This was the first dry day since we arrived! The stage took us from Sneem, via the town of Waterville to Valentia Island, with two significant climbs.
There was a lovely rolling road out to the first climb: Coomaciste. Karen rode off the front briefly and we were hoping she might get away to get some QOM points, or that the bunch might string out to reduce the number of riders contesting the climb on Valentia Island. Unfortunately, the pace slowed and the bunch stayed together, making it rather dangerous at times.
The pace remained pretty sedate all the way to Valentia Island, where the action began. Before the final climb, there was a sharp left hand bend. Those on the front of the bunch sprinted to the base of the second climb (the Geokaun Pass). Sarah and Iona had some chasing to do! Sarah got back onto the back of the bunch fairly quickly, with Iona chasing for some time but managing to work her way up through the bunch on the climb itself. The bunch split at the top of the Pass, with Iona making it into the front group and Karen and Sarah forming a chase group with around 8 other riders, finishing just under a minute behind the main bunch.
Today was a relatively easy day... Karen somehow managed to persuade Steve to drive us around tomorrow's course (in reverse) after the race had finished. We're going to need to get our climbing legs on! Tomorrow is going to be tough. (It's not called the "Queen Stage" for nothing!)
