Ireland's Mia Griffin secures Rás na mBan stage victory

Team Ireland's Mia Griffin stormed to victory in the opening stage of Rás na mBan in Callan, Co Kilkenny on Wednesday evening.

The 24-year-old Kilkenny native is a World Tour professional that competed for Ireland in the women's team pursuit event at the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

She showed her class in a competitive field to surge ahead of Paulien Koster of the Netherlands and Britain's Emma Jeffers.

Griffin's success is Team Ireland's second opening stage win in two years; her international teammate Lara Gillespie prevailed in 2022.

Griffin's will wear the leader's magenta jersey for tomorrow's 101km second stage from Kilkenny City to The Rower village.

This is the 17th edition of Rás na mBan which lasts for five days.