Britain's Eileen Roe riding for WV Breda Maniue.nl team wins stage 6 of An Post Rás na mBan (Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan)
By Brian Canty
Eileen Roe won today’s sixth and final leg of the An Post Rás na mBan in Ennis, Co Clare.
The Scottish woman riding for WV Breda Manieu.nl brought home a bunch of 31 riders at the end of an action-packed 85-kilometre stage.
Third over the line was overnight race leader Stephanie Pohl of the South Netherlands-Energy HR team.
And because she was in the same time as stage-winner Roe, who was 2nd overall going into the stage and just 7 seconds down; Pohl held onto the pink jersey, capping a marvellous week for her.
It was a thrilling final stage today with so much to play for on the 85km from Dromoland to Ennis.
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From a domestic perspective, all eyes were on Lydia Boylan (Team WNT) and Eve McCrystal (Garda) who both started the day inside the top 10 in the general standings and within 26 and 36 seconds, respectively, of the race lead.
Ellinor Huusko of Team Rytger leads the chasing bunch up the last climb of the day on the final stage at Rás na mBan (Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan)
With two categorised climbs to contest, the race was anything but a foregone conclusion and plenty riders tried to get up the road.
Kirsten Peetom (WV Breda-Manieul.nl) kicked off the attacking while Helene Gerard (Team Breizh Ladies) was clear by herself prior to the second and final categorised climb, though she was caught within sight of the top.
The next serious attempt to break clear came from the aforementioned Irish duo who clipped off the front coming towards the finish.
At one stage held a gap of around 15 seconds on the bunch, led by Pohl and her team.
Boylan only needed 26 seconds to take the jersey and she gave it all she had, as did McCrystal.
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Eve McCrystal, winner of the best Irish rider classification, on the podium in Ennis at the end of An Post Rás na mBan (Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan)
They rode incredibly well to stay out front as long as they did but ultimately ran out of legs in the final kilometre.
That paved the way for the bunch sprint which Roe won ahead of double stage winner Grace Garner (Team RST) from England with Pohl (South Netherlands-Energy HR) rounding out the podium.
Pohl is the second German winner of the event following Stephanie Gronow's victory in the first event in 2006.
Emma Norsgaard Jorgensen took the Womenscycling.ie Young Rider classification to go alongside her stage two stage success; an incredible tally for an athlete who only turned 16-years-old a couple of months ago.
However, the Danish teenager was pipped for the points classification by Grace Garner whose second place today pushed her one point in front.
The jersey wearers at the end of the An Post Rás na mBan today were from left; Grace Garner, RST Racing Team (points), Eileen Roe WV Breda Manieu.nl (stage winner), Mirthe Wagenaar WV Breda Manieu.nl (climbers'), Stephanie Pohl South Netherlands (overall), Emma Norsgaard Jorgensen, Team Rytger (young rider) and Eve McCrystal Garda CC, best Irish rider. (Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan)
The climbers' classification had already been secured by Mirthe Wagenaar (WV Breda-Manie.nl), while McCrystal (Richie's Garda CC) held the best Irish rider jersey throughout the week and retained it all the way.
The best British rider award went the way of Natalie Grinczer (Fusion RT) while top junior was Norsgaard Jorgensen.
Best team was the Fusion RT squad of Natalie Grinczer, Rebecca Nixon, Eleanor Campbell, Jennifer Hudson and Elizabeth Stedman.
The best Irish team award went to the Richie's Garda CC squad of McCrystal, Catherine McAteer, Orla Montague, Karen Robinson and Claire McIlwaine.
For full results click here
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