The Irish women have enjoyed a very strong opening stage at Kreiz Breizh Elites Dames (2.2) in France; getting into the breakaway and placing on the stage.
Irish national road race champion Alice Sharpe forged her way into the escape, riding for the World Cycling Centre pro team, in her new Irish champion's livery.
She was best placed of the Irish on the stage, taking 7th place and also securing the king of the mountains jersey to wear on tomorrow's stage 2.
Lydia Gurley and Lauren Creamer of the Irish national team weren't too far behind her today, placing 10th and 11th on the stage as the bunch fractured on the uphill finish into Belle-Isle-en-Terre after 121km.
Sharpe rode a stormer of a stage and though she ended the day 7th she was very unlucky not to take more from it.
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The Irish road and track international went for the climbers' points on a climb about 30km into the stage.
She went over the top of the climb first and was chased hard by France's Maina Galand and Norwegian Stine Borgli (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope).
They pressed on together despite 90km of racing to come and working well as a unit they gained 2½ minutes on the bunch at one point.
While the three riders pushed on and looked like they may maintain their gap, six laps of a technical finishing circuit undid them.
With just half a lap left the gap was down to close to 30 seconds, proving the opportunity for two riders to jump across from the bunch to the leaders.
As the five up front headed to the finish line the peloton - with most of the national team riders in it - was closing fast.
At the finish the very front of the peloton got onto the back of the breakaway.
However, while the two riders Sharpe had been clear with were swallowed up and did not place, the Irish champion proved stronger.
She held on for 7th as her team mate Teniel Campbell put in a late surge on the uphill finish to win solo.
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From Trinidad and Tobago, she claimed the stage by three seconds from Briton Anna Henderson, with Ingvild Gaskjenn (Hitec Products) in 3rd a further three seconds back.
Sharpe was 7th at eight seconds and is in the same position overall. The 25-year-old is 2nd in the climbers classification, with 16 points to Borgli's 20.
However, Borgli also leads the points classification meaning the polka dot jersey passes to Sharpe for tomorrow's stage.
As well as Gurley and Creamer taking 10th and 11th - both 11 seconds down - Katharine Smyth was 26th at 32 seconds.
Grace Young, who is also on the national team in France, was just four places further back at 1:27.
Unfortunately Ellen McDermott was in a group outside the time limit, on a day when 18 riders were either timed out or abandoned.
The race continues tomorrow with the second and concluding stage, some 119km from Belle-Isle-en-Terre to Ploumagoar.
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