Lara Gillespie's "ice bath" crash on way to 3rd at Nokere Koerse | Video

Lara Gillespie may have taken a very strong 3rd place at Danilith Nokere Koerse but only after crashing down into a wet ditch for an "ice bath"

Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) had another very productive day at the office yesterday when the Irish rider - and European champion on the track - took 3rd at Danilith Nokere Koerse, in a sprint from a reduced peloton.

However, while it looked like another tidy, and relatively straightforward, result for the former Irish road race champion, it was anything but.

At a sharp right hander, with drop to the riders' right into a deep wet ditch below, Gillespie's front wheel appeared to go from under her. That caused her to crash down into the ditch. She quickly climbed back out and was on her bike again as the back end of the peloton was still passing her.

She joked afterwards she had gone for a "quick ice bath pre sprint". Luckily she was able to shake off the incident and sprint in for another podium, the fourth of her road race season.

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Gillespie was aiding by strong positioning work in the final by team mates Tereza Neumanova and Sofia Bertizzolo.

“I really enjoyed this race, I love this course. I felt good today, but I had to work a lot after a crash, and there were so many crashes and riders to navigate around," Gillespie said after the finish.

"Despite that, the team did a fantastic job in the final, especially Tereza and Sofia, who supported me perfectly. I felt really strong in the sprint, but once again, the finish line came just a little too soon for me.”

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