After a fairly leisurely breakfast, the bikes were loaded onto the team car and Steve drove us to the start of the stage, in the town of Waterville.
This 56 mile stage took us over "Mick Murphy's Hill" - a Cat 3 climb, around Valentia Island and over a shorter, Cat 2 climb up to the Geokaun Mountain Centre, before crossing the bridge back onto the mainland.
As we passed through the towns and villages, the locals (including large groups of school children) had come out to watch the race and cheer us on. Very special :-)
The bunch fragmented early on in the race after a strong attack up the first climb. However, a number of riders who had been "dropped" up the climb (including Sarah) chased for seemingly miles but eventually caught the main bunch again. Crossing over to Valentia Island, there was a strong headwind and a crosswind made the race around the island rather challenging.
The bunch split up again over the second climb. Guest rider Kim stayed away in the break of five riders for the rest of the race and finished second overall. Chapeau!
Iona, Steph and Sarah did varying amounts of chasing but all ended up in the main bunch as the race crossed the bridge back onto the mainland. There was a moment of drama as the bunch split in two different directions. Which way were we supposed to be going? Yet more chasing before a feisty bunch finish in Waterville.
A fantastic course and a great race with some fantastic riding from all members of the team.
Positions for stage 2: Kim 2nd, Sarah 19th, Iona 21st, Steph 27th
GC: Kim 2nd, Iona 16th, Sarah 23rd, Steph 30th
Team: 3rd overall
(Photos taken by Jill Leonard of Eurosport Photography)
This 56 mile stage took us over "Mick Murphy's Hill" - a Cat 3 climb, around Valentia Island and over a shorter, Cat 2 climb up to the Geokaun Mountain Centre, before crossing the bridge back onto the mainland.
As we passed through the towns and villages, the locals (including large groups of school children) had come out to watch the race and cheer us on. Very special :-)
The bunch fragmented early on in the race after a strong attack up the first climb. However, a number of riders who had been "dropped" up the climb (including Sarah) chased for seemingly miles but eventually caught the main bunch again. Crossing over to Valentia Island, there was a strong headwind and a crosswind made the race around the island rather challenging.
The bunch split up again over the second climb. Guest rider Kim stayed away in the break of five riders for the rest of the race and finished second overall. Chapeau!
Iona, Steph and Sarah did varying amounts of chasing but all ended up in the main bunch as the race crossed the bridge back onto the mainland. There was a moment of drama as the bunch split in two different directions. Which way were we supposed to be going? Yet more chasing before a feisty bunch finish in Waterville.
A fantastic course and a great race with some fantastic riding from all members of the team.
Positions for stage 2: Kim 2nd, Sarah 19th, Iona 21st, Steph 27th
GC: Kim 2nd, Iona 16th, Sarah 23rd, Steph 30th
Team: 3rd overall
(Photos taken by Jill Leonard of Eurosport Photography)
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