A big thank you to Jerome Rafferty from Fotozone Armagh for these beauties of shots…please credit Jerry if used on social media (NO commerciall use allowed)
The perfect credentials to become a pro stage rider…Darren Rafferty (Villeneuve Cycliste France) coming back from nasty injuries and 2 months of inactivity got himself back on track with an Irish record-breaking performance!! With junior gears taken on the elite fast riders and clocking a time of 18min 48sec!! That’s the Irish Junior 10 mile TT record smashed with 33 seconds!! An average of 51.4 km/h with restricted gears!!! Darren can climb too and a lethal sprint when needed… For an 18-year-old young fellow, he has manners and character which the Pro team always considers in their contract selection. Well done Darren…so chuffed for you and your family and your mates in Island Wheelers
It was a night with very fast times ….Lindsay Watson just unbeatable lately and his latest time of 18min 18 sec explains why!!… Marcus Christie back from a successful campaign in Majorca tried very hard to beat him but had to be happy with second place producing an explosive 18min 26sec time. The only other rider who broke the 19-minute barrier was Darren Rafferty. UNREAL comes to mind!! Jane Wilkinson won the fastest lady prize with a very quick time as well ( 22min 39 sec) An interesting battle that night was between John Madden and Greg Swinand in the M50 cat…1 second separated them, with John doing a 19min 55sec and Greg 19min 56 sec. 12 riders broke the 20 min barrier which indicates the high level the Ernie Magwood series produced…
