Lara Gillespie breakaway sets fastest speed ever for World Tour stage | Video

Lara Gillespie, centre, in the breakaway at UAE Tour today, where this group set the fastest average speed ever for a stage in a World Tour race (Photo: Luca Bettini-Sprint Cycling Agency)

Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) has enjoyed one of the best days of her road career after taking her first World Tour race podium and also moving up to 2nd overall at UAE Tour after a breakaway ride effectively from the gun.

The Irish rider will also wear the points classification leader's jersey tomorrow on the uphill finish to Jebel Hafeet. The leader of that classification, Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime), will be in the race leader's jersey, meaning the points jersey passes to Ireland's Gillespie.

The Wicklow woman also has the honour of being in the breakaway that set the fastest average speed ever in a stage of a women's World Tour race. Going from the gun, working all the way in the group, and also having a tail-crosswind for sections all conspired to ramp the pace up.

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The 111km stage - on pan flat terrain from Al Dhafra Fort to Al Mirfa - was run off at the staggering average speed of 48.407kmph, with the race completed by the leaders in just over two hours and 17 minutes.

The average speed today was faster than the 46.75kmph previous record set by Olympic road race champion, Kristen Faulkner, on the 142.3km stage 4 at La Vuelta Femenina, which had an unusual mainly downhill profile.

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Gillespie took 3rd in the sprint finish today, taking her podium result behind race leader Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) and Lily Williams (Human Powered Health). The three riders were on the same time, meaning they all recorded the fastest speed ever on a stage.

Also with them on the breakaway were Gillespie's team mates Elisa Longo Borghini and Karlijn Swinkels. They finished 1:26 up on the nearest chasing group, which numbered just 25 riders and was effectively the remains of the peloton.

The time gained gives Longo Borghini an excellent chance of winning the race overall, though how her legs will feel on the finishing climb tomorrow, after her breakaway ride of today, will be the big question.

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