Ireland's Rafferty and Gaffney impress at U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège

David Gaffney, right, and his Australian team mate Wil Holmes, up the road during U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Photo: Nancy Goossens)

Adam Rafferty and David Gaffney, the Irish team mates at Hagens Berman Jayco, have both put in strong rides at U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège in Belgium today, over 177km of racing with 2,500m of elevation gain.

First-year U23 Gaffney, from Waterford, was up the road for much of the race. He was in a large breakaway that managed to give some of the top favourites the slip, while Rafferty was in contention for the victory all the way to the line.

When the race regrouped somewhat at the front in the final, and came down to a sprint from a 25-rider group, the sprinters who survived had their day, with Rafferty not one of the faster gallopers today.

Gaffney and his Australian team mate, Wil Holmes, were among a large group, of 25-30 riders, that spent much of the early phase of the race up the road. And with about 100km to go they had 1:30 in hand.

However, there was still plenty of life in the bunch at that stage, especially as riders like U23 world champion Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe Rookies) were still in the peloton.

Up front, the lead group began to whittle down as the climbing continued, with Rafferty back in the bunch able to follow the strongest as the peloton was also trimmed back by the pressure of the day.

The remains of the lead group were eventually caught by the much-reduced peloton, paving the way for the sprint from a near 30-rider group.

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Daan Dijkman, an 18-year-old Dutchman riding for UAE Team Emirates Gen Z, took the biggest win of his career, in his first season as an U23, when he was best in the sprint that settled the contest.

Adam Rafferty, in purple kit, in the ever-reducing peloton at U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Photo: Nancy Goossens)

Dijkman - 8th in the junior road race at the Worlds in Rwanda last year and 5th at the Europeans in France - sailed over the line, hands in the air, as much in disbelief as joy.

He took the victory ahead of 20-year-old Australian Jack Ward (Lidl-Trek Future Racing) and Jesper Stiansen, a 20-year-old from Norway riding for Tudor Pro Cycling Team.

Rafferty was in the front group, towards the back in 23rd place, and on the same time as the winner. For his part, Gaffney was a little further back but had made his mark today - in a climbers' race he looks suited to.

He finished in 39th, in the biggest group on the road, some 4:28 down on the winner. He was among 79 finishers on the day from a start list of 150 in what is regarded as one of the hardest U23 one-day races of the year.