“I grew up doing TTs. Even though I’ve taken my eye off the ball a little bit in the last number of years I love them and am passionate about them.”
The women’s race saw a more dominant victory by defending champion Kelly Murphy . She covered the distance almost two full minutes quicker than 2022 runner-up Joanna Patterson . Linda Kelly was a further 16 seconds back in third. “You spend a lot of time training on your own so you never know where you’re going to compare next to other people, I guess. So it’s nice to know it pays off.”Hosted by Island Wheelers, the course had a final drag to the line which gave the stronger riders a chance to dig in and make the difference.
Rafferty’s younger brother Aaron had a tougher battle. Last year’s bronze medallist beat Liam O’Brien by five seconds and Patrick Casey by 12.