Lara Gillespie has gone closer to a stage win at Rás na mBan than any other Irish rider so far in the 2019 edition, taking 3rd at the Kilkenny Criterium.
The 17-year-old, who is impressing on the road despite coming off the back of a track campaign, rounded out the podium after the 31.5km race ended in a bunch sprint.
While the evening stage, which followed a Saturday morning TT, was short and sharp, less than half the field finished in what remained if the peloton sprinting for victory.
And in the dash to the finish line it was Norway's Amalie Lutro (Team Region Sør) who proved fastest; the 19-year-old piping Elynor Backstedt (17) of Storey Racing.
The came Ireland's Gillespie, just behind the winner and runner-up; a very strong result though no surprise considering her power and speed.
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The only other Irish rider in the top 10 was three-time Irish elite road race champion Lydia Boylan; the Torelli-Assure-Madison woman in 9th place.
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Such was the intensity of the racing that just 37 riders were in the leading group, and just five of those were Irish.
As well as Gillespie and Boylan in 3rd and 9th, Maeve Gallagher, Alice Sharpe and Katharine Smyth ( all Team Ireland) were also in that front group along with Sharon Bird of Cycling Ulster.
The result saw no real change in the general standings; Claire Steels of the Brother UK Fusion team holding the race leader's jersey she took from Josie Knight (Great Britain) in the morning TT.
Knight, the winner of the first three stages, is 2nd
overall with one stage remaining and she is just six seconds off the lead.
Her Great Britain team mate Anna Shackley is 3rd at 16
seconds. With two riders in the top three overall, Team GB will be expected to
go on the offensive tomorrow.
Maeve Gallagher of the Irish national team is best Irish
rider overall, in 6th place at 1:52. Her team mate Alice Sharpe is 8th at 2:23
with Gillespie 11th at 7:24.
Stage 5: Kilkenny Criterium (31.5km)
- LUTRO Amalie Team Region Sør 46:40
- BACKSTEDT Elynor Storey Racing
- GILLESPIE Lara National Team Ireland
- JOHNSON Ione Cycle Team onForm
- TINDLEY Jo Velo Performance
- MATHISEN Silje Team Region TeVeBU
- SHACKLEY Anna National Team Great Britain
- FLATAAS Marie CK Victoria
- BOYLAN Lydia Torelli-Assure-Madison
- TACEY April Brother UK Fusion RT
- ELLIS Isabel Storey Racing
- FELDMANN Pernille Larsen Team Region Sør
- SHARPE Alice National Team Ireland
- HERMANOVSKÁ Hana Torelli-Assure-Madison
- GJØS Martine CK Victoria
- MCDERMOTT Ellen Team Noord-Holland
- STEELS Claire Brother UK Fusion RT
- JØRGENSEN Tiril Team Region TeVeBU
- MIDTSVEEN Natalie Irene Team Region TeVeBU
- GRINCZER Natalie Brother UK Fusion RT
General Classification
- STEELS Claire Brother UK Fusion RT 8:28:39
- KNIGHT Josie National Team Great Britain 0:06
- SHACKLEY Anna National Team Great Britain 0:16
- GRINCZER Natalie Brother UK Fusion RT 0:51
- BACKSTEDT Elynor Storey Racing 1:20
- GALLAGHER Maeve National Team Ireland 1:52
- PATCH Molly Brother UK Fusion RT 2:10
- SHARPE Alice National Team Ireland 2:23
- TACEY April Brother UK Fusion RT 5:37
- TINDLEY Jo Velo Performance 7:06
- GILLESPIE Lara National Team Ireland 7:24
- OLSEN Elise Marie Team Region TeVeBU 7:32
- BENTLEY Olivia TW1 Racing 7:43
- MATHISEN Silje Team Region TeVeBU 8:18
- ELLIS Isabel Storey Racing 8:40
- THOMPSON Poppy Jadan-Weldtite Vive le Velo 8:43
- LUTRO Amalie Team Region Sør 8:44
- JONES Jasmine Storey Racing 8:46
- BENT Olivia Jadan-Weldtite Vive le Velo 8:53
- HARLEY-JEPSON Beth Jadan-Weldtite Vive le Velo 8:56
- ENEVER Sophie Jadan-Weldtite Vive le Velo 9:01
- BOYLAN Lydia Torelli-Assure-Madison
- MIDTSVEEN Natalie Irene Team Region TeVeBU 9:06
- GJØS Martine CK Victoria 9:10
- LEEUWEN Marianne van Team Noord-Holland 9:32
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