CYCLING: Mark Scanlon yesterday landed Irish cycling's biggest professional win since the days of Kelly and Roche when he sprinted to victory on the opening leg of the prestigious Tour of Denmark.

The former world junior champion reached the finish of the 155 km stage between Skagen and Aalborg together with Team Fakta's Michael Skelde and Sebastian Lang of the Gerolsteiner team, and unleashed a storming final burst which carried him to the line for an extremely impressive first pro win.

Scanlon's ride ensures that he will wear the leader's yellow jersey going into today's second stage, a 220 km ride between Hobro and Århus. The first year pro will have the luxury of dedicated support from his Ag2r team, who will be delighted with their protégé's win in this important international event.

Elsewhere, fellow Irish professional Ciarán Power raced to a fine third place finish in the 237 km Montreal-Quebec Classic, a 1.5 world-ranked race which attracted many of the US's top pro teams. Run off in wet, windy conditions, the Navigators cyclist went clear in an 18-man breakaway and later surged ahead in the final hilly section. He rode home alone to take third place, two minutes and two seconds behind the winner Tim Johnson of the Saturn Cycling Team.