Lara Gillespie denied first chance after late crash at Tour de France | Video

Lara Gillespie's team refocused around her today but the Irish rider was denied what should have been a first chance to take a result at the Tour de France (Photo: Szymon Gruchalski-Getty Images)

Lara Gillespie faced into today's stage 3 at the Tour de France in the knowledge her UAE Team ADQ squad was set to get behind her for the day after its big name leader, Elisa Longo Borghini, abandoned the race before the start.

Longo Borghini's withdrawal, due to illness, is a major blow for the team. However, unfortunate as it is, it coincided with the first really flat stage on the Tour, and sprinter Gillespie was the protected rider for the day. The aim was to get the Irish woman to the front of the bunch in time for a sprint into Angers and let her down her thing.

But, as is so often the case in cycling - especially inside a nervy Grand Tour bunch - those carefully laid plans came to nothing at the last. A crash on a bridge with about 4km to go ruled out all but the 21 women who made up the front section of the peloton when the pile-up occurred.

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Everyone else either crashed or was delayed by the fallers, who effectively blocked the road for a time. And for all three Irish women in the race - Gillespie, Mia Griffin (Roland) and Fiona Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) - the same frustrating scenario played out.

At the very time Gillespie and Griffin, both very fast in a finish, were looking to move in the bunch in time for the big sprint, they were instead slamming on the brakes and unclipping to avoid, and then get around, the crash.

Though all three Irish women easily avoided the pile-up, they were significantly delayed by it. At the time, SD Worx-Protime and Visma-Lease a Bike were jockeying for position at the front, thus ramping up the pace.

That meant anyone who was behind the crash was given absolutely no chance of getting back to the front group of 21. And so Gillespie, Griffin and Mangan slotted into a large bunch that formed behind the leaders, with Gillespie winning the sprint from the chasing pack, for 22nd.

Up front, red hot favourite for the stage, European champion Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) produced her now familiar monster final kick to claim her team's first win of the week and the fourth Tour stage victory of her career.

Stage 1 winner Marianna Vos (Visma Lease a Bike) was on the wheel of Wiebes in the sprint, and made an effort to come past her. However, she made precisely no ground and immediately slotted back into position behind Wiebes, who was unbeatable today after 163.5km of racing.

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Ally Wollaston (FDJ-SUEZ), the Kiwi rider who is one of Gillespie's regular rivals on the track, claimed 3rd place. Yellow jersey Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) was one of those caught behind the crash today and she finished in the large chasing bunch with the three Irish riders.

Though they were given the same time as the front group - after the 3km safety rule was extended to 5km because of the tricky finale today - Le Court lost yellow after starting the stage equal on time with stage 1 winner Vos.

For her 2nd place on the stage today, Vos secured a six-second time bonus and so now leads the race once again, by six seconds from Le Court. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike) is 3rd at 12 seconds.

One of the big favourites for the final yellow jersey this year, and the 2023 race winner, Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) was among the victims of the late crash. She hit the deck hard and looked like she was in considerable pain. However, she managed to ride to the finish, with the help of two team mates, and has not lost any time in the general classification.

Tomorrow's stage 4 takes the riders 130.7km from Saumur to Poitiers. Once gain, the terrain is flat and it may suit Gillespie or Griffin if it comes down to a bunch sprint, though Mangan has also won from a reduced bunch sprint scenario this year.

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