Sharpe and Armitage aggressive for Team Ireland in French opener

*Alice Sharpe on the front in the green of Ireland on today's opening stage at Kreiz Breizh Elites Dames in France (Photo with thanks to Patrice Fouques)*

Alice Sharpe and Megan Armitage of Team Ireland were on the move up the road today on the opening stage of Kreiz Breizh Elites Dames (2.2) in France.

Former national
champion, Sharpe, was in the front group until the climbs in the finale of the
race took their toll and split that group; the Irish rider eventually slipping
back.

Meanwhile,
Armitage was back the road in what little remained of the peloton and with two
laps remaining of the six finishing circuit laps she decided to attack.

*The four-rider winning move contained two riders from Team DSM and two from Jumbo Visma and it was Jumbo's Anna Henderson who prevailed (Photo: Franz-Renan Joly)*

The 24-year-old, who is making her debut for Ireland this week, managed to gap the group she was in and gain over a minute on them by the finish.

In the end the
stage was won by Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma), who beat fellow British rider Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM) in the sprint for victory from the breakaway.

Anouska Koster (Jumbo-Visma) was 3rd,
with Floortje Mackaij (Team DSM)
in 4th; the four-rider front group all finishing on the same time.

*Megan Armitage has to take evasive action to avoid a crash during her first outing in the green of Ireland*

There next group,
which Sharpe had been in before being distanced, numbered 17 riders on the
finish line, where they were 53 seconds down on the leading quarter.

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Sharpe finished on her own, in 22nd place and 4:09 down on the stage winner. And behind her came compatriot Armitage; in 23rd place and 59 seconds down on Sharpe.

Over the final two laps, of six, of the hilly finishing circuit Armitage managed to put 52 seconds in the remains of the peloton; a very strong performance, especially for a rider new to this level.

*Everyone loves the Irish, just ask this guy by the roadside in France today*

Imogen Cotter,
another debutant for Ireland today, was also in that main bunch six minutes
down on the winner while the other members of the Irish team were a little further
back on the road.

The speed and the
climbs had shredded the field over 124km of racing into Pontrieux,
on a day when the big pro teams really took the racing on.

Mia Griffin finished in 76th in a small 13:32 down. First-year U23 riders, and elite debutants for their country, Caoimhe O'Brien and Lucy O’Donnell were in 78th and 81st, some 14:38 and 16:39 down respectively.

*With plenty of top quality riders from the pro teams in the race the opening stage split to pieces and 18 of the starters didn't make it through the day*

A large number of riders, 16 in total, abandoned the race
on today’s opening stage of two and another two women were eliminated after
being outside the time limit.

Tomorrow’s stage 2 is an undulating 133.6km from Saint-Connan to Ploumagoar, with four categorised climbs and plenty
of other lumps along the way.