Luck was once again not on UAE Team ADQ‘s side, but Lara Gillespie and her teammates showed great determination to turn a difficult day into an outstanding second-place finish behind stage winner Lorena Wiebes in Stage 2 of the Tour de Pologne Women.
The 117.8-kilometre stage from Włodawa to Lubartów unfolded at a steady pace until the closing kilometres, when the speed increased and the sprint teams moved to the front to prepare for the bunch finish.
With just over eight kilometres remaining, Irish national champion Lara Gillespie suffered an unfortunate mechanical problem at the worst possible moment. The team reacted immediately, providing her with a bike change, while Febe Jooris played a crucial role in pacing her back to the peloton. The pair successfully rejoined the bunch with five kilometres to go.
Once back in the group, UAE Team ADQ quickly reorganised to position their leader for the sprint. In the final metres, Gillespie delivered an excellent sprint, making the most of the work done by the other lead-out trains to secure a convincing second place. Lorena Wiebes, however, proved unbeatable once again, claiming her second consecutive stage victory and retaining the overall race lead.
Thanks to today’s result, Gillespie moves up to second place in the general classification, 18 seconds behind Wiebes. The result is particularly significant after the disappointment of Stage 1, where a crash just a few hundred metres from the finish ruled the Irish rider out of contention for the sprint at the decisive moment.
The Tour de Pologne Women continues tomorrow with Stage 3, a 101.3-kilometre route from Janowiec to Lublin.
