Mia Griffin sprinted to her second victory in three days of this year’s Rás na mBan to continue her DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK team’s domination of the race. The Kilkenny rider led home American Heidi Franz (Monarch Racing) in second, and Noor Dekker (JEGG DJR Academy) in third on the challenging third stage. Griffin’s win extends her lead at the top of the general classification.
Featured image: Lorraine O’Sullivan
Report
The stage, which marked Rás na mBan’s debut in County Wexford, began under warm conditions in Kilkenny City. The 104-kilometre route featured 1,206 metres of elevation and two categorised climbs, providing a demanding challenge for the riders.
A flurry of short-lived attacks defined the early part of the race, but the peloton remained largely intact until the uncategorised drag leading to the intermediate sprint at the 38-kilometre mark. Griffin claimed maximum points in the sprint, followed closely by sisters Aoife and Caoimhe O’Brien, who earned valuable bonus seconds as well.
Image: Lorraine O’Sullivan
The most significant break of the day came from Canadian rider Annabelle Thomas (Primeau Vélo Groupe Abadie), who managed to pull clear of the peloton and build a one-minute lead. However, her solo effort was reeled in just before the second-category climb of Sliabh Buí, after a 27-kilometre stint off the front.
Sliabh Buí, with its punishing 18.6% gradient, shattered the peloton into several groups. By the summit, only a small selection of the top contenders remained at the head of the race. In the battle for the Queen of the Mountains jersey, reigning champion Manon de Boer (NWVG-Uplus) outdueled Lucy Lee (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) to close the gap to just two points.
In the approach to the second categorised climb of the day at Ballymore, Frankie Hall (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) and Jazmine Lavergne (Primeau Vélo Groupe Abadie) launched a strong attack. The duo built a one-minute advantage, surviving a spirited chase led by Franz on the Ballymore climb. Hall claimed maximum QOM points, with Lavergne in second.
Despite the strong efforts of Team Ireland, JEGG-DJR, and Dan Morrissey to close the gap, the leaders were only caught with five kilometres to go. In a familiar strategy, DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK took control at the front to set up a perfect lead-out for Griffin, who powered across the line for her second stage victory.
Image: Lorraine O’Sullivan
Griffin’s win also strengthens her leads in the Cycling Ireland Points and Kilkenny County Council Best Irish Rider classifications. Meanwhile, Caoimhe O’Brien added to her advantage in the Sport Ireland Best Young Rider standings.
The race continues tomorrow with the return of the popular Kilkenny to The Rower stage, featuring three categorised climbs and 1,041 metres of elevation over the 101-kilometre route.
Mia Griffin sprinted to her second victory in three days of this year’s Rás na mBan to continue her DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK team’s domination of the race. The Kilkenny rider led home American Heidi Franz (Monarch Racing) in second, and Noor Dekker (JEGG DJR Academy) in third on the challenging third stage. Griffin’s win extends her lead at the top of the general classification.
Featured image: Lorraine O’Sullivan
Report
The stage, which marked Rás na mBan’s debut in County Wexford, began under warm conditions in Kilkenny City. The 104-kilometre route featured 1,206 metres of elevation and two categorised climbs, providing a demanding challenge for the riders.
A flurry of short-lived attacks defined the early part of the race, but the peloton remained largely intact until the uncategorised drag leading to the intermediate sprint at the 38-kilometre mark. Griffin claimed maximum points in the sprint, followed closely by sisters Aoife and Caoimhe O’Brien, who earned valuable bonus seconds as well.
The most significant break of the day came from Canadian rider Annabelle Thomas (Primeau Vélo Groupe Abadie), who managed to pull clear of the peloton and build a one-minute lead. However, her solo effort was reeled in just before the second-category climb of Sliabh Buí, after a 27-kilometre stint off the front.
Sliabh Buí, with its punishing 18.6% gradient, shattered the peloton into several groups. By the summit, only a small selection of the top contenders remained at the head of the race. In the battle for the Queen of the Mountains jersey, reigning champion Manon de Boer (NWVG-Uplus) outdueled Lucy Lee (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) to close the gap to just two points.
In the approach to the second categorised climb of the day at Ballymore, Frankie Hall (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) and Jazmine Lavergne (Primeau Vélo Groupe Abadie) launched a strong attack. The duo built a one-minute advantage, surviving a spirited chase led by Franz on the Ballymore climb. Hall claimed maximum QOM points, with Lavergne in second.
Despite the strong efforts of Team Ireland, JEGG-DJR, and Dan Morrissey to close the gap, the leaders were only caught with five kilometres to go. In a familiar strategy, DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK took control at the front to set up a perfect lead-out for Griffin, who powered across the line for her second stage victory.
Griffin’s win also strengthens her leads in the Cycling Ireland Points and Kilkenny County Council Best Irish Rider classifications. Meanwhile, Caoimhe O’Brien added to her advantage in the Sport Ireland Best Young Rider standings.
The race continues tomorrow with the return of the popular Kilkenny to The Rower stage, featuring three categorised climbs and 1,041 metres of elevation over the 101-kilometre route.
Results
Stage 3
General classification
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