Mark Christian claimed his best individual Grand Tour stage result to date at the Giro d’Italia on Saturday afternoon.
The Manx cycling star, riding in the colours of EOLO-Kometa, finished 33rd at the end of stage 14th which saw riders tackle a gruelling 205-kilometre route from Cittadella which ended on the iconic Monte Zoncolan, known as one of the most demanding climbs in professional racing.
It proved to be a memorable day for Christian and his colleagues as team-mate Lorenzo Fortunato broke clear late on to claim a superb victory, having formed part of an early 11-man breakaway.
Christian reached the finish on top of Monte Zoncolan only five minutes 53 seconds down on his Kometa team-mate.
Fellow Manxie Lizzie Holden enjoyed a good few days riding for Bizkaia-Durango during this year’s edition of the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas.
The 23-year-old finished 66th and 65th on the opening two days, before producing another very good performance to claim 46th in Saturday’s penultimate stage in Spain.
It was a similar on the final stage as she was the leading Durango rider - and second Briton - in 49th, placing her 50th in the final overall standings to cap a good race for the Manxwoman.