Adam Rafferty (Hagens Berman Jayco) has taken his first result of the season, at just the second time of asking, after the rapidly emerging Irish teenager was close to the top of the leaderboard today in the opening TT at Tour de Rhodes (UCI 2.2).
Still aged just 19 years, and having taken 10th in the U23 TT at the Worlds in Zurich last year, Rafferty showed today he has wintered well, taking 7th in the Rhodes test, with no fewer than nine Irish riders in the field of the four-stage race.
Rafferty finished 9th overall, and 2nd in the youth classification, in this race last year, which was his first stage race as an U23 rider. And in coming days the Irish U23 TT champion, who is in contention for a pro contract based on his abilities, will be looking to improve on his return from 12 months ago.
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Today, Rafferty went around the 5.1km course in Rhodes in an average speed of 49.091kmph, just four seconds down on winner, 24-year-old Russian Gleb Syritsa (XDS Astana Development Team).
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Former Irish elite TT champion, Conn McDunphy (Team Skyline), was 48th at 19 seconds with his team mate, Cian Keogh, in 59th at 23 seconds. First-year U23 Conor Prendergast of (Velo Performance U23 Development Team) out in a solid ride; 67th at 25 seconds.
Velo Performance U23 Development, an new Irish team, has a full line-up of Irish riders in the race, with those performing as follows: Cal Tutty 100th at 33 seconds, Willem O'Connor 124th at 45 seconds, Michael Collins 142nd at 52 seconds, Eoghan Lattimore 147th at 56 seconds after a slow puncture, Christopher Marshall 163rd at 1:26.
The race continues tomorrow with a lumpy 148.5km from Rhodes to Soroni, featuring 2,000 metres of climbing.
