Gillespie avoids awful sprint finish crash, takes another fine result | Video

Lara Gillespie takes 2nd in the bunch sprint as a crash to her left spreads across the road and takes out many riders at high speed

Lara Gillespie (UAE Development Team) has avoided an awful crash in the bunch sprint at Cyclis Classic (1.2) in Belgium today to finish 2nd in that sprint, for 4th in the race, after a two-rider breakaway made it all the way to the line.

It is the latest in a series of top results for Gillespie since switching from her Olympic-based track focus to the European pro road scene in recent weeks.

However, the high performance staff in Cycling Ireland must have suffered nervous moments today as the crash occurred close to Gillespie and Alice Sharpe (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK), both of whom are part of the Olympic-bound national team pursuit selection.

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Indeed, Sharpe was in the thick of the action at the front, taking 10th place on the day. Mia Griffin (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) was also in the race and it was unclear at the time of writing whether she, or any of the other Irish riders in the race, was in the crash.

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However, Griffin was among the finishers; placing 77th at 5:49, with team mate and compatriot Caoimhe O'Brien in 53rd at 1:26. Aoife O'Brien (Cyclingteam Belco-Van Eyck) was 79th at 7:06 while Amelia Tyler (Alba Development Team) was 105th at 11:15.

The race was won by Dutch rider Anne Knijnenburg (VolkerWessels Pro Cycling Team) in a two-up sprint from Gillespie's team mate, Italian teenager Federica Venturelli. The leading duo finished 25 seconds up on the remains of the peloton, which was sprinting for 3rd.

That sprint was won by Dutch 20-year-old Scarlett Souren (VolkerWessels Pro Cycling Team) from Irish road race champion Gillespie - now really showing big talent in the sprints - and Marjolein van't Geloof (Hess Cycling Team).

The sprint for 1st and 2nd just 25 seconds ahead of the bunch

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