Mark Scanlon finished a disappointing 36th in the Under-23 Road Race at the World Championships in Lisbon this afternoon. Expectations were high for the Sligo born Team Ireland rider, who was one of four Irish cyclists taking part in the world class event.
The 1999 Junior Title winner failed to threaten the leaders as a group of six broke away in the early stages, and although he did keep in touch with the main bunch throughout, he failed to challenge for a top twenty finish. Although the 22-year-old will be disappointed with today's finish, he can take heart from the fact that he will be underage again next year, while a lot of today's opponents will have moved on.
Of Ireland's other entrants, Denis Lynch finished 77th, while Gary McQuaid and Dermot Nally failed to finish the gruelling 12.1km race. In all 155 competitors started, so Scanlon's 36th place finish will give him and the Irish team plenty of hope for next year's event.
The race was won Yaroslav Popovych of the Ukraine.
Filed by Shane Murray
