Olivia Dillon during the opening stage crit at the Sea Otter Classic (Photo: Julie Braunstein)
Former national champion and 2011 Rás na mBan winner, Olivia Dillon is riding well for her US pro team having taken second on a tough road stage of the Sea Otter Classic and occupying second overall after three of four stages.
Dillon’s ‘NOW & Novartis for MS’ team has put up a dominant display in the opening stages of the major US women’s race in California, with Dillon’s team mate Alison Powers holding the GC lead.
In the opening criterium stage on Thursday, Dillon and her team mates gave Powers a the perfect lead out resulting in her taking the bunch sprint for victory after 35km, with Dillon finishing ninth some seven seconds back.
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On the second stage - a road race on Saturday - Powers was again the dominant rider, leaving the rest of the field to take a strong victory on the uphill finish. Just behind, some aggressive riding from Dillon saw her go clear with Loren Rowney (Specialized- Lululemon), with Dillon winning the summit two-up sprint to take second on the stage some 38 seconds down on Powers.
That moved the Irish women up to third overall, with double stage winner Powers in yellow.
Dillon was then fifth in the TT third stage yesterday, finish the 12.6km test 1:05 down on her team mate Powers. That ride moved the Irish woman up to second overall, 2:03 behind Powers and 15 seconds ahead of third placed rider, Jessica Cutler (Peterson Racing).
The women face the final stage today, Sunday; a two-hour circuit race around Laguna Seca Raceway; a motor racing track. We’ll keep you posted later on how Dillon performs on that final stage; she seems to be in good form.
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