Ryan Mullen looks on course to make his Grand Tour debut later this year at the Giro d`Italia. The Irishman, who signed for Trek-Segafredo in the winter, has one eye on the opening time trial in Jerusalem. `I`m hopeful to start the Giro with its TT start. It`s 10km in Jerusalem and it`s partly the reason I`d be going,` Mullen told Cyclingnews at the Volta ao Alagarve. `I prefer longer time trials, to be honest, but I`ll take a TT start over a mountain start.`ADVERTISEMENT A start in the Giro this spring would represent Mullen`s first Grand Tour appearance. Illness scuppered his chances in 2016, and last year - his final season with Cannondale - he narrowly missed the cut for the Tour de France. `In 2016 I was a really shit bike rider because of my health problems,` he said. `I was anaemic and had all that stuff. Then last year I was on the long-list for the Tour, and it came down to me and Taylor Phinney for the last spot. Honestly, it would have been nice to ride, but I wasn`t `this sucks I`m not at the Tour de France`. I felt like Taylor did a better job than I would have done, so the team picked correctly.` Mullen won his first time trial of the year at the Vuelta a San Juan in January to kick start his career at Trek. He came into the Volta ao Algarve with high hopes of a competitive performance in the race`s 20.3km test, but his dreams unravelled due to a puncture. The 24-year-old still managed 24th place on a course that wasn`t ideal for him, but with Tirreno-Adriatico on his calendar he will have another chance to impress against the clock in March.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
|
