Cycling Ulster Crowned Best Irish Team as Aliyah Rafferty holds onto Green Jersey in Kilkenny Finale.
Cycling Ulster brought a stellar campaign to a close on Sunday, mastering a demanding double-stage finale to seal top honours as the overall Best Irish Team at Rás na mBan.
The squad started the week in fantastic form, taking firm control of the standings from the opening day.
While bad luck struck when Erin was forced out following a crash on Stage 2, her early efforts set the tone for a week where the remaining four riders delivered consistent front-running performances, ensuring an Ulster rider wore the Best Irish Rider Green Jersey on every single day of the race.
The six-stage international race concluded with a split final day.
A morning individual time trial around Kilkenny Castle followed by an aggressive afternoon criterium through the town centre.
Aliyah’s consistency across all six days earned her 4th place overall on General Classification and secured the Green Jersey as Best Irish Rider.
She also closed out the week 3rd in the Young Rider Classification and 12th in the Points Classification.
Gabrielle wrapped up a strong campaign in 20th on General Classification, 3rd in Best Irish Rider and 9th in the Points Classification.
Aine and Elena completed the squad’s general classification tally in 40th and 51st place overall.
Through dedicated teamwork and relentless effort across all six stages, Cycling Ulster secured the title of Best Irish Team to conclude a memorable week of racing.
We want to say a massive thanks to the support crew. Gerry, DS, supporting the Ulster Team as well as being proud supporter to Emer on the National Team, Mark, Team Mechanic, who made sure all bikes were ready to go, and Swanny Emma who looked after so many different aspects of keeping the Team going.
Full stage results and classification sheets can be found here: https://rasnamban.com/live-feed-results-2026/
