Ryan Mullen has put in a very strong ride for the Cannondale WorldTour team as his season gets underway. Above, riding just behind Bradley Wiggins in last year's Tour of Britain.
Riding just his second race of the season as his two-year tenure with the Cannondale WorldTour team gets underway; Ryan Mullen has shown some very good early season condition.
The Irish international and former silver medallist in the U23 time trial at the World Championships made the selection when the first climb of the Trofeo Pollenca-Port de Andratx saw a large breakaway move go clear.
The one-day event was the second of four races in the season opening Challenge Mallorca.
And while Mullen would come home in 42nd place in a group 3:57 down, he looks to have wintered very well indeed.
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Friday’s race was hillier than Thursday’s opener on the island, which ended in a bunch sprint and saw Sam Bennett (Bora Argon 18) finishing 2nd to German André Greipel (Lotto Soudal).
Mullen made the front group on Friday when the main field hit a cat 2 ascent at Femenies with a little over one hour’s racing in their legs.
That large front group, with many of the teams having several riders working for their leaders, very quickly built up a huge gap on the main field.
And while Lotto Soudal led the chase behind and closed the gap to just over three minutes, the lumpy terrain saw the front group split as the stronger men tried to break away.
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Gianluca Brambilla (Etixx-QuickStep) waited until a slight lull in the aggression after a large number of attacks on the final two ascents.
And while it looked like his solo move was doomed, he put his head down and held off a group of just over 20 riders by a few bike lengths to take victory.
Michal Kwiatkowski was 2nd on his debut for Team Sky while the winner’s team mate Zdenek Stybar rounded out the podium.
Mullen’s team mate and former Tour of Britain winner Dylan Van Baarle was 4th.
And the fact the young Irishman was at the head of affairs and in a position to assist the team bodes very well for the challenges that lay ahead.
The only other Irish rider in action in Friday’s race was Nicolas Roche.
Currently getting back into race shape after missing chunks of winter training due to two spider bites in the off season, he was 104th; in a group 10:54 down.
Trofeo Pollenca-Port de Andratx
1 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step 3:32:23
2 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 0:00:02
3 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step
4 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal
5 Dylan Van Baarle (Ned) Cannondale Pro Cycling
6 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek-Segafredo
7 Scott Thwaites (GBr) Bora-Argon 18
8 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team
9 Leopold Konig (Cze) Team Sky
10 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team
11 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data
12 Maxime Bouet (Fra) Etixx - Quick-Step
13 Vicente Reynes (Spa) IAM Cycling
14 Niki Terpstra (Ned) Etixx - Quick-Step
15 José Herrada (Spa) Movistar Team
16 Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Great Britain
17 Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
18 Hugh Carthy (GBr) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 0:00:10
19 Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
20 Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Team Sky 0:00:21
21 Paul Voss (Ger) Bora-Argon 18
22 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:00:27
23 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:49
24 Jorge Arcas Pena (Spa) Movistar Team
25 Dayer Quintana (Col) Movistar Team
26 Marcos Jurado (Spa) Spain 0:00:54
27 Gorka Izaguirre (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:15
28 Matteo Trentin (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:01:43
29 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:46
30 Gregor Muhlberger (Aut) Bora-Argon 18
31 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Soudal 0:02:35
32 Imanol Estevez (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country 0:03:07
33 Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Cannondale Pro Cycling
34 Matti Breschel (Den) Cannondale Pro Cycling
35 Benat Txoperena (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country
36 José Gonçalves (Por) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 0:03:13
37 Jonas Vangenechten (Bel) IAM Cycling 0:03:53
38 Ivan Balykin (Rus) GM Europa Ovini
39 Vicente Garcia (Spa) Spain 0:03:54
40 Toms Skujins (Lat) Cannondale Pro Cycling
41 Enric Mas (Spa) Spain 0:03:57
42 Ryan Mullen (Irl) Cannondale Pro Cycling
43 Ibai Salas (Spa) Burgos BH
44 Scott Davies (GBr) Great Britain
45 Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) FDJ
46 Frank Schleck (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
47 Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Argon 18
48 Dominik Nerz (Ger) Bora-Argon 18
49 Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
50 Stef Clement (Ned) IAM Cycling
51 Albert Torres (Spa) Spain
52 Clement Chevrier (Fra) IAM Cycling
53 Jesus Del Pino (Spa) Burgos BH
54 Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
55 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ
56 Hector Saez (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA 0:04:03
57 David Belda Garcia (Spa) Team Roth
58 Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto Soudal
59 Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) Lotto Soudal
60 Ricardo Vilela (Por) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
