Team Ireland’s Lara Gillespie sprinted to victory in the opening stage of Rás na mBan, leading home a large bunch into Callan, County Kilkenny.
The Wicklow native held off challenges from Alba Development Team’s Kate Richardson and Cams-Basso’s Jessica Finney, who rounded out the podium in second and third respectively.
Gillespie’s win is the first for an Irish rider since Olivia Dillon’s success in 2014, and also means she’ll wear the overall leader’s magenta jersey for Stage 2 from Kilkenny to Inistioge.