Gillespie takes UAE jersey | "It's definitely the highest level I’ve competed at" | Sticky Bottle

*Lara Gillespie is enjoying a great ride at UAE Tour and was on the podium at the end of stage 3 atop Jebel Hafeet today (Photo: Luca Bettini-Sprint Cycling Agency)*

Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) may not have featured today on the summit finish to Jebel Hafeet but the Irish rider was active earlier in the stage and has taken a classification leader's jersey for her efforts.

Gillespie and compatriot Mia Griffin (Roland) are better suited to the flat and punchy terrain rather than the punishing 10.9km finish climb today, though have already ridden exceptionally well on this race.

At the end of today's stage 3, Gillespie's team mate Elisa Longo Borghini rode clear of the remains of the peloton to win solo and take the race leader's jersey. For her part, Gillespie said she was very happy to have a classification jersey and to be performing at a World Tour race.

She also wore the green jersey for points classification leader today as this morning's points classification leader, Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime), was in the race leader's jersey.

*Elisa Longo Borghini makes her move on Jebel Hafeet at UAE Tour today to take victory on the stage and also the race leader's jersey (Photo Luca Bettini-Sprint Cycling Agency)*

“The UAE Tour is definitely the highest level I’ve competed in so far and it’s so exciting to support a rider like Elisa," Gillespie said of stage winner and new race leader Longo Borghini, who has a cushion of 2:09 over team mate Silvia Persico with just one flat stage remaining.

Related News

Lara Gillespie attacks Dolomite stage as Giro hits high mountains

Video - Italy's hero Balsamo mobbed mid-stage during Giro TT

"It was really special for me to race with the green jersey today. I’m just proud of the way we raced overall as a team. I went for the intermediate sprints because we didn’t want to lose any bonus second.

"It was tactical against Elisa’s competitors. It wasn’t with the aim of taking the black jersey myself but I’m happy to have it. Tomorrow, hopefully it’ll end up in a bunch sprint and I hope to be up there.”

Gillespie claimed the UAE University intermediate sprint after 45.2km today. And when those points were combined to those she took in the intermediate sprints yesterday while in the stage-long breakaway, she claimed the black jersey for leader of the sprints classification.

Today she finished in 73rd place, some 17:10 down on the winner, while Griffin was 59th, in a group at 13:45; Gillespie sliding from 2nd overall to 55th, as expected.