Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost) powered to victory within the elite males’s highway race on the Irish Championships after distancing breakaway companion Dillon Corkery (St Michel – Mavic – Auber93) within the closing 10km in Athea, County Limerick.
Rafferty had sparked the successful transfer with 20km remaining, and the Tyrone man produced a wonderful show on the ending circuit to say his first elite title on the highway. Corkery, who gained final 12 months’s Rás Tailteann, held on for silver at 16 seconds, whereas Rory Townsend (Q36.5) outsprinted Dean Harvey (Trinity Racing) for bronze, simply over a minute down on Rafferty.
Finn Crockett (VolkerWessels Cycling Team), who had initially tracked Rafferty and Corkery’s transfer, got here residence in fifth place.
Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-Alula) was one of many day’s primary aggressors after successful the time trial title earlier within the week, however the Banteer man needed to accept eighth place. The nationwide championships marked his return to competitors after his Giro d’Italia problem was ended by a crash on stage 2, and he’s subsequent in motion on the Tour of Austria.
The day belonged to Rafferty, who was beneficiant in his efforts throughout the day. He is in his first season as knowledgeable, and the 2023 Giro della Valle d’Aosta has been quietly highlighting his potential as throughout the debut marketing campaign.
Rafferty arrived on the Irish championships recent from a stable outing on the Critérium du Dauphiné, the place he was within the break on the powerful penultimate stage to Samoëns 1600. The 20-year-old inherits the nationwide champion’s jersey from his EF teammate Ben Healy, who missed this 12 months’s championships forward of his Tour de France debut.
Results
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