KATE Finegan is just two points away from taking over the Women’s Grand Prix leader’s jersey after winning round two of the cycling series in Cranbourne.Bendigo-based Finegan outsprinted fellow breakaway rider Joanne Hogan to claim line honours in the division one criterium race by a bike length at Casey Field last weekend, after the pair had opened up a 2min 20sec lead over the main bunch.Riding for the locally supported BCS Building Champions team, the 26-year-old earlier picked up two points in the intermediate sprint and finished the day second in the overall classification.She sits just two points behind series leader Nicole Whitburn heading into round three, which will be contested on the local rider’s home turf next weekend.Finegan, a narrow runner-up to Whitburn in the series opener in December, knows the Mayfair Park course in East Bendigo well and hopes that will give her an advantage. Fellow Bendigo rider Katherine O’Shea was also in hot form during the second leg of grand prix, which was held in sweltering 37 degree heat. O’Shea earned the maximum 10 points in the sprint and added to her tally by finishing third in the main event. She crossed the line 35 seconds behind Finegan and her Torq/Bicycle Superstores squad was the winning team on the day. Whitburn completed the race in fourth place.Round three racing at Mayfair Park next Sunday gets under way at 1pm with the prologue, followed by a junior women’s criterium at 2pm, the division two event at 2.50pm and division one at 3.50pm. The Women’s Grand Prix finale will be held on National Boulevard in Campbellfield on March 3.The leaderboard after round two:Nicole Whitburn, 148 points; Kate Finegan, 146; Carly Williams, 114; Kate Mullarkey, 104; Amy Bradley, 102; Liz Hall, 96; Madeleine Cardillo, 92; Justyna Lubkowski, 88; Megan Marsh, 80; Lisa Hanley, 80; Katherine O’Shea, 76.*To read about Kate Finegan’s time riding on the women’s circuit in Europe, see Women in Sport in the Bendigo Advertiser on Monday.