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Adam Rafferty got his second World Tour call-up of the season, two of three U23 Irish riders in the field riding for World Tour teams (Photo: Massimo Fulgenzi-Sprint Cycling Agency)<\/p>\nAdam Rafferty got his second World Tour call-up of the season, two of three U23 Irish riders in the field riding for World Tour teams (Photo: Massimo Fulgenzi-Sprint Cycling Agency)<\/p>\n
The 190km Giro della Toscana (1.1) was won in dominant fashion today by one of the young riders of the season, Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), but also in the field, still serving their apprenticeships, were three young Irish riders.<\/p>\n
And two of those, Adam Rafferty (19) and Jamie Meehan (22) were riding for World Tour teams; Meehan in the first outing as a fully fledged Cofidis rider and Rafferty getting his second call up of the season to the Team Jayco AlUla World Tour squad.<\/p>\n
Though Rafferty is riding for Hagens Berman Jayco this season, a UCI Continental team, he is eligible to be called up to its \u2018parent\u2019 team. And having already ridden for it at Coppi e Bartali\u00a0(2.1) back in March, he was once again part of the World Tour formation in Italy today.<\/p>\n
The youngest of the three riders in action today, first-year U23 Killian O\u2019Brien, was competing for his Mexican-registered Petrolike team. The riders faced 2,400 of elevation gain, including two passages of Monte Serra; 8.3km averaging 7.2 per cent gradient and crested 82km and 27.5km from the finish.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien was asked by his team to get into the breakaway and so did his best to get off the front in the opening hour. However, when the main breakaway of the day went, none of the Irish riders were in it.<\/p>\n
Once the breakaway went, the next couple of hours of racing was steadier, though the main field went into the base of the first passage of Monte Serra very hard. However, though O\u2019Brien found himself off the back of the remains of the bunch by the time they reached the summit, he got back on in a small group that also included Rafferty.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter we got on it was a case of trying to recover for the next climb (the second passage of Monte Serra) and I was in a better position that time,\u201d added O\u2019Brien. \u201cAt the bottom of the climb, UAE just absolutely smashed it. I was doing 400 watts sitting on a wheel and I was thinking \u2018I can\u2019t do this for 25 minutes\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
At that point, O\u2019Brien decided to pace himself to the top and got into a small group that included some of his team mates. They were picked up by a group of about 20 riders in the final kilometre, with Meehan and Rafferty in it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was happy to finish,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cI struggled in the race at the weekend (GP Industria & Artigianato, 1.Pro), I didn\u2019t have the legs I was hoping for. But I was happy with today, I had good legs. The form is coming on and hopefully in the Euros I\u2019ll have similar legs as today.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was nice to race with Jamie and Adam. Jamie was doing a lot of pulling coming into that last climb. I was a bit surprised because I saw him drilling it at the front and we were going 50-55km an hour on a flat road, and he\u2019s not a big guy. So he must have been smashing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the final, del Toro attacked on the second passage of the climb, going solo with 27km to go and finishing 15 seconds up on Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling), who won the sprint for 2nd with Steff Cras (TotalEnergies) 3rd.<\/p>\n
The Irish riders were part of a group of almost 30 that finished 8:51 down; O\u2019Brien 82nd, Rafferty 88th and Meehan 89th; a very useful outting for O\u2019Brien and Rafferty as they prepare for the U23 road race at the Europeans in three weeks. <\/p>\n
Rafferty is provisionally down to ride Tour of Slovenia, again with the World Tour team, starting next Wednesday. O\u2019Brien rides Memorial Marco Pantani\u00a0(1.1) on Saturday, when Meehan is riding Coppa Sabatini\u00a0(1.Pro) tomorrow, Thursday.<\/p>\n
..aaaaand after shocking turn of events, we have Torito solo at the front #GirodellaToscana<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/yJH2JSlEoh<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Eemeli (@LosBrolin) September 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n #GiroDellaToscana<\/a>\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9\ud83d\udeb4\u200d\u2642\ufe0f#EscarabajosXElMundo<\/a>\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf4\ud83d\udeb4\u200d\u2642\ufe0f<\/p>\n Otra victoria para @ISAACDELTOROx1<\/a>, el mexicano de @TeamEmiratesUAE<\/a>, se queda con el triunfo en el Giro della Toscana, Pontedera-Pontedera (189.4 km)<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf8 Eurosport pic.twitter.com\/l130a9wdQn<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 LA RUEDA COLOMBIA \ud83d\udeb4\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf4\ud83d\udeb4 (@LaRuedaColombia) September 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t