Lara Gillespie, left, with two of her team mates at the presentation for Giro d'Italia 2026 which gets underway tomorrow, Saturday (Photo: Davide Spada-Mirror Media )
A sign of Lara Gillespie's stature in the sport, just 18 months after opting for full focus on the road, is her inclusion in the Giro d’Italia’s promotional material for the 2026 edition. Organisers RCS are using the images of two small groups of riders to hammer home the fact the start will be in the field this year.
They’ve chosen a handful of the best climbers and sprinters they believe the cycling public will most want to see fighting it out. And Gillespie is in the middle of the top sprinters group.
That obviously doesn't mean it will be any easier for the UAE Team ADQ rider to win a stage. But there are several reasons why this is the best chance ever for an Irish woman to take a victory on a Grand Tour.
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First off, Gillespie has already won UCI-ranked races; eight to date, including Samyn Ladies (1.1) this year. And though some illness and track commitments have interrupted her gallop at times this season, her consistency has been notable.
Out of her 12 race days so far, she's been in the top five seven times, including winning and finishing 2nd three times. And it's that type of consistency, almost always being in the thick of a sprint when she is expected to be, that could really boost her chances over the next week.
The fastest wheels are ready ❤️🔥 Every sprint matters. Who takes the Maglia Rossa? 💨
Le ruote più veloci sono pronte ❤️🔥 Ogni sprint conta. Chi si prende la Maglia Rossa? 💨#GirodItaliaWomen #WonderfulWomen #wow @ITAAirways pic.twitter.com/z7PrSxhxyN
— Giro d'Italia Women (@girowomen) May 29, 2026
The Giro, Gillespie's debut ride in the race, gets under tomorrow. And it looks like there are multiple chances for the sprinters, depending on how it is raced, of course.
Tomorrow's 139km opening stage from Cesenatico to Ravenna looks like a nailed-on certainty for a sprint finish while stage 2 could be the same.
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Monday's stage 3 features a small climb in the final third of the race, though it could cause splits - certainly jettison some of the sprinters - if it is raced hard.
That could suit Gillespie because an ideal scenario for her is getting to a finish in a reduced bunch with Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) already dropped, though easier said than done.
Stage 5 - some 160km from Ala to Brescello - also looks suited to the sprinters though, with fatigue kicking in, it may split more than expected.
And while there is a possibility some of the more versatile sprinters could make it over the final climb - a long cat 3 crested with 28km to go – next Friday, it's a hard one to call.
Lara Gillespie goes into this Giro in the ascendency and having been really consistent already this season (Photo: Facepeeters)
The fact top sprinter Wiebes is in the race is a blessing and a curse, mostly the latter. However, her team will at least seek to control the breakaways, and ride to set up bunch gallops, which Gillespie's team can take advantage of.
The Irishwoman's team is mostly set up for a general classification effort - with Elisa Longo Borghini, who has won this race twice, their best bet.
But the team is also one that can push things over lumpier terrain if Gillespie felt she had the measure of Wiebes on a late climb; perhaps staying in the group when Wiebes couldn't, thus contesting a group sprint without the Dutch rider present.
Gillespie also has two Grand Tours in her legs now - last year's Tour de France and Vuelta, where she was 3rd and 4th on stages. And that experience will be really valuable in the week ahead.
In all, she is the model of consistency, is one of the fastest sprinters in the world and is going into a race which should produce several chances for the sprinters.
Wiebes is the big hurdle Wicklow's Gillespie must clear to become the first Irish woman to win a Grand Tour stage. However, she also took her win in Belgium earlier this year from a breakaway, meaning getting up the road is also a real possibility in Italy.
The Irish woman has not been over-raced this year and has had time to prepare for this Giro. She has been building towards a really major victory for the past couple of seasons on the road, and this could well be her week.
