Stage 4 of Rás na mBan gets underway at 09:55 rolling out from the Hoban Hotel in Kilkenny on Saturday 7th of September, for a short neutralised section before the riders take on the remainder of the 101km with over 1,000m of climbing.
The stage will speed through a number of picturesque towns as the road will narrow and widen and force the riders to really consider their positioning in the bunch before reaching Thomastown where the QOM competition will start to fully come to life.
Riders will take on ‘The Rower’ climb twice, at 52km and again at 98km. The Category 2 climb is 2.2km in length, averaging 5.3% and maxing out at 7.5%. Descending down from the Rower takes riders on to ‘The Coppenagh’ climb, 6.2km long at an average of 3.4%.
Ireland’s Mia Griffin enters the Stage in the Magenta Leader’s jersey, closely followed by teammates Caoimhe O’Brien and Robyn Clay. Heidi Franz has climbed the GC rankings to 4th and will be looking to try and reduce the gap in the last of the longer road stages.
The Cycling Ireland Points Classification is also led by Griffin who is again trailed by O’Brien and Clay. Griffin currently sits atop the Kilkenny County Council Best Irish Rider Classification, with O’Brien in close pursuit, while Marine Lenehan also within threatening distance of the pair.
Caoimhe O’Brien remains in the top spot for the Sport Ireland Best Young Rider jersey, with Robyn Clay a close second, and Abigail Miller of Tofauti Everyone Active in hot pursuit of the DAS Hutchinson Brother UK pair.
The IVCA Wicklow Queen of the Mountain competition will be fiercely contested on stage 4, as the last opportunity for riders to get QOM points for 2024. Lucy Lee of DAS Hutchinson Brother UK retains the jersey as we head into stage 4, with Manon de Boer hot on her heels with only two points separating the riders.
Depending on the speed of the peloton, riders are predicted to reach the finish between 12:14 and 12:53.
Provisional forecasts suggest mild conditions with the possibility of some rain towards the end of the stage.
For the full race preview, including teams and riders to watch, go to: https://rasnamban.com/ras-na-mban-2024-race-preview/
You can view the full route, stage by stage, here: https://rasnamban.com/2024-route/
Results can be found here: https://rasnamban.com/2024-results-live-feed/
Where to Watch:
This is a lumpy 101 km stage with an uphill finish, so likely to be contested by riders who can climb well and still have something left for a hard sprint. After passing through the finish point at The Rower the route loops around a 45 km tour of Graiguenamanagh, the climb up to Coppenagh, then Thomastown and Inistioge again and back up the final climb to The Rower. The riders will be well spread out by the time they reach the finish, with the win to be taken by the strongest up to The Rower.
