Océane Goergen (Claris Automobiles Ladynamips RVC) has won the opening stage of Rás na mBan in Co Kilkenny this evening, with the French rider also claiming the first race leader's jersey at Ireland's premier stage race.
Of the 19 Irish riders in the 86-rider field, five of them were in the lead group of 45 sprinting it out for victory into Freshford, with Erin Creighton (Team Ireland) going close to a victory.
However, she had to be content with 3rd place, behind winner Goergen and runner-up Alice McWilliam (Team Phoenix).
Aine Doherty, competing again this week for Team Ireland, was the first of the home riders to strike out on the 79km stage, on a day when the Team Ireland riders were to the fore out on the road.
Doherty, the elite national criterium champion, made her move up the road just after McWilliam had won the first intermediate sprint with just over 30km completed.
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However, though Doherty pulled out a gap, she was left dangling off the front on her own and so soon went back to the peloton; her efforts to get a breakaway going coming to nothing.
Next up was the first categorised climb of the week, the 1.5km Kearney's Hill, where Noémie Abgrall (Ladynamips RVC) led the way from Esther Wong of Team Ireland.
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And though the field had been thinned out on the climb, with a crosswind to follow, there was a regrouping after the ascent as the field raced towards the 2.7km climb of Rathealy.
Across the top, France's Abgrall led the way again from Wong, ensuring she will wear the Wicklow 200 queen of the mountains jersey tomorrow.
And though plenty of riders went out the back of the bunch on the climb, a large group went over the top intact, with just a fast 6km down the climb and into the finish remaining.
In the end, it was a tight finish in Freshford, with Goergen winning from McWilliam and Creighton, who took the 'best young rider' classification jersey after her podium finish.
Linda Kelly (Cycling Ireland Women's Commission) took 19th on the stage and was the best Irish rider not on the national team. That means she takes the Kilkenny County Council 'best Irish rider' classification leader's jersey.
The race continues tomorrow with stage 2 taking the riders 102km from Kilkenny to Gorey, with the Sliabh Buí and Ballymore climbs coming in the final third of the stage.
Ballymore comes just 13km from the finish and has the potential to act as a launch pad for a winning attack, especially if the weather is poor tomorrow.
