Noor Dekker followed up her second place overall last year with a fine sprint victory on stage two of Rás na mBan on Thursday.
The Dutch WV Breda Women CT rider was fastest into Gorey, beating Frenchwoman Noémie Abgrall (Ladynamips RVC) and the Dane Olympia Norrid-Mortensen (Torelli) in a frantic 22 rider sprint to the line.
It was a strong day for Irish riders: Gabrielle Fox (Greenmount Cycling Academy) was fourth, with Grace Reynolds (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team) and Aliyah Rafferty (Cycling Ireland) fifth and sixth. Esther Wong (Cycling Ireland) was tenth.
"I heard my teammates scream 'Go Noor, all out' and I went all out," said a smiling Dekker. "Being first on the finish line is amazing."
The 104.2km race included two categorized climbs and those gradients plus hard racing saw stage one winner Océane Goergen (Ladynamips RVC) lose her overall lead.
She was caught out when the peloton split and finally trailed in as part of the chasing group, a full 2’05 behind.
Wednesday’s runner-up Alice McWilliam was part of the front group and takes over the race leader’s magenta jersey as a result. The Briton is level on time with Dekker, while Abgrall is four seconds back.
Rafferty is the best of the Irish in sixth and Wong is ninth.
"It is great," McWilliam said about the general classification lead. "It was an ambition coming into the race and I just wanted to see how it played out yesterday. Obviously we will hope to continue the form throughout the rest of the week."
The stage from Kilkenny was the second longest in the race and saw the riders dispute an intermediate sprint in Kiltealy, just under 39km after the drop of the flag.
Bonus seconds were on offer there and these would later prove crucial for the general classification. Amelia Cebak (Smurfit Westrock) and the young Irish talent Aliyah Rafferty (Cycling Ireland) were first and second, while the one second secured by McWilliam for her third place would see her become overall leader at the end of the day.
Soon afterwards another young Irish talent Aine Doherty (Cycling Ireland) combined with Sarah Pope (Ladynamips RVC), Gertrud Riis Madsen (Team Aalborg) and Grace Reynolds (Smurfit Westrock) attacked and formed a breakaway group 53km from the finish.
Doherty drifted back 8km later but the other three increased their advantage and had a lead of 48 seconds starting the category two climb of Sliabh Buí.
Reynolds beat Pope and Riis Madsen to the summit, with Linda Kelly (Cycling Ireland Women’s Commission) the best of a chase group of 19 riders. She was third across the prime line and the group caught the leaders on the descent.
Heavy downpours made things difficult for the riders, including on the day’s second and final climb, the category three ascent of Ballymore.
That summited 13km from the finish line, making it crucial for those in the break to keep close tabs on each other.
Frenchwoman Noémie Abgrall (Ladynamips RVC) beat Kelly to the top and extended her lead in the Queen of the Mountains.
Dutchwoman Noor Dekker was then quickest at the finish in Gorey, unleashing a ferocious sprint to beat Abgrall, Norrid-Mortensen and the rest of the group to the win.
Dekker also leads the points classification while Kelly is best of the county riders. Cebak is best young rider.
The race continues on Friday with the longest stage. The 104.4km race from Portlaoise to Mountrath sees the riders tackle the tough climb of The Cut just before the halfway point, and could provoke further splits in the peloton.
Rás na mBan stage 2: Kilkenny to Gorey
1, Noor Dekker (WV Breda Women CT)
2, Noémie Abgrall (Ladynamips RVC)
3, Olympia Norrid-Mortensen (Torelli)
4, Gabrielle Fox (Greenmount Cycling Academy)
5, Grace Reynolds (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team)
6, Aliyah Rafferty (Cycling Ireland)
7, Varvara Fasoi (Greece)
8, Alice McWilliam (Team Phoenix)
9, Mia Williams (WV Breda Women CT)
10, Esther Wong (Cycling Ireland)
