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The first kilometres of this stage saw a series of attacks by Marie Reilly and Kate Rudd of the Hibernian Team Ireland squad, a strategy designed to weaken the race leader Angela Hunter. However Hunter and the rest of the field covered each of the attacks, hence this groupo compacto 25 miles into the stage	Esther Kassing (Holland - District Noord) leads the bunch	Kassing drags the rest of the field over one of the day's many hills	German rider Katharina Blum (RG Charlottenburg-Berlin) takes over at the front	Cheryl Fisher (Cycling Ulster) was lying second overall going into this stage. She is followed by Collette Swift (Hibernian Ireland), race leader Angela Hunter (GS Strada) and Leinster-Usher Insulation's Beth McCluskey

Kassing jumped clear as the race headed into the town of Stamullen, venue for last year's Irish road race championships. She opened a lead of twenty seconds, but the main field started to grind their way back up to her on the severe climb of Snowtown Hill	Kassing dug deep but there was no fending off the bunch....	As the field moved onto the second part of the climb, a group of six riders detached themselves off the front	Team Luciano's Catherine Hare had a hard fall on the first stage, but despite an arm injury there was nothing wrong with her climbing today....	She rode extremely strongly up the climb, setting a pace which suited race leader Angela Hunter just fine....

Just before the top, Hibernian Team Ireland's Louise Moriarty jumped clear to take maximum points for the Queen of the Hills competition	The climb of the Naul saw Hare drop her chain, and so losing her place in the break	Seconds later, Welsh Champion Nina Davis was similarly unlucky 20 - The chasing group were chasing hard to get back onto terms with Hunter and the others up front	The chasing group were chasing hard to get back onto terms with Hunter and the others up front	They worked well together but losing the input of Hare and Davis seemed to cost them their momentum

Shortly afterwards, the chasing group made contact	Rebecca Milbourn (Evans Cycles RT) led the 19-strong front group as the race entered the final few kilometres	Cycling Ulster's Cheryl Fisher was second overall but nevertheless did a lot of work in the closing stages	Fisher is a relative newcomer to the sport and, on the basis of the strength shown this weekend, should be a big force in the future	Angela Hunter finished off the race in style, taking her third stage win when she sprinted home ahead of Inge Klep (Netherlands - Moving Ladies Groenewoud) and Ireland's Collette Swift

Ruth Gamwell (Team Luciano) led home the second group, just over a minute later	Never say die: those further back galloped full-out for the line	Inge Klep had a good race, taking two second places in bunch finishes	Swift had two third places and was seventh in the time trial....	Welsh road race champion Nina Davis (Team Letchworth Extran) finished third overall, 30 seconds off the winning time of Hunter

Fisher was second, twenty seconds down	Hunter was delighted with her win, and was warmly applauded by race official Paddy Fitzsimons (L) and race sponser Terry Quinlan at the prize presentation	But, to say the least, three stage wins copperfastened her hold on the green jersey	Louise Moriarty (Hibernian Team Ireland) was an impressive winner of the Queen of the Hills competition	TQ Paper International sponsor Terry Quinlan with race winner Angela Hunter and Louise Moriarty

		Susan O'Mara (Leinster - Usher Insulations) finished seventh overall but was also a vital part of the race organisation. Her efforts helped ensure that this year's event was the biggest women's race ever staged in Ireland	Tosh Lavery was the manager of the Leinster-Usher Insulations squad, which took the best team prize. He was full of praise for the event, saying that he hopes it will herald a new era in women's cycling in Ireland