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22 Oct 2025
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22 Oct 2025
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The Rás na mBan, which has blazed a trail through Kilkenny, finishes with a stage six criterium race in the city this afternoon Picture: Lorraine O'Sullivan
Kilkenny City is set for a battle royale this afternoon with the 2024 Rás na mBan set for a thrilling conclusion.
Sunday morning’s time trial saw the riders take on a short and fast 2.5km loop around the walls of Kilkenny Castle. After a frenetic battle, Noor Dekker took the plaudits with Manon de Boer, winner of stage four, second. Race leader Mia Griffin was third. She now has an 11-second lead over de Boer in the overall standings.
The results mean there is everything to play for in the final stage, the Criterium.
The Criterium will get underway at 1.30pm. Starting on the Parade outside the Castle gates, the route goes clockwise along Castle Road, Nuncio Road, Waterford Road, Patrick St and back past the castle gates. Stage six will be approximately an hour and 15 minutes of fast high octane city centre racing to finally decide the champion of Rás na mBan 2024.
Last year the crowds were treated to an exhilarating hour of racing around the Kilkenny circuit, with a number of riders coming down throughout the race and a large bunch of 60 riders battling for the final stage win.
Mia Griffin has taken two stage wins out of four this week, with Caoimhe O’Brien taking her first stage win this year. O’Brien was second on the final stage last year, and whether it’s Griffin or O’Brien we expect the DAS Hutchinson Brother UK team to have a rider well positioned coming into the final moments of the race.
Both Marine Lenehan and Ellen McDermott are former Irish National Criterium Champions and are certainly riders to watch for the stage having both been on a Rás na mBan stage podium before, but never the top spot.
With bonus seconds on offer at the intermediate sprint, as well as the top three riders on the stage, the final day of Rás na mBan is lined up to be a whirlwind day of racing in the battle for the magenta jersey.
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