Irish cyclists Ryan Mullen and Nicolas Roche finished 25th and 31st respectively at the UCI Road World Championships elite men's individual time trial in Italy.
The 37.1km course in Imola saw Italian Filippo Ganna deliver a gold medal for the host country in the first of the four-race event.
As wind ripped across the motor racing circuit made famous by the San Marino Grand Prix, Ganna blew away the field with a time of 35 minutes 54 seconds.
Wout van Aert was 26 seconds slower to take silver for Belgium, while Stefan Kung claimed bronze for Switzerland.
Roche, fresh from his Tour de France exploits, was first Irish competitor in action and averaged 48.8 kph to finish 31st out of 56 competitors.
Mullen went even faster averaging 49.5 kph to finish in 25th position.
The pair will be joined on the Irish team by 20-year-old Ben Healy for the 258km Men's Road Race on Sunday.
