Darren Rafferty will be the sole Irish rider when the Baby Giro rolls out of Gradara in central Italy on Saturday morning ahead of seven stages of racing. The 18-year-old has been selected for the Hagens Berman Axeon team for the race in what is his first season in the U23 ranks.
He goes into the event riding the crest of a wave after taking his first UCI-ranked international win, in Italy, at Strade Bianche di Romagna (1.2U) two weeks ago. Since then he has ridden solidly in a series of one-day races in Italy.
He placed 21st in Coppa della Pace-Trofeo F.lli Anelli (1.2U), 14th in
Trofeo Città di Meldola-GP AWC Event (1.2) and, just last Wednesday, was 13th in Coppa Zappi-Trofeo Hotel Antico Borgo (1.2U).
Rafferty's team, run by Axel Merckx, is regarded as one of the best development teams in the world. It goes into the event with a strong line-up. Apart from its Irish rider having recently won a major event, American Matthew Riccitello won the Istrian Spring Trophy earlier this year.
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Britain's Leo Hayter - brother of Ethan of Ineos Grenadiers fame - was 2nd in the recent Trofeo Città di Meldola-GP AWC (1.2). Rafferty's 19-year-old Danish team mate Kasper Andersen was the European junior road race champion two years ago while the team's Spanish rider, Iván Romeo, was national junior road race and TT champion last year.
Four of the five riders on the Hagens Berman Axeon team are either first or second year U23s, meaning they are relatively new to this level of racing, especially as Covid-19 wiped out so many international racing opportunities last year.
And while Rafferty's goes into this Baby Giro to learn, his recent win proves he can take his chance if and when it comes, just like Ben Healy when he claimed the final stage last year.
The race starts with a flat stage on Saturday; some 164.9km from Gradara to Argenta before a slightly lumpier stage 2 on Sunday and the first uphill finish of the race on stage 3 on Monday, on a cat 2 climb.
The man to beat, it seems on all terrain, is France's new star Romain Grégoire (Equipe Continentale Groupama-FDJ). However, while he has won all around him in Europe so far this year, the HC summit finish on stage 6 - 18.6km averaging 8.5 per cent to Colle Fauniera - is likely to reveal some new stars of the future.
