Rafferty is starting to find his feet at World Tour level

DARREN Rafferty’s undoubted potential has already started to show during the first months of his career with World Tour team, EF Education-EasyPost.

The Edendork rider has enjoyed a promising week in Spain and Italy, earning his first professional podium and securing a top six finish in Italy, which has helped boost his confidence ahead of a massive race in mid-March.

“I’m trying to take the opportunities when they are there because there’s not that many races that I get to ride for myself or have a go, so it was good,” he beamed.

“It’s always good for the old self-confidence to know that you can be up there when you do expend a bit of energy.

“Definitely the confidence is building up over the last couple of races and the legs are coming around. Things are heading in the right direction.”

The reigning Irish under-23 time-trial champion was meant to have had a week off last week but a training crash involving one of his team-mates, who suffered a broken collar bone and shoulder, meant he was drafted in to race the O Gran Camiño at the eleventh hour.

Unphased by his unexpected start in the event, the 20 year-old started with a bang, finishing a super second in the opening TT.

Even though he is in his first pro year, Rafferty has already shown he’s ready for the step up from under-23 to the pro ranks after riding very strongly in two one day races during the Mallorca Challenge and at the five-stage Etoile de Bessèges (2.1) in France.

And he continued to shine in north western Spain last week, impressing over the TT course, which was 14.8km long, with a 1.5km incline, averaging 4.8 per cent, in the first third, to take second before ending O Gran Camiño, which was won by Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), in 17th place overall.

“I was a long way from the win, but the guy that won is probably one of the best, so it was good to be involved,” he acknowledged.

He followed that eye-catching performance in Spain up with an even more impressive outing at the Trofeo Laigueglia on Wednesday, during which he finished in sixth place overall.

“It was just a one-day race, but sixth overall was good,” he beamed. “It’s the first time in a road race this year I’ve been part of the winning move and actually going for the win until the last 10K, so it was nice.”

Darren is now looking forward to his first World Tour event,the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, which gets underway on March 18th and runs until March 24th.

And it’s an opportunity he’s relishing to take and he hopes to build on his bright start to life at the top level: “It’s never easy just to get on a squad for the bigger races, first of all, but to get a result is something completely different.

“But I think, overall, I’m heading in the right direction, and I have my first World Tour event on March 18th, which will be my first chance with the full field of World Tour teams so that will be nice.”