CYCLING:One year after he finished second overall in the race, Irish pro Dan Martin returns to the Giro di Lombardia tomorrow vying to go one place better. If he succeeds, he will become the first Irish Classic winner since Seán Kelly's 1992 Milan-San Remo success.
Twelve months ago he won a five-man sprint to the line after the surprise winner Olivier Zaugg darted clear on the final climb. Just behind Martin was Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha Team), who took third overall in this month’s Vuelta a España and who could win the season-long WorldTour series with a high finish tomorrow. Double Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Basso was one place further back in fourth, those two big scalps showing the merits of Martin’s ride.
The Irishman was in good shape in last Sunday’s world road race championships but lost out when the leading group split, finishing one place ahead of Nicolas Roche in 33rd. The best Irish performances were by Ryan Mullen, ninth in the junior time trial, and Sam Bennett, who placed 10th in the under-23 road race.
