Esther Wong, the Irish track and cyclocross international, has claimed victory on the difficult final stage of Peaks Two Day in Britain. The first-year U23 rider went on the attack on the final stage in a bid to claim back time in the general classification.
However, when her solo move on the climb on the penultimate lap was closed down by the select group, she then kept her powder dry and focused on recovering for a sprint to the line.
Wong, who won the National Cyclocross Championships in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, in January, said she was delighted with her win, especially after "rocky start" to the new season with her chosen team Hess Cycling.
Issues emerged with the team in recent months, with the squad not registered as a UCI Continental team, though that was expected, and kit arriving late. Some of the riders competed in their first races as individuals and Wong was one of two of the original 14-rider roster to leave the set-up.
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She is now racing with Irish team Torelli, clearly shaking off those team-related issues to find her form at the weekend to win the final stage, of three, on Sunday. Fellow Irish rider Amelia Tyler, a 21-year-old racing with Handsling Alba Development Road Team, was also in the front group on stage 3, taking 6th after a strong ride.
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Wong won stage - some 85km starting and finishing in Harden - in a sprint from an 11-rider group, relegating stage 1 victor, Elizabeth Hermolle (DAS-Hutchinson), to 2nd place.
The Hess Cycling duo of Holly Ramsey and Kate Richardson were 3rd and 4th, with the top four finishing on the same time and the remainder of the front group stretched out over 23 seconds on the uphill finish.
Hermolle took the race lead on the opening stage - a 5.9km climbers' course to The Winking Man Pub in the Peak District - with Wong 9th at 37 seconds and Tyler 13th at 51 seconds.
On stage 2 - some 67km to Longor - victory went to Lucy Gadd (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team), who finished 41 seconds ahead of a three-rider group led in by Wong. Tyler was 16th, in a group at 5:39. Wong was 4th overall, some 45 seconds down on overall winner Gadd, with Tyler 9th at 6:00.
