Danish rider Olympia Norrid-Mortensen triumphed on the final day of Rás na mBan on Sunday, overturning a four-second deficit to Noemie Garnier (Vendée Féminine RVC) when she won the 2.5km morning time trial, and then defending a fragile one-second lead in the concluding time trial.

Garnier was only ninth in the time trial, conceding the race leader’s magenta jersey and while she chased the time bonus at the end of the criterium she just missed out by placing fourth. Had she taken third she would have secured a two-second time bonus and won overall. Her team-mate, Océane Goergen (Vendée Féminine RVC), took the stage win.

“I was so nervous. I was sitting in the car shaking pre-race, but then I think the nerves gave me a bit of adrenaline,” Mortensen said after her final victory.

“It was only the last four laps I could really, really feel that the pace was really high in the peloton. It was just so stretched out and you really had to focus. But it ended up being a really good day for me and I am just very happy.”

The 18-year-old Irish rider, Aliyah Rafferty (Cycling Ulster), provided further signs of her talent when she finished fourth overall. She had been fifth overall on Sunday morning, but seventh in the time trial lifted her back up to fourth and she retained that overall position in the criterium.

Junior rider Emer Heverin (Ireland National Team) took a fine third in the time trial. Her team-mate Emma Jeffers was a strong second to Goergen in the critierum.

Another Ireland rider, Aoife O’Brien, scooped the points classification, having won stage two with a powerful sprint into Gorey on Thursday. The Ireland squad took the overall team classification, ending a fine week.

Rás na mBan

Stage 5, Kilkenny time trial: 1 Olympia Norrid-Mortensen (Torelli) 2.5km in 3 mins 34.94 secs; 2 Silje Weitze Antvorskov (Team Friis) at .50 secs; 3 Emer Heverin (Ireland National Team) at .88 secs; 4 M De Boer (WV Breda Women Cycling Team) at 2.43; 5 Aoife O’Brien (Ireland National Team) at 4.13

Team: Ireland National Team

Paddy Doran Best Irish Team: Cycling Ulster

Stage 6, Kilkenny critierum: 1 Océane Goergen (Vendée Féminine RVC) 1 hour 17 mins 31 secs; 2 Emma Jeffers (Ireland National Team); 3 A Cebak (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team); 4 Noemie Garnier (Vendée Féminine RVC); 5 L Glover (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team) all same time

Young rider: E Jeffers

Intermediate sprint: 1 Christina Bragh Lorenzen (Denmark National Team) 5 pts; 2 A O’Brien (Ireland National Team) 3

Team: Vendée Féminine RVC

Paddy Doran best Irish team: Cycling Ireland’s Women’s Commission

Final General Classification: 1 O Norrid-Mortensen (Torelli) 11 hours 47 mins 6 secs; 2 N Garnier (Vendée Féminine RVC) at 1 sec; 3 S Weitze Antvorskov (Team Friis) at 14 secs; 4 Aliyah Rafferty (Cycling Ulster) at 33 secs, N Dekker (WV Breda Women Cycling Team) at 34 secs

Points: 1 Aoife O’Brien (Ireland National Team) 45 Pt; 2 E Jeffers (Ireland National Team) 38 Pt; 3 A Cebak (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team) 28 Pt

Mountains: 1 N Garnier (Vendée Féminine RVC) 57 Pt; 2 O Norrid-Mortensen (Torelli) 39 Pt; 3 E Day (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team) 25 Pt

Best Young Rider: 1 O Norrid-Mortensen (Torelli) 11 hours 47 mins 6 secs; 2 S Weitze Antvorskov (Team Friis) at 14 secs; 3 A Rafferty (Cycling Ulster) at 33 secs

Best Irish Rider: A Rafferty (Cycling Ulster) 11 hours 47 mins 39 secs; 2 M Gallagher (Tuam Endo Ireland) at 1 min 3 secs; 3 G Fox (Cycling Ulster) at 2 mins 25 secs

Team Classification: 1 Ireland National Team, 35 hours 24 mins 57 secs; 2 Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, at 2 mins 36; 3 WV Breda Women Cycling Team, at 5 mins 15

Paddy Doran Best Irish Team: 1 Cycling Ulster, 35 hours 39 mins 17 secs; 2 Cycling Ireland’s Women’s Commission, at 24 mins 21 secs; 3 Tuam Endo Ireland, at 1 hour 21 mins 52 secs