Edendork cyclist Adam Rafferty signs first pro deal with Jayco AlUla
Edendork cyclist Adam Rafferty has signed his first professional contract
EDENDORK’S Adam Rafferty will step up to the WorldTour next season after signing his first professional contract with Jayco AlUla on an initial two-year deal.
The 21-year-old moves up from Hagens Berman Jayco’s U23 development squad, where he has spent the past three seasons, to join the team’s senior set-up alongside fellow young riders Ben Wiggins, Wil Holmes and Jed Smithson.
Jayco AlUla head of performance, Gene Bates, said the promotion of four riders from the development team was an exciting milestone for the organisation.
“It’s really exciting for us to have four up and coming guys moving into the WorldTour having come through our development team," he said.
"This has been a work in progress for a couple of years now, particularly with Ben, Adam and Wil. It is inspiring for us to see them make this transition after years of hard work.
Rafferty is no stranger to the demands of WorldTour racing, having been called up to guest for the senior team on several occasions over the past couple of years.
He rode with the squad in Japan recently, including at the Utsunomiya Japan Cup Road Race (1.Pro), where he spent more than 70km on the attack.
Rafferty has won the Irish time trial championship for the past five years, twice at junior level and three times as an U23 rider
Although he could have remained in the U23 category next season after three years at that level, Rafferty has opted to make the step up now, moving into the WorldTour structure he already knows.
Bates acknowledged that the transition would bring new challenges, but said the team was confident in the young riders’ potential.
"Their development doesn’t stop here, it is still a very big step up into the WorldTour but we are confident that they are on a good trajectory and will continue to develop well within our organisation and with a race programme that will suit their capabilities.
"They’re all different riders with different strength and weaknesses but we are confident that they will fit in well into the group.
"They have learnt a lot and progressed well in the devo team and we are sure that they will add great value to the team during the next two years.”