Smith wins on The Cut as three Irish riders in Rás na mBan breakaway

*Abi Smith of Team GB wins today's stage 3 at Rás na mBan on the summit of The Cut in Co Laois (Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan)*

Rás na mBan race leader Abi Smith (Great Britain) has won stage 3 of the race on the summit finish of The Cut in Co Laois. She proved best of the 10-rider breakaway – containing three Irish riders – that went clear with about 15km to go.

Smith, who was 2^nd on the opening two stages, took the victory today from stage 1 winner, Kaia Schmid (LUX Cycling), and Anna Shackley (Great Britain). Best of the Irish was Alice Sharpe in 5th.

Team Ireland had Imogen Cotter, Sharpe and Kelly Murphy in the lead group that fought it out for stage honours, though British rider Smith won to extend her race lead ahead of tomorrow’s TT.

Today’s stage 3 took the riders 100.6km from Castlecomer to the climb of the The Cut in Co Laois in the Slieve Bloom Mountains. That final ascent to the line was one of two hard climbs in the final 20km of racing.

The race split to pieces on the first of those ascents, Wolftrap, where a 10-rider group pulled clear, with just under 15km to go to the finish. As well as Ireland's Sharpe, Cotter and Murphy, race leader Abi Smith was there too with her Team GB team mate Anna Shackley.

Also in the group was with yesterday’s stage 2 winner Loes Adegeest (Team Jan Van Arckel) along with former stage winner and queen of the mountains Natalie Grinczer (CAMS-Tifosi), Nicole Coates (Torelli-Assure-Cayman Islands-Scimitar) and Corinne Side (Pro-Noctis-Redchilli Bikes-Heidi Kjeldsen).

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Stage 1 winner, and junior track world champion, Kaia Schmid (LUX Cycling) was also in the breakaway, having missed the four-rider winning move yesterday when she was leading the race.

When the first time checks came
through after the Wolftrap climb, the leaders were 30 seconds up on a three-rider
chase group that included Kilkenny County Council best Irish rider
classification leader Linda Kelly (Cycling Munster). A second chasing group of
eight riders was at 1:30, with Fiona Mangan of Team Ireland among them.

Fernanda Yapura (Team Macadam’s Cowboys) managed to break
clear of the first chasing group and she got across to the leaders before The
Cut, making for 11 riders up front.

As the leaders moved onto the final climb and then reached the upper slopes, it was Schmid who was pushing the pace, along with Ireland’s Cotter; both trying to put the Great Britain team riders under pressure, especially race leader Smith.

However, Smith was up to the task and at the finish she was strongest; winning the stage from teenager Schmid, with Shackley in 3^rd place.

More to come.