Kate Richardson of the Alba Development team has taken a deserved general classification win at Rás na mBan after the final day of action today, with a crash on the final stage and a couple of bike changes almost derailing her efforts.
The 19-year-old won the 2.5km morning TT at Kilkenny Castle this morning, beating race leader Lieke Zeelst (Greenmount Cycling Academy) by five seconds. It appeared the two women were then level on time at the top of the overall standings, though Richardson took the race lead by virtue of being 0.13 of a second faster than Zeelst in the TT.
Richardson then went into the final criterium stage this afternoon with no comfort zone and when she crashed with six laps to go the destination of the final overall win was very much in the balance. Despite suffering a mechanical as a result of that fall - and also needing to change bikes twice - the young Scot kept her head and managed to hold her place in the bunch after a lap out, which was permitted for all crashed riders.
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In the end, Richardson finished 9th on the stage just one place ahead of stage 2 winner and former race leader Zeelst, which meant Richardson wrapped up overall victory from the Dutch woman by 0.13 seconds after six stages of racing.
The final stage went to Maddie Leech of Cams-Basso. She had finished 2nd in the TT this morning and was so close to the win; missing out to Richardson by less that four tenths of a second.
However, Leech has clearly come out of this race in great shape and after coming so close to victory in the TT she attacked in the final kilometre of the criterium today, got a gap and took the victory.
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Three seconds behind her, Lucy Lee and Tiffany Keep, both of Cycle Team LDN, were 2nd and 3rd. Double stage winner Lara Gillespie (Team Ireland) was best of the Irish today, in 4th place, after she was caught up in the same crash as Richardson.
Overall winner Richardson was 2nd on the opening two stages, won stage 3 and also won the morning TT today meaning she won the points classification as well as the final overall. The Scottish rider also collected the climbers' classification.
Amelia Tyler (Cycling Ulster) won the best Irish rider classification. Cycling Ulster were also best Irish team overall while Cams Basso won the international team classification.
In the overall, aside from Richardson taking victory by 0.13 seconds from Zeelst, Becky Storrey (Cams Basso) rounded out the general classification podium, some 32 seconds down on the winner. Gillespie was best-placed Irish rider overall, in 11th place at 1:14.
More to come.
