Video - Adam Rafferty just beaten to TT victory in U23 Giro d'Italia

Adam Rafferty was just beaten for the win the last stage at Giro d'Italia Next Gen, placing 2nd and moving up the general standings (Photo: Fabio Ferrari)

Having ridden a brilliant race to move up in the general classification on every stage but one at Giro Next Gen, Adam Rafferty has kept the best until last, but was just beaten for victory on the final stage TT.

The Co Tyrone rider has also moved up from 10th overall to 7th in the final standings, the best GC result of his career.

Hagens Berman Jayco team member, Rafferty, is national U23 TT champion and also won bronze in the U23 TT at the Europeans last year. That pedigree means he was always going into this stage as one of the favourites.

Today he went out there at the end of an eight-stage race, featuring most of the best U23 riders in the world, and beat them all, except for dominant figure Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe Rookies).

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In the end, Finn won the stage, wearing the maglia rosa, by 16 seconds from Ireland's Rafferty.

While beaten into 2nd place today, Rafferty's rider really underlines his versatility as a rider; winning one of the road race stages on this race last year and now doing a top 10 general classification ride and riding a TT like he did today.

He scorched around the course today in the fastest time until overall winner, Finn, was faster than him, by just two seconds, through the first time check on the 22.2km course from Villa Sant'Angelo to L'Aquila.

More to come.

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