On the second day of Rás na mBan, Caoimhe O’Brien triumphed over her team-mate and fellow Irishwoman, Mia Griffin, in a sizzling final sprint in Mountrath. The Das Hutchinson Brother UK team riders were neck and neck in the closing stretch, with O’Brien overtaking the previous day’s stage one victor, Griffin.
O’Brien not only claimed victory but also secured a time bonus during this stage, allowing her to equal Griffin in overall time for the day. Despite this, Griffin still maintains the lead on countback.
Upon reflecting on her journey, O’Brien commented, “It feels truly remarkable. I recall the struggle of being here four years ago being lapped in each stage. The distance to where I aspired to be was significant. Therefore, being here now, indeed, feels incredibly exceptional.”
In recent times, O’Brien bagged victories at the Emptinine and Brasschat kermesse races held in Belgium. Her newfound self-assuredness is believed to have massively contributed to her success. Similarly, Griffin boasts her own unique prowess in speed. She was part of the Irish squad that set a national record at the Olympics in the team pursuit event.
She nearly retained her reign for a second straight win, only to be outdone in the final moments by O’Brien, who she describes had “arrived with such velocity, it was awe-inspiring.”
The day’s 104km stage of the Irish women’s cycling race included a challenging 7.4km climb of The Cut in the Slieve Bloom mountains, starting from Kilkenny. The team of O’Brien and Griffin led a tough rhythm to set up Lucy Lee, their teammate, for a prime win, mirroring her successful endeavor the previous day.
The vigorous approach whittled the group to a final 23 riders. The stage’s defending champion, Manon de Boer of NWVG-Uplus, gained the prime bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, just ahead of O’Brien and her sister Aoife. With her stage win and time bonus, Caoimhe O’Brien now stands evenly matched with Griffin, as they head towards Friday’s sternest stage, a demanding 104km route encompassing two categorised climbs, from Kilkenny to Gorey.