Alice McWilliam takes Rás na mBan Victory
Six stages across five days saw British rider Alice McWilliam of Team Phoenix secure victory in the 2025 Rás na mBan, held in Kilkenny City.
Her 2nd place finish in Stage 1 set her up to take over the lead of the general classification in Stage 2, taking the magenta jersey heading into Stage 3. A 4th place finish in Stage 4 moved her into the Cycling Ireland Points Jersey with just 2 stages left. After a storming ride in adverse conditions, McWilliam produced a victory in the stage 4 time-trial, finishing just three seconds ahead of Lotty Dawson of Team Brother UK/OnForm. This helped the British rider to jump to the top of the standings by four seconds with one stage remaining. With no points awarded in the time trial, she continued to lead the Cycling Ireland Points Classification. A 2nd place finish behind France’s Océane Goergen in the final stage saw McWilliam claim the overall Rás na mBan title for 2025. She regained the magenta jersey from Noémie Abgrall after topping the timing sheet in the time trial around Kilkenny Castle, before claiming nine bonus seconds in the criterium to increase her advantage over the French National Road Race Champion. Her consistent high placings in each stage saw her claim the Cycling Ireland Points jersey to accompany the magenta jersey as overall winner.
Noémie Abgrall claimed 2nd place in the General Classification. The Ladynamips RVC rider won the IVCA Wicklow 200 Queen of the Mountains jersey in Stage 1, and coming second in Stage 2 behind Noor Dekker, claiming maximum points on the second categorised climb to extend her lead of the classification to maintain her Queen of the Mountains jersey. Abgrall’s overnight tally of 15 points was enough for her to retain this jersey in Stage 3. She powered clear of her rivals to take victory in the 4th stage, with her stage win and 10 bonuses moving her into the magenta jersey as overall race leader, also claiming 25 out of the maximum 27 points in Stage 3’s categorised climbs. Securing the final Queen of the Mountains jersey after strong performances in the hills all week, Abgrall ended in 2nd place overall, 12 seconds behind McWilliam.
Noor Dekker, the runner up of Rás na mBan 2024, placed 3rd in the 2025 edition of the race. Dekker claimed victory in Stage 2, after surviving a day featuring torrential rain and several crashes in the bunch. Her victory put her level on general classification time with magenta jersey McWilliam, being placed second by virtue of countback. In Stage 4, Dekker claimed the maximum three bonus seconds during the intermediate sprint, making her provisional race leader on the road. Stage 6 saw Dekker make it two General Classification Podiums in succession with an overall finish in 3rd place.
The new 76-kilometre opening stage was accompanied by a strong headwind, keeping the peloton intact for the first half of the day. The first two QoM ascents lead to several splits in the bunch, with Noémie Abgrall leading over the top. A sprint finish saw a rapid pace on the downhill run to the line where Goergen narrowly claimed victory in front of 45 riders. Team Ireland’s Erin Creighton’s podium finish awarded her the Sport Ireland Best Young Rider jersey, whilst Linda Kelly lead the Kilkenny County Council Best Irish Rider standings.
Stage 2 saw apocalyptic rain, crashes, and splits in the bunch along a challenging route in County Wexford, culminating in a reduced bunch sprint. The combination of a peloton with a strong pace, and double-digit gradients on the Sliabh Buí ascent led to many gaps appearing. Former British Junior Road Race Champion Amelia Cebak took the Sport Ireland Best Young Rider classification, with Linda Kelly retaining the Kilkenny CoCo Best Irish Rider jersey.
County Laois hosted a testing 3rd stage, with the fearsome first category ascent of The Cut splitting an otherwise flat stage. The opening 40 kilometres saw multiple attacks from several riders. Océane Goergen crossed the line first ahead of Britain's Amelia Cebak, with Gabrielle Fox (Greenmount CA) the best of the Irish in third place. Fox’s 3rd place finish earned her 4 bonus seconds, promoting her to the top of the Kilkenny CoCo Best Irish Rider standings. Cebak extended her lead in the Sport Ireland Best Young Rider standings and moved her into the overall leader’s magenta jersey.
Dry and windy conditions greeted the riders at Stage 4. Dekker survived the 1st of 3 QoM ascents in the main bunch, with Abgrall taking maximum points at the finish line with 46.5km to go. The second QoM climb of Coppenagh soon followed, with Wexford rider Linda Kelly powering clear on the six-kilometre ascent. A 3rd place finish for Olympia Norrid-Mortensen earned her the lead in the Sport Ireland Best Young Rider standing, and 4th place for Alice McWilliam moved her into the Cycling Ireland Points jersey.
The surface wet from intermittent rain and drizzle, Alice McWilliam took victory in the stage four time trial, finishing three seconds ahead of Lotty Dawson, with Grace Reynolds (Smurfit Westrock CT) a further two seconds back in third. Finishing 4th, Amelia Cebak regained possession of the Sport Ireland Best Young Rider jersey, while Linda Kelly remaining the Kilkenny CoCo Best Young Rider.
The final stage saw Alice McWilliam take victory, with France’s Océane Goergen in 2nd, and Dane Olympia Norrid-Mortensen rounding out the podium in 3rd. A fierce pace throughout the sixth stage limited the potential for attacks by McWilliam’s nearest rivals, ensuring the contest ultimately came down to a sprint finish in front of Kilkenny Castle. Linda Kelly secured victory in the Kilkenny CoCo Best Irish Rider classification, with Olympia Norrid-Mortensen securing the Sport Ireland Best Young Rider classification. Smurfit Westrock CT’s strength in depth positioned them at the top of the Team Classification standings, while Cycling Ireland Women’s Commission finished as winners of the Paddy Doran Best Irish Team Classification.
A full list of results can be found here: https://shorturl.at/Q7B2R