Irish international Darren Rafferty has said he enjoyed a very productive off-season and is looking to a second year with Hagens Berman Axeon, during which he will take a more selective approach to races aiming for wins or podium finishes. Rafferty (19) won Strade Bianche di Romagna last year, in his first season as an U23. In 2021, when in the junior ranks, he was 4th in the TT at the Europeans and placed 11th at the Worlds.
That TT prowess, coupled with the fact he can climb and in winter worked on his "punch" to have more explosive power, he plans to target more stage races this year. However, he also believes he can secure top results in one-day races, adding his ultimate aim was a medal at the World Road Championships this season.
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In an interview with stickybottle he has set out the way his goals have now shifted, moving up a notch to include a real tilt at a World Championships medal this year. He also explains why he feels he is in a much stronger position now compared to 12 months ago, when he was facing into the start of the 2022 season and his first U23 races with a new team.
"The winter was pretty good, probably one of the best so far, working smoothly," he said of enjoying a clear run as he strove to get stronger. "I think getting away in December to Calpe for a couple of weeks was a nice break to the winter. And then I've also kept some sharpeners from the cyclo-cross.
"I'm definitely in a better position at the start of this season than I was last year. Last year… when you're going from junior (into the U23 ranks), I had never really experienced that level of racing and now I've got a year of that behind me. It's just about doing those longer races and just generally having more kilometres in the legs."
Rafferty is about to start his season with a one-day race in Croatia on Sunday followed by the four stage Istrian Spring Trophy, also in Croatia, starting next Thursday. He rode both races last tear and said that by going back to events for a second time this season, it will be very helpful to know the courses and to have a feel of how each event normally unfolds.
"It will definitely play into my hands a bit better and I think the team this year is really strong so there's a bit less pressure," he said of Axel Merckx bringing more quality teenagers into the squad for this season.
Merckx has signed German Emil Herzog, who won the junior road race at the Worlds last year in Wollongong, as well as the silver medal winner from that race, Portugal's António Morgado. American rider Artem Shmidt is another new name and he was 4th at the Worlds last season.
Switzerland's Jan Christen, who was also a junior last year, is another one of the new riders in the team. The 18-year-old has already been signed by UAE Team Emirates on a long-term deal running from the start of next year to the end of 2027 after winning a whole series of junior races, including the European road race crown last season.
Rafferty believes that quality will drive everyone in the team forward and is looking forward to taking the lessons learn last year, and the experience accrued, and putting it into action now that he is 12 months further down his development journey.
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"(This season is) about changing from 'let's see how it goes' to to actually targeting races," he said. "We're looking at race profiles and picking races that I think I could win or podium; just picking my battles a bit more and choosing those races that I would like to do with the team and working with them to see what programme suits me best."
At the Croatian races he will compete against very strong U23 teams but also older riders who are part of top elite, or UCI Continental, teams. The U23 Gent Wevelgem is also on his agenda later this months as is Volta a Limburg, a pro race featuring World Tour teams. And with just one season completed at U23 level, he clearly sounds like he is itching to test himself against the fully fledged professionals.
"Limburg will be the first race I get to do riding against the pros (this year) and, in my head, that's the first real test," he said. "And that comes after Gent. So once I get those first few races out of the way then I'll see where I stand, I'll see how the training went in the winter and how it's transferring over into racing the first time I hit a bit of a peak.
When asked what kind of rider he is, Rafferty said it was "still pretty much undecided".
"But I think I'm going to focus a bit more on the stage racing element this year. With the one-day races… I really liked racing in Italy last year so there's a couple of Italian one-days at the start of April leading into Liege. They are big races that I would like to do and I think I have a chance to podium or a top give something like that."
Those events are Giro del Belvedere and GP Palio del Recioto-Trofeo C&F Resinatura Blocchi, on April 10th and 11th respectively. Both were won last year by young French phenom Romain Grégoire; then riding for Groupama-FDJ's Continental level development team and now riding for the World Tour squad.
"They're both hilly one day races and I think those types of races are kind of the direction I'm heading in," he said. "I built up a bit more punch (over winter) and I hope to have a finish in the legs. I know I can be there no problem at the finish. but it's about actually going for a result rather than just coming across the line in the group - that's probably the next step this season."
Looking ahead to next week Rafferty said the penultimate stage in the Istrian Spring Trophy, with an uphill finish on cobbles, will probably decide the race.
"I'll go for a result there and I'll hopefully get up in the GC," he added, saying he would have to see how the prologue TT went on the opening day. "The TT has got a bit of work as well," he said of work down over winter. "I've also got some new bars and I've been working on some aero setups. But there's not many under-23 TTs in the season, so it's always a bit unknown in terms of how you're going in the TTs.
"I think if I just work on being aero, I know I have the power. And I think if I can improve my position on the bike, then a medal at the worlds is the big goal of the season. So I'm just going to work on that and hopefully I'll know the course (in Glasgow - Ed) pretty well, spend some days in Scotland and just get my head around it generally. If I can get a medal at the Worlds then I'll be pretty chuffed with the season."
