Goergen repeats criterium victory for second successive year

(pm) 6th September 2026


Danish rider Olympia Norrid-Mortensen secured overall victory in Rás na mBan this afternoon, clinging on to a one second advantage over Noémie Garnier of France in the sixth and final stage in Kilkenny City.

21-year-old Norrid-Mortensen dramatically won this morning’s stage five time trial to overturn a four second deficit to Garnier and claim the magenta jersey.

The Dane, riding for Torelli, maintained the slenderest of margins in the stage six criterium, with Garnier finishing just off the podium in fourth to narrowly miss out on the bonus seconds available to the top three finishers, which would have been enough to reclaim the overall lead.

In a repeat of last year’s stage six victory, Garnier’s Vendée Féminine RVC teammate Océane Goergen powered up the final drag to win the final stage, leading home Team Ireland’s Emma Jeffers in second and Smurfit Westrock’s Amelia Cebak in third.

The now traditional criterium finale delivered the usual action-filled hour of racing, with Cycling Ireland Points Classification leader Aoife O’Brien (Team Ireland) establishing an early breakaway with Team Denmark’s Christina Bragh Lorenzen. The pair spent much of the race out front, opening up a maximum gap of 29 seconds on the peloton, with Vendée Féminine RVC leading the chase behind for leaders Garnier and Goergen.

O’Brien’s second place at the intermediate sprint at half way made her points title mathematically secure and she and Lorenzen were finally reeled in with just five laps of the 2.1-kilometre circuit remaining. The main bunch then prepared to contest the sprint finish although there were several unsuccessful attacks in the closing laps.

Goergen rewarded the work of her teammates by dominating the sprint, crossing the line in front of Kilkenny Castle with clear daylight to the following Jeffers and Cebak.

Garnier’s fourth place was just shy of the podium and the bonus seconds that would have overturned the deficit to Norrid-Mortensen, who herself finished close behind in sixth to secure the magenta jersey.

Claiming the Rás na mBan Overall Classification demonstrates the progression made by the Dane, building on last year's victory in the Sport Ireland Best Young Rider standings, a classification she still qualified for and won this year.


Speaking after the stage, Norrid-Mortensen said “I’m very, very happy! I was so nervous for today’s stage [six], but it played out well in my favour.

“I’m just speechless, I don’t really know what to say, this is what I was dreaming of for this race, and I just want to say thank you to my teammates.”

A breakthrough Rás na mBan for stage two winner Aoife O’Brien earns her the Cycling Ireland Points jersey after consistently scoring points throughout the week, while Garnier’s disappointment at missing out on overall victory may be somewhat tempered by a dominant victory in the IVCA Wicklow 200 Queen of the Mountains classification.

18-year-old Aliyah Rafferty (Cycling Ulster) showed more than a glimpse of her potential by taking the Kilkenny County Council Best Irish Rider classification, as well as fourth overall on the general classification, just behind stage three winner Silje Weitze Antvorskov (Team Friis).

Team Ireland ended the week as the Best Team Overall, while Cycling Ulster claimed the Best Irish Team prize.

Stage 6 Results - Kilkenny City Criterium 06/09/2026

1. Oceane GOERGEN Vendée Féminine RVC 1h17'31''
2. Emma JEFFERS* Ireland National Team "
3. Amelia CEBAK* Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team "
4. Noemie GARNIER Vendée Féminine RVC "
5. Lucy GLOVER* Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team "
6. Olympia NORRID MORTENSEN* Torelli "
7. Ella TANDY* FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing "
8. Aoife O'BRIEN* Ireland National Team "
9. Kamma BERGHOLT* Denmark National Team "
10. Helena MERK Monarch Racing "

Final Classification after Stage 6

1. Olympia NORRID MORTENSEN* Torelli 11h47'06''
2. Noemie GARNIER Vendée Féminine RVC +1''
3. Silje WEITZE ANTVORSKOV* Team Friis +14''
4. Aliyah RAFFERTY* Cycling Ulster +33''
5. Noor DEKKER WV Breda Women Cycling Team +34''
6. Greta LAWLESS* Ireland National Team +1'00''
7. Elena DAY* Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team +1'09''
8. Ruby OAKES* FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing +1'13''
9. Helena MERK Monarch Racing +1'20''
10. Manon DE BOER WV Breda Women Cycling Team +1'24'' +1'24''

For more 2026 Rás na mBan Results - click here

Dane takes overall race lead by one second from Garnier

(am) 6th September 2026


The final day of Rás na mBan 2026 kicked off in dramatic fashion this morning, with Denmark’s Olympia Norrid-Mortensen powering to victory in the stage five time trial around Kilkenny Castle, overtaking France’s Noémie Garnier in the general classification by just one second.

Norrid-Mortensen (Torelli) started the 2.5-kilometre test four seconds behind magenta jersey Garnier (Vendée Féminine RVC), but a storming ride from the 21-year-old gave her the stage win, completing the course five seconds quicker than the overnight leader to set up a tense stage six criterium this afternoon.

Stage three victor and Danish U23 Road Race Champion Silje Weitze Antvorskov (Team Friis) finished second in the time trial. Team Ireland’s 17-year-old Emer Heverin took an impressive third, with the podium separated by less than one second.

Norrid-Mortensen’s tenuous lead is far from secure heading into this afternoon’s criterium, with time bonuses of six, four and two seconds available for the first three riders across the line at the finish.

Stage 5 Results - Time Trial Kilkenny Castle 06/09/2026

1. Olympia NORRID MORTENSEN* Torelli 03'34''94 -
2. Silje WEITZE ANTVORSKOV* Team Friis 03'35''44 +0''50
3. Emer HEVERIN* Ireland National Team 03'35''82 +0''88
4. Manon DE BOER WV Breda Women Cycling Team 03'37''37 +2''43
5. Aoife O'BRIEN* Ireland National Team 03'39''07 +4''13
6. Lucy GLOVER* Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team 03'39''53 +4''59
7. Aliyah RAFFERTY* Cycling Ulster 03'39''65 +4''71
8. Leila GSCHWENTNER Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team 03'39''74 +4''80
9. Noemie GARNIER Vendée Féminine RVC 03'39''78 +4''84
10. Gabrielle FOX Cycling Ulster 03'40''22 +5''28

General Classification after Stage 5

1. Olympia NORRID MORTENSEN* Torelli 10h29'35''
2. Noemie GARNIER Vendée Féminine RVC +1''
3. Silje WEITZE ANTVORSKOV* Team Friis +14''
4. Aliyah RAFFERTY* Cycling Ulster +33''
5. Noor DEKKER WV Breda Women Cycling Team +34''
6. Greta LAWLESS* Ireland National Team +1'00''
7. Elena DAY* Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team +1'09''
8. Ruby OAKES* FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing +1'13''
9. Esther WONG* Ireland National Team +1'15''
10. Gabrielle FOX Cycling Ulster +1'18''

The sixth and final stage, the Kilkenny crit consists of one hour of racing plus five laps of a 2.1-kilometre circuit, starting and finishing outside Kilkenny Castle in what is sure to be an action packed conclusion to this year’s race.

For more 2026 Rás na mBan Results - click here