Lara Gillespie has taken her first big professional road racing result since signing for new team, UAE Development. Still aged just 21 years, Gillespie was part of the Team Ireland team pursuit line-up that shattered the national record last week at the Nations Cup in Indonesia.
And now she has been in the thick of it on the roads of Europe, making her debut for UAE Development team and coming away with a podium finish at Poreč Trophy (1.2) in Croatia. The Wicklow woman was also unlucky not to win considering how the finale played out.
The 116km race from Poreč to Tar featured a number of small climbs, with a sting in the tail at the finish with the line at the top of a drag; the road kicking up the most in the last 500m by rising long before that, making for a climb of over 1km.
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In the end, Yanina Kuskova from Uzbekistan, and riding for Tashkent City Women Pro Cycling, took victory with a late attack. Gillespie was boxed in a little when the move went and also hesitated as there was still over 500m to go to the line, all uphill, when the attack went.
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By the time the Irish woman managed to get out into clear road in pursuit of the lone leader, Kuskova had gained a tidy advantage and proved able to keep her effort going all the way to the line.
While Gillespie closed rapidly on her, she ran out of road to catch and pass Kuskova, a 21-year-old taking her second victory of the season after also winning Expo Kriteryum in Turkey.
Urška Pintar (BTC City Ljubljana Scott) was 3rd today, with Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) 4th and Elisa De Vallier (Accadueo-Manhattan) taking 5th; the remains of the main field splitting significantly on the final passage of the climb to the finish.
More to come very shortly.
