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DANNY BOY STAGE RACE
LIMAVADY
Roisin Kennedy - Cycling Ireland, leads the Danny Boy stage race held in Limavady, Northern Ireland after a convincing 1st stage win that saw her breakaway effort llead to an almost minute lone win. The 63 riders from Holland, Wales, Ulster and the English teams started into a windy cold day that was due to get worse mid way through the stage. With bonus time on offer on selected laps the pace was high from the start with many riders exiting via the rear of the bunch.
The major attack of the day came at the start of the 4th lap of this 84 kilometre stage when Roisin Kennedy jumped away to a very small lead of seconds but this was gradually built on as it seemd the rest of the field was not aware that she was away. Into the strong head wind for the final time Roisin was looking already a winner when she crossed the line 58 seconds before the chasing bunch hove into view with Helen Gutteridge - Team Luciano, claiming 2nd place ahead of Dutch rider Sabrina Kaatee - District Noord.
STAGE RESULT.
1. Roisin Kennedy Cycling Ireland 2hrs 5 mins 31secs
2. Helen Gutteridge Team Luciano at 58 secs
3. Sabrina Kaatee District Noord-Holland same time
4. Marlous Spargaarten Team Bianchi same time
5. Frieda Brown Cycling Ulsetr same time
6. Julie O'Hagan Cycling Ireland same time
7. Ann McFarland Cycling Ulster same time
8. Collette Swift Cycling Ireland same time
9. Tracy Clark Central Division same time
10. Sanne Hokke Team Bianchi same time
2nd STAGE - TIME TRIAL
It seemed the time trial at just 2.7 kilometres would not disturb the leaders too much but in fact several riders found themselves either going up or coming down the General classification as a result of these kilometres. Winner Collette Swift - Cycling Ireland was just 1 second in front of Kate Cullen - Letchworth Velo Club-Torelli Sport with Helen Gutteridge in 3rd place a further 2 seconds back. These time gaps chopped back on leader Kennedy's gap as she now has just 43 seconds to defend coming into the final stage tomorrow.
DANNY BOY STAGE RACE-- DAY 2
Roisin Kennedy - Cycling Ireland, held off the attacks on her leaders jersey on the last stage of the Danny Boy International stage race held in Limavady, Northern Ireland to claim the biggest win of her career by a mere 39 seconds over second placed Helen Gutteridge - Team Luciano. When the riders lined up in better weather to cover the 7 laps of the Carrowclare circuit that would give them a distance of 40 miles, there was only one plan for the strong 4 rider Cycling Ireland and that was to hold onto the leaders jersey. The other main teams had to attack and either hope to get away or pick up the vital bonus seconds on the 3 special sprint laps to make late changes to the general classification.
And attacks did go but the lure of those bonus seconds meant that nothing stayed away for very long as the Irish, Dutch and Luciano teams watched each other. The first sprint with 3 laps covered was taken by Helen Gutteridge - Team Luciano and it looked as if an attack on the leader was taking shape; the next sprint came but Gutteridge was unable to come around Collette Swift - Team Ireland and Sanne Hokke - Team Bianchi-Holland so had to settle for 3rd place.
On the far side of the circuit there was a serious crash that sent Anne Watson and June Walker - East Midlands Division to the tarmac and although June was able to get up Anne was taken to the local hospital being diagnosed as severe bruising and not the feared broken hip. As the final few bends came and went the bunch was steadying itself for the inevitable bunch gallop when Marlous Spargaaren sprung from the field to hammer away in the lead which she held easing up as she crossed the line; Helen Gutteridge led home the bunch as expected but Cycling Ireland had done enough to take the Danny Boy stage race.
"With a strong team although only 4 riders, the plan going in to the race was to win overall", explained a delighted Roisin Kennedy as she put on the yellow jersey. "We didn't think we would pull off the team prize - which we did - my win yesterday was just part of our plan to keep attacking knowing that one of us would get away and that is what happened, it paid of". "Today all we had to defend was the yellow jersey - we also held the points jersey so we needed to defend that as well; it was a lot as there were only 4 of us".
Roisin went on to say that the Women's Commission in Ireland has made a huge difference to women's racing there; "I have come on a lot over the last 2 years", she said "they are very supportive and there are a few good people there who are really pushing women's cycling, encouraging us to come to these top events ans we will certainly be going to the TQ Papers stage race in September".
RESULT STAGE 3
1. Marlous Spargaaren Team Bianchi-Holland 1hr 47 mins 44 secs
2. Helen Gutteridge Team Luciano
3. Merel Koenen District Noord-Holland
4. Nancy Turkstra District Noord-Holland
5. Collette Swift Cycling Ireland
6. Samantha Van Gerbig Central Division
7. Sabrina Kaatee District Noord-Holland
8. Tracy Clark Central Division
9. Kate Ruud Orwell Wheelers
10. Karen Bothwell Orwell Wheelers
FINAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Roisin Kennedy Cycling Ireland 3hrs 57 mins 40 secs
2. Helen Gutteridge Team Lucaino at 39 secs
3. Collette Swift Cycling Ireland same time
4. Julie O'Hagan Cycling Ireland at 48 secs
5. Kate Cullen Letchworth Velo Club at 49 secs
6. Siobhan Dervan Team Ireland at 52 secs
7. Stephanie Kortekaas Team Bianchi-Holland at 53 secs
8. Kate Ruud Orwell Wheelers at 54 secs
9. Sharon Padley Team Luciano at 58 secs
10. Sanne Hokke Team Bainchi-Holland at1 min
Junior: Kimberly Blythe Team Luciano
Veteran: Sharon Padley Team Lucaino
Points: Collette Swift Cycling Ireland
TEAM COMPETITION
1. Team Ireland 230 points
2. Team Bianchi 218 points
3. Orwell wheelers 215 points
4. Team Luciano 208 points
5. Cycling Ulster 149 points
6. District Noord 133 points
7. Letchworth Velo Club 112 points
8. Surrey League 104 points
9. Central Division 101 points
10. West Midlands Div 86 points
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