Treacy six seconds off podium finish

There was no medal glory for the Maltese cycling team in yesterday's road race on the Placa Prince Benlloch circuit in Andorra.

After Roderick Muscat's bronze medal in the time-trial on Tuesday, the Maltese entertained high hopes of another place on the podium.

Their expectations did not materialise, however, as none of our four cyclists managed a top-three placing.

David Treacy was 10th overall, three minutes 44 seconds behind race winner Dimitri Jiriakov, of Liechtenstein. The latter took gold ahead of Luxembourg's Tom Flammang.

Cyrille Heymans, of Luxembourg, crossed the finish line three minutes 38 seconds behind Jiriakov but just six seconds faster than Treacy as no fewer than six riders dashed home in a tight group.

Third place was still within Treacy's reach before the final lap as he was among the riders chasing the leading duo. However, in the last 200m, Heymans pushed harder than the other five riders to take the bronze medal.

Etienne Bonello was the only other Maltese rider to complete the distance, placing 20th overall, a massive 14 minutes and 14 seconds behind the winner.

Muscat's challenge only lasted nine laps, the 17-year-old rider withdrawing after feeling unwell.

Dermot Galea was Malta's other rider in the race but he failed to make it to the finish.