Fiona Mangan strikes for another stage win, seizes yellow jersey

*Fiona Mangan takes her second stage win in two days in Co Limerick and now has the yellow jersey with just one stage remaining (Photo with thanks to Dany Blondeel - The Belgian Project)*

Fiona Mangan has
taken her second stage victory in as many days at the Women’s Newcastle West
Stage Race, taking the yellow jersey in the process.

After an aggressive
ride yesterday, to take her first win after only coming to racing last year,
Mangan (25) was once again on her own at the end of today’s stage; four laps of
a 26km circuit in Knockaderry.

Mangan took the
victory by two seconds from Emma Jeffers (JRC Shutt Ridley). Darcey Harkness
then led in an 11-strong group some four seconds behind the winner.

Harkness took 3rd
on the stage, from Autumn Collins (Greenmount CA), Aoife O’Brien (Weston
Homes-Torelli-Assure), Cleo Harvey
(Ireland A) and Eva Brennan (Ireland A).

Race leader
Sharon Bird, the Ballymena CC rider who won the opening TT and was 2nd to
Mangan yesterday, only lost 15 seconds today, finishing in 21st.

However, that was
enough to lose her place at the top of the standings, with Mangan now in
yellow; leading by just 10 seconds from Bird, with Becky Woods (All
human-VeloRevolution) in 3^rd place at 27 seconds.

How it played out

While Mangan enjoyed
a fantastic stage, she didn’t have it all her own way today as her Greenmount
Cycling Academy team saw several if its riders crash.

However, the
Limerick club was determined to persevere and its riders remounted; no easy
task considering national junior champion Ella Doherty, in particular, took a
heavy fall.

With Mangan in great form this weekend and so close to yellow starting out today – just five seconds down on Bird – Greenmount CA was keen to seize the day. It set up Mangan for a late attack, designed to take the yellow jersey, and that final move worked out in their favour.

Mangan managed to shake off her rivals with that last attack with about 4km to go, which was a disappointment for Bird, who had kept her closest rival under control through the stage.

Once she got
clear of the group in the closing kilometres Mangan hit out hard for the line
to finish what was a great team effort.

And if the new race leader and her team can finish the job tomorrow it will be a big step forward for the Limerick club, which has developed into a very tidy outfit in the last few years.