UAE TEAM ADQ

Third win of the season for Ireland's champion Lara Gillespie, who took the most important victory of her career today. In fact, the 23-year-old UAE Development Team athlete crossed the finish line first at the Antwerp Port Epic Ladies, a very special race with many kilometers of offroad and cobblestones.

Lara won in a sprint from a group of ten athletes, beating Zoe Bäckstedt, second, and Babette Van Der Wolf, third. Also placing in the ten was Federica Venturelli, ninth, who in the final sprint put herself at the service of her teammate and turned in one of the best performances of the entire season.

But perhaps every UAE Development Team rider competed their best race of the season, because never as in the Antwerp Port Epic did the athletes directed by Davide Gani compete with personality in every moment of the race.

In fact first Caudera, Kunz and Redaelli worked hard to close in on the first breakaway of two athletes (Jencusova and Dockx), then Sara Fiorin jumped and propitiated the rejoining of the group.

At 25 km there was an important action, as Zoe Bäckstedt attacked. The Brit gained a 30-second lead on the peloton and then Lara Gillespie did not think too much about it and also moved off along with Femke De Vries. This move by Lara was great, because with 11 km to go the peloton came back together. Unfortunately, at that moment Elisabeth Ebras had a mechanical problem and could not fight to stay in front when a group of ten riders formed at the head of the race and were fighting for the victory.

“When Zoe sprinted, I was a little disappointed because I wanted to be with her,” said Lara Gillespie, “so I chased because I know how strong she is. In the last 10 km I told Federica that I felt good for the sprint and she responded to all the attacks. She was amazing. Then I had a cramp in my legs and I was getting a little nervous, but then we talked again and decided I would do the sprint. In the last Km I was very calm and relaxed and at 200 meters I saw Zoe starting her sprint, so I went to the other side and sprinted.

“Today my teammates were amazing,” Lara added, “because they were in front the whole race. We communicated the whole time and today it seemed like each of them was strong and in control of the situation. I'm proud to be part of this team, I dedicate this victory to them.”