Fiona Mangan announces herself in style with big win in Limerick

*Out of Limerick: Fiona Mangan has taken victory on stage 1 of the Newcastle West Stage Race organised by Newcastle West Wheelers (Photo by Eamon Doody)*

She may be a relative newcomer to cycling but Fiona Mangan's name was already being mentioned on the grapevine as one to watch and today she announced herself with an impressive win.

The Greenmount Cycling Academy rider, who only took up racing last year when she participated in a small number of events, has taken a solo win on stage 1 of the Newcastle West Stage race.

However, while a delighted Mangan (25) was out front on her own at the of the contest today, yellow jersey Sharon Bird also rode a very strong race. The Ballymena Road Club rider retains the yellow jersey she took with her win in the prologue TT yesterday.

With three laps of the 25km circuit to complete today, including a climb each lap, Mangan took an aggressive approach despite her inexperience. When race leader Bird and Becky Woods (All human-VeloRevolution) went off the front early, Mangan went after them.

*The trio that animated the stage today, from left to right: Fiona Mangan, Beck Woods and the TT winner and race leader Sharon Bird (Photo by Eamon Doody)*

Those three women filled the podium
during yesterday’s 8.8km TT – Bird taking it from Woods and Mangan – so it was
perhaps no surprise to see the same trio taking it on today, and marking each
other closely.

On the first passage of the climb the trio got clear, though the bunch was in no mood to let them ride off into the sunset; pegging them back on a more open section of the course after the climb.

But next time around the same scenario
played out; Bird, Woods and Mangan getting off the front only to be recaptured
by the bunch, which had begun to thin out with two thirds of the stage
completed.

On the third and final lap, Mangan initially tried to get clear of the bunch solo, but she was closed down after short-live escape.

Sharon Bird may have been put in extreme pressure by Fiona Mangan in the finale, but the Ballymena Road Club woman - the Ulster hill climb champion and 5th in the National Road Championships two years ago - is still top of the general classification (Photo by Eamon Doody)

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As the race went onto the climb on the course, for the final time, Mangan was off the front again with race leader Bird, who was putting up a stout defence of yellow.

Those two stayed together up the climb
but coming down off it and sweeping in towards the finish Mangan managed to
shake off her rival in the downhill section and rode in for a solo victory.

Bird wasn’t too far back the road; taking 2nd place at just five seconds and also finishing on her own to hold onto her race lead.

Behind the two leaders, Woods finished
alone in 3rd place, some 23 seconds down and 14 seconds later came Emma
Jeffers (JRC Shutt Ridley) for 4th.

*The bunch sets out on today's 75km stage 1 at the Women's Newcastle West Stage Race in Co Limerick (Photo by Eamon Doody)*

A group of eight then arrived at the finish, sprinting for 5th place and some 48 seconds down on the winner.

That gallop for 5th was won by teenager Aoife O’Brien (Weston
Homes-Torelli-Assure); the junior rider still clearly with plenty left in the
tank after over two hours of racing.

The stage result means Bird is still top of the general standings, with two hard stages to come, though Mangan has closed up on her.

Bird now has yellow by five seconds
from Mangan, with Woods now 3^rd at 22 seconds and Jeffers in 4^th,
but now 1:13 off the race lead. Emma Desmond (Spellman Dublin Port) is 5^th
overall, at 1:14, while Carthach McCarthy (Blarney CC) in 6^th some
1:22 in arrears.