Ireland’s sprinter Lara Gillespie secured a fourth-place finish at the Scheldeprijs vrouwen elite, covering 130.3 kilometers in Schoten today.
As expected, the race came down to a bunch sprint, with Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Deceuninck) taking victory ahead of Nienke Veenhoven (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek). Gillespie, representing UAE Team ADQ, finished just off the podium in fourth place.
It was another fast and nervous race, marked by multiple crashes that influenced the outcome. UAE Team ADQ lined up with a mixed squad of WorldTour and Development Team riders, but their plans were disrupted by one of the incidents.
Among those caught up were Fee Knaven, who was forced to abandon due to the impact of the crash, and Febe Jooris, who had to make a significant effort to return to the peloton and continue supporting the team. Young rider Milana Ushakova also faced a couple of tense moments but managed to stay upright, only briefly forced to put a foot down.
In the final phases of the race, both Alena Ivanchenko and especially Jooris played key roles in positioning Gillespie at the front. After the breakaway was reeled in, the pace increased significantly, with riders from SD Worx driving a series of attacks.
In the end, the peloton stayed together heading into the final kilometers, leading to the anticipated sprint finish. Gillespie had to navigate the finale largely on her own, making the most of the lead-outs from other teams. Her fourth-place result confirms her consistent form throughout the Classics campaign and marks another strong performance for the Emirati team.
(ph. Getty Sport)
