Cycling: Fenn finishes ahead of strong field in Mallorca

Scotland’s Andy Fenn claimed the biggest victory of his short career yesterday, winning the Trofeo Palma in Mallorca from a field of some of the world’s top cyclists.

The 21-year old, who has entered the major league this year by signing with Belgium’s number one cycling team, Omega Pharma Quick-Step, won the race in a bunch sprint on day one of the four-day Callenge Mallorca series.

Among the scalps claimed by Fenn were the Italian sprinter Daniele Bennati, a double Tour de France stage winner, who finished 5th, and Denmark’s Matti Breschel, who was 7th. Meanwhile, Germany’s Andre Schulze was second, with Russian Alexander Porsev third.

Fenn was born in Hertfordshire and brought up in the Midlands, but, after winning the 2008 Junior Paris-Roubaix, he declared that he wished to represent Scotland, with his mother and her family coming from Glasgow. He was selected for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and played a starring role in the road race, helping David Millar win a bronze medal. Last year he joined the Irish development squad An Post-Sean Kelly and caught the eye of several teams, not least by winning a bronze medal in the under-23 world road race championship.

Among the riders who finished behind Fenn at the end of the 116km race in Mallorca was Alberto Contador, the three-times Tour de France winner. Contador will not start today’s second event on the island as he awaits the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s hearing into his positive drugs test at the 2010 Tour. If the CAS finds against him, he faces a ban of up to two years and the loss of his 2010 title.