Fresh from claiming the Irish national road race and time trial titles last week and making her debut in the new green jersey featuring the shamrock, Lara Gillespie continued her winning streak by taking victory at the Argenta Classic – Deurne today.
The UAE Team ADQ rider sprinted to success after 127.4 kilometres of racing around Deurne, securing her fourth victory of the season.
The 25-year-old outsprinted Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health) and Lonneke Uneken (VolkerWessels Cycling Team), while teammate Federica Venturelli completed a strong team performance with an excellent tenth-place finish.
The victory capped another outstanding display from UAE Team ADQ. The team controlled the race throughout the day, helping to bring back the breakaway before delivering a perfectly executed lead-out for Gillespie in the finale. Launched into the final sprint in ideal position, the Irish champion finished off the superb work of her teammates with a powerful and convincing victory.
Lara Gillespie said: “I’m really happy with this victory. It was a fast, chaotic and highly tactical race, but as a team we managed it perfectly and played our cards in the best possible way. Febe (Jooris) and Federica (Venturelli) delivered an outstanding lead-out, putting me in the ideal position with 200 metres to go, and I was able to finish the job in the sprint. It’s also special to take another win while wearing my new Irish champion’s jersey for the first time. I’m proud to represent it in the best possible way and I’m excited for what’s still to come this season.”
(ph. Thomas Braun)
