Darren Rafferty remains a superb second overall in Giro Next Gen

Darren Rafferty maintained his superb second place overall in the Giro Next Gen in Italy on Thursday, finishing alongside all his main rivals on what was a tough stage disputed by a duo of breakaway riders.

British rider Luke Nerurkar (Trinity Racing) was first to the line in Manerba del Garda, powering clear of the Norwegian Trym Brennsaeter (Equipe Continentale Groupama-FDJ) inside the uphill final kilometre and finishing three seconds clear.

An eight-man chase group rolled in 11 seconds back, with Rafferty and the other overall contenders in a bigger 31 man bunch an additional six seconds behind.

Time bonuses during the stage saw Rafferty (Hagens Berman Axeon) lose a second to Norwegian race leader Johannes Staune-Mittet (Jumbo-Visma Development Team), who won the intermediate sprint on the climb of Lumezzane ahead of the Irishman. Staune-Mittet is now 19 seconds ahead, while Rafferty adds one second to his advantage over the rider in third, Alexy Faure Prost (Circus – ReUz – Technord).

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The Frenchman is now 20 seconds behind the Dungannon rider in the overall standings.

Rafferty finished second on the climb of Passo Tre Termini and added four points to his King of the Mountains tally. He moved up a place to second overall in that classification, and stays sixth in the points standings. He continues to lead the combined classification.

The Giro Next Gen is the under-23 version of the famed Giro d’Italia, and is one of the most prestigious races in that age category. It is regarded as an important predictor of future success, and Rafferty’s performance boosts the chances of him securing a big pro contract.

Friday’s stage features a climb early on but is otherwise either flat or downhill, making a bunch sprint likely. Saturday’s leg is one of the toughest of the week, with three first category climbs set to have a big influence the final general classification. The race concludes on Sunday with a less difficult undulating stage.