Lara Gillespie (UAE Development) came very close to her first pro victory on the roads of Europe yesterday when she was just beaten to the line by former world road race champion Amalie Dideriksen (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team).
Ireland's Gillespie has now gotten then call up to her team's sister World Tour outfit, UAE Team ADQ, for Trofee Marteen Wynants in Belgium today, Sunday. That's a real vote of confidence, especially coming so soon into her pro road racing career.
Gillespie has proven a prolific medal winner on the track for Ireland as a junior and U23 rider at the Worlds and Europeans - including a European title as a junior. But she is now combining her track career with road racing for UAE Development on the pro scene in Europe.
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She began her tenure with the Continental team - part of of the UAE Team Emirates network - by taking 2nd place in Poreč Trophy (1.2) in Croatia at the start of March and she was 14th in Leiedal Koerse (1.2) in Belgium last weekend.
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Big, big day!
Amalie Dideriksen brings home the very first professional victory for the Uno-X Pro Cycling Women's team!
📸 Tom Ink pic.twitter.com/cr2AzXKdk0— Vegar Kulset (@VegarKulset) May 6, 2023
Yesterday she lined out in GP Eco-Struct (1.1) - a 138.8km race starting and finishing in Schellebelle, Belgium - and came away with 2nd place. The battle for victory came down to a sprint from a bunch of some 50 riders. Dideriksen - the Dane who won the elite road race title at the Worlds in 2016 - got the verdict from the Irishwoman, from 142 starters.
Dutch international Mirre Knaven (AG Insurance-NXTG U23), was 3rd with Portugal's former national road race champion, Maria Martins (Fenix-Deceuninck), in 4th and Britain's Monica Greenwood (DAS-Handsling) in 5th.
“We had a really strong team today. We raced super together and followed our plan in the race- which was to race aggressive on the cobbles especially," Gillespie said. "Unfortunately that didn’t work out but I was happy to be there in the finish.
"I found Bea’s (Caudera) wheel with just 200m to go. As I had got boxed in with 600m to go and had to do a big effort to get around. It was a close sprint, just a bike length behind Dideriksen. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to have more races with the girls. And now I am hungry to win."
