Irish time-trial champion Ryan Mullen outlined that he has a good feel for the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia, a 9.7-kilometre individual time-trial in Jerusalem which takes place on Friday.
Mullen has shown some good form this season, winning the 14-kilometre time-trial at the Vuelta a San Juan Internacional (2.1) back in January. He was speaking at the Trek-Segafredo press conference in advance of the 101st edition of the race, where the 23 year-old will be making his Grand Tour debut.
“I didn’t get to ride the course yet but I’ve seen videos and I’ve played it over 5, 6, 7 times and I’ve got a good feel for it,” confirmed Mullen. “But, if it were up to me designing the course I would have made it a little bit flatter, so that it might suit me a little better.”
The test takes place on a challenging course with various gradient changes. The final three hundred metres are uphill with gradients of up to 9% near the finishing line.
“It looks like a cool course, it goes through some nice parts of the city. It should be a pretty good spectacle, but it’ll be challenging. I’m a TT rider and I’m here to ride the TT, so I’m going to give it my best like I always do and see where that gets me,” said Mullen.
