Darren Rafferty has just missed out on a top 10 in the junior TT at the World Road Championships in Flanders today; the Co Tyrone teenager placing 11th in the race against the clock.
Compatriot Conal Scully, from Carlow and still a first-year junior, has also made his Worlds debut today, when he placed 53rd in the 22.3km TT from Knokke-Heist to Bruges.
It was a fantastic ride by Rafferty and a solid shift by Scully; both riders we will be hearing a lot more about. Both are among the group of young Irish cyclists who have seen their international racing opportunities curtailed in the last couple of seasons due to the pandemic.
However, in the absence of racing for Ireland up to now, they have made their own opportunities by going to France to compete with teams there. And now they have gotten their reward, representing their country on the biggest stage.
“I’m feeling pretty good, I would have loved a top 10
today but I just didn’t have enough to get there today,” Rafferty said
after his ride today, coming just two weeks after he was 4th in the junior TT
at the Europeans.
“I’m definitely satisfied with 11th as the
preparation and planning up to the event was perfect and it gives me plenty of
confidence going into the road race on Friday which will be a long and tough
122 kilometre race.”
The TT was won by Gustav Wang of Norway in a time of 25:37. The 18-year-old put in a storming ride to finish 20 seconds up on the silver medal winner; Joshua Tarling (Great Britain).
Belgium’s Alec Segaert, who was crowned European TT champion two weeks ago, rounded out the podium today; taking bronze some 29 seconds down. Ireland’s Rafferty was 1:06 down and Scully was 2:28 off the winner.
