Neenan dedicates emotional Newry win to team mate Glodenyte

Jennifer Neenan was rightly delighted - and emotional - with her victory on stage 2 of the Newry Three Day today, the UCD CC rider just getting the better of Cycling Ulster's Jemma Speers (Photo: Sharon McFarland)

The women's race at the Newry Three Day may have been a battle of seconds on Friday's opening stage, but on the second day of action today massive gaps opened as two women dominated and a third put up an impressive performance in pursuit of them.

Jennifer Neenan emerged with the victory and dedicated that win to her UCD Cycling Club team mate, Gabriele Glodenyte. She won the Newry Three Day last year, taking two stage victories, but was tragically killed last month in a crash with a driver in a car while she was training.

Today's stage - two laps of the Camlough circuit for a race distance of 71km - saw Neenan and Jemma Speers (Cycling Ulster) take flight and put minutes into those behind them. Indeed, while both riders missed the stage 1 breakaway - and lost 58 seconds to the six riders in that escape group - that time loss is now undetectable in the general classification after stage 2.

*Lorraine Mullarkey put in a strong ride to take 3rd place on the stage and is now also 3rd overall (Photo: Sharon McFarland)*

While Aliyah Rafferty of Island Wheelers - the junior rider who took the climbers' jersey on stage 1 - won the first intermediate sprint today, Speers and Neenan made their move on the first climb of the day, about 35km into the stage.

Speers attacked, and was first over the top of the climb, with Neenan going after her before that duo quickly joining forces and began to open a gap. While Lorraine Mullarkey saw the danger and went after them while they were still in sight, she never made it. She then spent the remainder of the stage on her own between the leaders and the bunch.

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Neenan and Speers arrived at the finish line together today for a two-up sprint, with Neenan winning it. They were 2:34 up on UAE-based Mullarkey (Unattached), who took 3rd place. After Mullarkey, there was a gap of almost five minutes. The sprint from the bunch - for 4th on the stage - was taken by stage 1 victor and yellow jersey, Erin Creighton (Cycling Ulster). She was 7:27 down on stage winner and runner-up, Neenan and Speers.

*Yellow jersey Creighton managed to take 4th today, just ahead of the bunch, but has lost the race lead to Speers (Photo: Sharon McFarland)*

While Creighton managed to get the jump on the bunch, and appeared to open a gap on them, it wasn't enough to register an official time gap. She has now slipped from yellow to 4th overall, as the time gains by the top three today mean they are well clear at the top of the general standings with just one stage remaining.

Though Neenan won today, she and Speers are on the same time overall and it is Speers who will wear yellow tomorrow by virtue of her better stage placings over the last two days. Speers finished 14th yesterday as Neenan was 19th. Mullarkey is then 3rd overall, at 2:34, with Creighton 4th at 6:29.

There are then five riders - who were in the winning stage 1 breakaway - all equal on time with Creighton, filling places 5th to 9th. They are, in order: Aliyah Rafferty (Island Wheelers), Aine Doherty (Cycling Ulster), Annabel Ramsay (RFDA), Orla Walsh (UCD Cycling Club) and Darcey Harkness (Cycling Ulster).

Rafferty still leads the queen of the hills classification and also holds the junior classification lead while Creighton leads the points classification.