Hardwick, Roche perform solidly

CYCLING: Irish riders Theo Hardwick and Nicolas Roche yesterday posted solid performances in the junior time trial at the World Cycling Championships in Zolder, Belgium, with both finishing inside the top half of the field at the end of the flat 23.3 kilometre test.

Hardwick performed well for a first-year junior to end the race against the clock 30th of the 70th finishers, while Roche was a handful of seconds further back in 33rd.

The latter had been hoping for a higher placing but appears to be lacking a little of the sparkling form which saw him dominate the M Donnelly Junior Tour earlier this year.

Yesterday's gold medal was won by Russian Mikhail Ignatiev, who finished 10 seconds clear of silver medallist Mark Jamieson of Australia and a further 16 ahead of the Italian Vincenzo Nibali.

Meanwhile multiple Irish champion Geraldine Gill found the going tough in the elite women's time trial, finishing close to the bottom of the results sheet in that event.

Gill, one of the early starters, covered the course in a time of 33 minutes 51.93 seconds, only good enough for 40th place.

The gold medal went to Russian Zoulfia Zabirova, who finished just over 14 seconds clear of the Swiss duo Nicole Brandli and Karin Thurig.

Last year's champion Jeannie Longo had a somewhat disappointing day with regard to her stated intention of defending her title, as she finished 42 seconds off the winning pace in seventh.

Today sees Ireland's David O'Loughlin line out in the elite time trial, some two years after he finished 10th in the under-23 event in Plouay, France.

However, going head-to-head with the world's top professionals means the Mayo rider's goals will be somewhat more modest on this occasion .

Scottish rider David Millar and Spaniard Aitor Gonzalez are two of the riders hotly tipped to slug it out for the rainbow jersey of world champion. Gonzalez won last month's Tour of Spain with a dominant final time trial, while Millar finished a close second to Jan Ullrich in the 2001 championships.

Junior men's time trial: 1, Mikhail Ignatiev (Russia) 23.3 kilometres in 28 mins 30.37 secs; 2, M Jamieson (Australia) at 10.36 secs; 3, V Nibali (Italy) at 25.98 secs; 4, T Dekker (Netherlands) at 30.17 secs; 5, R Infantino Abreu (Colombia) at 39.92 secs. Irish: 30, T Hardwick, at 1 min 47.83 secs; 33, N Roche, at 1 min 51.36 secs.

Elite Women's Time Trial: 1, Zoulfia Zabirova (Russia) 23.2 kilometres in 30 mins 2.62 secs; 2, N Brandli (Switzerland) at 14.7 secs; 3,K Thurig (Switzerland) at 15.65 secs; 4, J Somarriba Arrola (Spain) at 15.68 secs; 5, S Carrigan (Australia) at 20.39 secs. Irish: 40, Geraldine Gill, at 3 mins 49.31 secs.