The Irish TT champion and part of Ireland’s record-breaking team pursuit line-up over the winter, Kelly Murphy has enjoyed a day in the breakaway at the Asda Tour de Yorkshire.
Starting a day
after the men’s race, the women’s event got underway today with a 132km stage
from Barnsley to Bedale.
International
track and road rider Murphy, riding for Storey Racing, got up the road in the
main breakaway of the day.
The only Irish rider in the race; she missed the initial move, but bridged across with others to form what became a six-rider escape.
And while they
were caught and a bunch sprint decided the outcome, it was an assured ride by
Murphy.
She put herself into the centre of battle against some of the biggest teams in the world; the likes of former world champion Lizzie Deignan of Trek riding behind to bring the breakaway back.
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And as a bonus for Murphy, she got the measure of the course for the World Road Championships in Yorkshire in September, a lap of which formed part of today's route.
The racing failed to split up early on the stage but after a hotspot sprint at Pontefract Lizzie Banks (Bigla) pressed clear, with Leah Dixon (Brother UK Tifosi) then getting across to her.
They shared the workload and with a lack of urgency back
in the bunch, the two leaders pulled out two minutes.
Murphy would get across after the racing moved onto the world championships course for a lap.
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The Irish rider was with Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Valcar Cylance), Lauren Kitchen (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) and Ingrid Lorvik (Hitec Products) .
“It was on a flat narrow section about 1 hour and 15 minutes into the stage,” Murphy told stickybottle of her attack.
“l learned two had gone up the road and
l found a gap in the bunch. It was really wet and windy so l snatched the
chance to get away.
“I've been doing team pursuit on the
track all winter, so just drove it and immediately got a two minute gap,” she said,
adding the others then caught her and all three picked up the two leaders on
the climb around Harrogate.
They fought very hard all the way and while their gap was
below a minute for a long time they were only brought back with 3km to go.
Deignan had attacked hard after the breakaway with just over 22km remaining. Her attack, and surges by others, helped to reduce the gap to the leaders.
But it was the efforts of Parkhotel Valkenburg and then
Mitchelton-Scott that did the damage in ensuring the escape was eventually
caught.
That paved the way for a bunch sprint won by Lorena
Wiebes of Parkhotel Valkenburg from Christine Majerus (Boels-Dolmans) and
Alison Jackson (TIBCO-SVB).
Murphy was spent when she was caught and lost contact with the bunch; riding in one minute down but after giving a very good account of herself.
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