Mullen and Rafferty win senior and U23 Irish TT Champs crowns

Adam Rafferty has won the U23 men's gold at the National TT Championships, for the third year in a row (Photo: Sean Rowe)

Ryan Mullen (NSN Cycling Team) and Adam Rafferty (Hagens Berman Jayco) have retained their men's senior and U23 titles at the National TT Championships in Swinford, Co Mayo, this evening.

Mullen was aiming for his 11th Irish senior road title, between road races and TTs, and he secured that over 30.7km of racing this evening, with quite a bit to spare.

He blasted around the course, in the Castlebar Cycling Club promotion, in an average speed of 51.23kmph to win the day by 47 seconds from Irish amateur rider, George Peden (PB Performance).

Though Mullen no longer specialises in the TT, as he did early in his career, he can clearly still get that big gear around when it counts.

He denied Peden what would have been a famous victory in Westmeath last year by just six seconds. But today's winning margin was much bigger, at 47 seconds.

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Still, Peden put in a great performance to separate the two World Tour men in the field.

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Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost) perhaps did not have the race he had hoped for and had to be content with the bronze, at 1:15.

In the U23 men's race, Adam Rafferty - the younger brother of Darren - went in as hot favourite to win his third consecutive U23 title, especially after his 2nd place in the Giro d'Italia Next Gen TT last Sunday.

And the Co Tyrone man didn't disappoint.

Rafferty claimed the gold medal by 46 seconds from up-and-coming first-year U23, Matthew Walls (APS Pro Cycling); the 19-year-old clearly in good form having just finished his Leaving Cert.

Walls did well to split Rafferty and Seth Dunwoody (Bahrain Victorious Development) on the night, with Dunwoody having to settle for bronze, some 1:03 down on Rafferty.

Charlie Kelly (Velo Performance) took 4th place, 3:07 down on the flying winner, Rafferty.

Senior Men

  1. Ryan MULLEN NSN CYCLING TEAM 51.23 km/h 35:08.10
  2. George PEDEN Team PB Performance +47.32
  3. Darren RAFFERTY EF Education Easypost +1:15.55
  4. Conn MC DUNPHY APS PRO CYCLING +1:16.56
  5. Stefan CAULFIELD-DREIER Giant Store Assen cycling team NWVG +2:12.22
  6. Ian INGLIS Powerhouse Sport +2:14.97
  7. Cian KEOGH APS PRO CYCLING +3:36.19

U23 Men

  1. Adam RAFFERTY HAGENS BERMAN JAYCO 49.15 km/h 36:37.00
  2. Matthew WALLS APS PRO CYCLING +46.25
  3. Seth DUNWOODY Bahrain Victorious Development Team +1:03.25
  4. Charlie KELLY Westport Covey Wheelers Cycling Club +3:07.24

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