland's Murphy started the race about two thirds down the field and was very lucky to avoid crash, to his right, just a few seconds after the frantic start of the world title race.
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By the time the first time checks and placings began to filter through on the opening lap, Murphy was in 30th position after six minutes of racing, just 41 seconds down on the front of the race. That was a strong start, where he made gains, considering how far back he was on the line.
With 10 minutes of racing completed, and the riders now passing through the finish for the first time, Murphy's progress through the field continued.
He had picked off another four riders and was 26th, just a few seconds behind a group of about 10; the Irish rider looking comfortable.
And by the end of lap 2 - of a four-lap race - Murphy had again slightly improved his position, with the field having stretched right out. He was now 24th and two minutes behind the two leaders and headed for the top 20.
Through the start-finish line on the next lap, as the leaders went out on the final lap, Viezzi, the junior UCI World Cup winner, attacked France's Sparfel - who punctured - to go solo in a bid to take the gold medal.
That ended Sparfel's challenge for a medal as both Dutch rider Solen and Czech cyclist Bažant overtook him and to claim silver and bronze respectively; at nine and 31 seconds.
Meanwhile, further back Murphy had slipped down the field, to 44th on the penultimate lap and into the final passage of the circuit as his chain slipped repeatedly.
He recovered a little on the final lap, gaining a few places to finish 38th at 5:51. That was a disappointing result and one that disguises the quality of the performance before it was derailed by his mechanical issues.