61 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Trek-Segafredo
62 Laurens De Plus (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step
63 Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Team Roth
64 Serge Pauwels (Bel) Dimension Data
65 Gianni Meersman (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step
66 Martin Elmiger (Swi) IAM Cycling 0:04:07
67 Omar Fraile (Spa) Dimension Data
68 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Dimension Data
69 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) IAM Cycling
70 Mikel Bizkarra (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country
71 David Lopez Garcia (Spa) Team Sky
72 Luis Angel Mate (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
73 Loïc Chetout (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
74 Stéphane Rossetto (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
75 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky
76 Benat Intxausti (Spa) Team Sky
77 Jay Robert Thomson (RSA) Dimension Data
78 Grégory Rast (Swi) Trek-Segafredo
79 José Mendes (Por) Bora-Argon 18
80 Sergei Shilov (Rus) Lokosphinx
81 Arnaud Courteille (Fra) FDJ
82 Dmitrii Sokolov (Rus) Lokosphinx
83 Yoann Bagot (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
84 Kirill Sveshnikov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
85 Rudy Molard (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
86 Johnathan Dibben (GBr) Great Britain
87 Stefan Denifl (Aut) IAM Cycling
88 Olivier Le Gac (Fra) FDJ 0:07:31
89 Lawrence Warbasse (USA) IAM Cycling 0:10:51
90 Andrew Fenn (GBr) Team Sky
91 Kristijan Koren (Slo) Cannondale Pro Cycling
92 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Cannondale Pro Cycling
93 Alan Marangoni (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling
94 Roland Thalmann (Swi) Team Roth
95 Colin Stüssi (Swi) Team Roth
96 Valentin Baillifard (Swi) Team Roth
97 Iain Paton (GBr) Great Britain
98 Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Argon 18
99 Nico Brüngger (Swi) Team Roth
100 Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Soudal
101 Artur Ershov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
102 Oscar Pelegri (Spa) Spain
103 Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) FDJ 0:10:54
104 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky
105 David Arroyo (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
106 Federico Burchio (Ita) GM Europa Ovini 0:13:40
107 Artem Samolenkov (Rus) Lokosphinx 0:16:12
108 Alexander Vdovin (Rus) Lokosphinx
109 Eneko Lizarralde (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country
OTL Sebastian Mora (Spa) Spain 0:18:16
OTL Peio Olaberria (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country
OTL Daniel Bichlmann (Ger) Stradalli-BikeAid
OTL Arnau Sole (Spa) Burgos BH
OTL Vadim Zhuravlev (Rus) Lokosphinx
OTL Giacomo Tomio (Ita) Team Roth
OTL Lorenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ
OTL Nicolas Baldo (Fra) Team Roth
OTL Nikodemus Holler (Ger) Stradalli-BikeAid
OTL Jan Barta (Cze) Bora-Argon 18
OTL Andrei Solomennikov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
OTL Jon Ander Insausti (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country
OTL Igor Boev (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
OTL Marc Sarreau (Fra) FDJ
OTL Luis Mas Bonet (Spa) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
OTL Pablo Torres (Spa) Burgos BH
OTL Anthony Perez (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
OTL Vasilii Neustroev (Rus) Lokosphinx
OTL Adrian Gonzalez (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country
OTL Jérémy Maison (Fra) FDJ
OTL Mamyr Stash (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
OTL Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team
OTL Gotzon Udondo (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country
OTL Merhawi Kudus (Eri) Dimension Data
OTL Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Dimension Data
OTL Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eri) Dimension Data
OTL Alexander Serov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
OTL Amanuel Mengis (Eri) Stradalli-BikeAid
OTL Illart Zuazubiscar (Spa) Spain
OTL Sergey Vdovin (Rus) Lokosphinx
OTL Julio Amores (Spa) Spain
OTL Yves Lampaert (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step
OTL Stijn Devolder (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
OTL Andre Gonçalves (Por) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
OTL Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Great Britain
OTL Andrew Tennant (GBr) Great Britain
OTL Dmitrii Strakhov (Rus) Lokosphinx
OTL Andrey Sazanov (Rus) GM Europa Ovini
OTL Jose Marquez (Spa) GM Europa Ovini 0:22:26
OTL Roman Maikin (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
OTL Antonio Di Sante (Ita) GM Europa Ovini
OTL Filippo Fortin (Ita) GM Europa Ovini
OTL Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team
DNF André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal
DNF Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Alexey Kurbatov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
DNF Timo Schäfer (Ger) Stradalli-BikeAid
DNF Joschka Beck (Ger) Stradalli-BikeAid
DNF Dominik Merseburg (Ger) Stradalli-BikeAid
DNF Matthias Schnapka (Ger) Stradalli-BikeAid
DNF Patrick Lechner (Ger) Stradalli-BikeAid
DNF Juan Carlos Riutort (Spa) Burgos BH
DNF Alvaro Robredo (Spa) Burgos BH
DNF Victor Martin (Spa) Burgos BH
DNF Daniel Lopez (Spa) Burgos BH
DNF Andrea Di Renzo (Ita) GM Europa Ovini
DNF Andrea Ruscetta (Ita) GM Europa Ovini
DNF Owain Doull (GBr) Great Britain
DNF Christopher Lathan (GBr) Great Britain
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