Senior Debut For Mullen Nets 7th In Individual Pursuit At UCI Track Cycling World Cup Guadalajara

Strong Showing by Mullen in Final Round of World Cup Series Mexico

Ireland's Ryan Mullen proved his ability to mix with the top Elite riders in the World, when the 19 year old finished 7th in the Individual Pursuit at the World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, last night. Mullen, who rides for An Post Chainreaction Sean Kelly team in Belgium, won a Bronze Medal in this event at the European U23 Championships last summer. The Gold Medal was won by Jenning Huizenga (NED), the Silver went to Mauro Agostini (ARG) and Stefan Kueng (SUI) took the Bronze.

Mullen started the 4km race against the clock strongly, fading slightly in the closing laps. Head Coach Brian Nugent said "I'm very pleased with Ryan's performance. He held a steady pace for 3km, before running out of steam in the final kilo. Great for his first World Cup, and it was pleasing to see him bounce back after crashing out of the points last night. This sets the team up nicely for the World's, and at first glance it looks like we have qualified the places we were targeting."

The main goal of the Irish Team throughout the World Cup Series was to gain qualification points for the World Championships in Cali, Colombia, which take place from the 26th February to the 2nd March. While the list of qualified riders has not yet been announced, World Champion Martyn Irvine is currently ranked 4th in the world in the Scratch Race, and 3rd in the Individual Pursuit. Caroline Ryan is ranked 2nd in the world in the Individual Pursuit, and 17th in the Scratch Race.

Regular team members Eoin Mullen and World Champion Martyn Irvine missed this final World Cup in the Series, with Irvine focusing on his preparation for the World Championships in Cali next February, and Mullen racing in Australia, working towards the Rio qualification process next year.

The World Cup took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, from the 17th - 19th January. Next up is the World Championships in Cali, Colombia, from the 28th February - 2nd March.