Britain's Elinor Barker took a second successive stage win at An Post Rás na mBan in the stage four time trial in Kilkenny on Saturday morning.
The Olympic Team Pursuit champion from Cardiff was ten seconds faster than Sweden’s Frida Knutsson of Team Crescent Dare in the 11km test to extend her overall advantage over Knutsson’s team-mate Alexandra Nessmar to 1m40s.
Britain’s Natalie Grinczer of Team WNT was third, just over a second slower than Knutsson.
Best of the Irish once more was Eve McCrystal of Richie’s Garda CC, who was seventh on the stage and now lies fifth overall with an extended lead in the Kilkenny Best Irish Rider Classification.
The straight out and back time trial on the Waterford Road was run off in dry, blustery conditions with 103 riders taking to the Honda start ramp for their solo ride against the watch on conventional road bikes.
In the afternoon's 40km Criterium road race, The Netherlands' Belle de Gast of WV Breda took her second stage win of the week as she sprinted up the Parade in front of Kilkenny Castle
De Gast led in Sweden's Frida Knutsson of Team Crescent DARE and overall race leader Barker at the end of the one-hour of racing after the top three detached themselves from the main group in the final two laps of the 2km circuit.
Barker leads overall ahead of Alexandra Nessmar of Sweden going into tomorrow's 85km final stage due to finish at the Parade in Kilkenny at 2pm.
Eve McCrystal (Garda CC) showed the quality of her current form with another strong top ten finish and she sits in a fine fifth overall while retaining a comfortable lead in the Kilkenny County Council Best Irish Rider Classification.
