Ireland's Fiona Mangan powers in for career-best result in Spain

Fiona Mangan has taken the best of her career in Spain today, getting up the climbs with the leaders and proving so strong in the sprint (Photo: Arnaud Guillaume-Mayenne Monbana My Pie)

Ireland's Fiona Mangan (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) has taken the best result of her career in Spain today after emerging among the select group after the late climbs at Navarra Women's Elite Classic (1.Pro).

Mangan, the former Irish road race champion, won a stage of Volta a Portugal Feminina (2.2) last year, but today's result was her first podium finish in a 1.Pro race.

She sprinted in at the front of the 18-rider lead group, just behind race winner Cat Ferguson (Team Movistar) and runner-up Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco).

Ferguson (20), who is shaping up as an exceptional talent for British cycling, took it up early in the sprint to win. However, Mangan came through strongly from behind to snatch the final spot on the podium.

The 133.4km race, starting and finishing in Pamplona, featured almost 2,000m of elevation gain, including three climbs in the final 30km. And that tough terrain was to prove the undoing of the breakaway.

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That six-rider move fell apart, leaving Nadia Gontova (Liv-Alula-Jayco) as lone leader up front, while the main field was trimmed back to about 15 riders.

Gontova was chased down by Liane Lippert (Movistar), who never made contact with the leader and was caught by the chasing group.

And though Gontova battled very bravely, after already spending much of the race in the breakaway, she was eventually caught with about 3km to go.

That set up a sprint from the select group, with Mangan proving she had plenty left in the tank after a tough day out.

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