Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost) has been crowned elite Irish men's road race champion, aged just 20 years, in Athea, Ci Limerick, today after overcoming a mechanical late in the race.
The Co Tyrone rider - the U23 TT champion last year and U23 road race silver medal winner - was part of a very strong breakaway that dominated today's 161km race, run off in very hot conditions.
Rafferty got clear with another of the pre-race favourites, Dillon Corkery (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93), after a series of attacks in the breakaway with about 20-25km to go. And though that duo drew clear of the chasers, and looked like he were headed for a two-up battle for gold and solver, disaster than struck for Corkery.
The 2023 Rás Tailteann champion suffered a bad bout of cramps and was forced to relinquish his place up front with Rafferty, leaving the EF Education-EasyPost rider leading solo, though Rory Townsend (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) and Dean Harvey (Trinity Racing) were just behind them in the chase.
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However, Corkery managed to recover and, as is his way, he never gave up on getting back on terms with Rafferty. But in the end it wasn't to be, as Rafferty claimed his first elite national title by 16 seconds from Corkery, who cut a dejected figure at the finish.
The main breakaway today went clear with one hour of racing completed and was comprised of: Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost), Rory Townsend (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Dillon Corkery (St Michel - Mavic - Auber93), Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla), Conn McDunphy (Team Skyline), Finn Crockett (VolkerWessels Cycling Team), Leo Doyle (XSpeed United Continental), Adam Rafferty (Hagens Berman Jayco) and Dean Harvey (Trinity Racing).
On the line, Rafferty won it by 16 seconds from Corkery, with former champion Townsend and Harvey finishing together, in the sprint for the bronze medal, at 1:07.
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Townsend, a noted finisher who has won major races in Europe with his fast kick, saw off the challenge of Harvey and so took that bronze medal. However, Harvey at least had the consolation of taking the U23 title having put in a great shift for 4th in the combined event.
Crockett was next, finishing 5th at 1:43 and alongside McDunphy, who was 6th at 1:44. Then cane done of the men of the season, Leo Doyle; the X-Speed United who has emerged as one of the best riders in the country in the last couple of years.
Doyle took 7th today, at 1:53, and just one place and two seconds up on Eddie Dunbar, the Team Jayco AlUla rider who claimed the Irish TT title on Thursday evening in his first race since his stage 2 crash at the Giro at the start of May.
Dunbar crossed the line in 8th place and last of the breakaway men who survived ahead of the chasers. The came U23 international Patrick O'Loughlin (Panduit Carrick Wheelers); claiming 9th at 5:09 and the U23 silver medal.
O'Loughlin just beat Gareth O'Neill (Athlete Nutrition Coach HD), who rounded out the top 10 at 5:10, with Adam Kelly (Project 1 Cycling Team) in 11th, at 5:12.
Jamie Meehan (CC Etupes) was 12th, on the same time as Kelly with a clutch of others; last year's U23 gold medal winner doing enough for bronze this time around - a great result, though he would have wanted more.
More to come.
