Ryan Mullen may have fallen short of the gold medal at the Cycling Time Trials (CTT) 10 Mile Championships in East Yorkshire yesterday, but the Irish international can take consolation in having lowered his personal best again.
It also looks like he has set a new Irish record for the distance, subject to ratification by Cycling Ireland.
The 20-year-old, crowned senior Irish road race champion and U23 time trial champion in June in Westmeath, first broke the 18 minute mark last month when he recorded a time of 17 minutes and 51 seconds in a local time trial run by his home club Rhos On Sea CC in north Wales.
It was the third fastest time ever recorded on British roads at the time; having been beaten only by Movistar professional and time trial specialist Alex Dowsett and Irish international and elite testing champion Michael Hutchinson (InGear).
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Yesterday Mullen went faster with a time of 17:42, suggesting he is in great form just three weeks away from his big goal of the season; the U23 TT at the World Road Championships in Spain.
He was beaten yesterday by Matthew Bottrill (www.drag2zero.com) who went just two seconds faster than the young Irishman and said after the event he had moved his training into overdrive for the championships when he saw Mullen join the exclusive 17 minute club last month.
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Bottrill's time yesterday was the second fastest ever in Britain, behind only Dowsett - who has ridden at 17:20. Mullen is still third fastest, having leapfrogged Hutchinson's personal best of 17:45 but seen Bottrill leapfrog him.
Northern Irishman Hutchinson, who has been the CTT 10 champion ten times and has declared for Ireland in recent years, won the Irish senior national title in June by one second from UCD CC's Colm Cassidy.
Mullen was quicker than both on the day in Westmeath but because he was riding the U23 TT, he was only awarded that title. However, three days later he won the combined senior and U23 road race and was awarded both road crowns because, unlike the TT titles, the race for them is a combined event.
Hutchinson was third yesterday on a time of 17:53. Both he and Mullen could ride the CCT Championship event as Irish internationals because the winner is crowned CCT champion, rather than British champion; an accolade currently held by Bradley Wiggins.
The CCT is the national governing body for time trials in England and Wales and riders of any nationality are permitted to ride its events, including the association’s championship races.
Cycling Time Trials (CTT) 10 Mile Champs
Sun, Aug 31st, East Yorkshire, V718/1 Course
1 Matthew Bottrill www.drag2zero.com 17:40
2 Ryan Mullen An Post Chain Reaction 17:42
3 Michael Hutchinson In-Gear Quickvit 17:53
4 Russell Hampton Team Athlon Sport 17:58
5 Andy Jackson Team Swift 18:02
6 Matt Clinton Mike Vaughan Cycles 18:05
7 Edmund Bradbury Cambridge University RT :18:15
8 Brett Harwood Terry Wright Cycles RC 18:29
9 David Crawley Fibrax-Wrexham RC 18:29
10 Blake Pond North Devon Wheelers 18:33
11 Adam Duggleby Wheelbase Altura MGD 18:33
12 Matt Sinclair Lutterworth Cycle Centre 18:36
13 Silas Goldsworthy Sandy Wallace Cycles 18:39
14 Mark Jones www.drag2zero.com 18:41
15 Steve Irwin Kingston Wheelers CC 18:45
16 Rob Sharland Kingston Wheelers CC 18:46
17 Nick English AW Cycles.co.uk 18:46
18 Simon Bridge Manchester Wheelers 18:47
19 Simon Wilson Team Corley Cycles 18:48
20 Jason Bouttell Velovelocity.co.uk 18:48
21 Rob Pears Procycling Magazine 18:49
22 Matthew Smith Velovelocity.co.uk 18:51
23 Adam Gascoigne Pedal Power Loughborough 18:53
24 Alastair Wareham Team Swift 18:59
25 Conall Yates In-Gear Quickvit 19:00
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