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RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'I am buzzing' - Lara Gillespie part of history-making Irish trio at women's Tour de France
Lara Gillespie has been in a race against time to make it to the Tour de France Femmes but, following her recovery from a bad injury, she will make history in the race on Saturday afternoon. The women's Tour de France begins in Vannes, Brittany and, for the first time ever, there will be an Irish presence. In fact not one but three Irish riders will take part: Gillespie, current national champion Mia Griffin and last year's title holder Fiona Mangan. This is the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, but Irish women were also absent from the previous women's race run by the Tour organisers between 1984 and 1989. The event is the biggest race on the women's calendar, and has greatly helped the growth of the women's side of the sport, and gives Gillespie a lot of satisfaction be lining out in it. "I am buzzing to be one of the first Irish girls to be at the Tour, so that is really exciting to be part of," she told RTÉ Sport on Friday. "I'm happy to see Fiona and Mia in there and we can experience this whirlwind together." Gillespie has long shown her talent on the track, taking European championship titles at junior, under 23 and Elite level. The Enniskerry rider was, along with Griffin, part of the Irish team pursuit squad which finished a fine ninth in last year's Olympics. She is an accomplished road race rider too, and secured a contract with the UAE Team ADQ WorldTour-level squad last summer following victory in the Antwerp Port Epic Ladies race, plus the Giro Mediterraneo Rosa. This season has been a very promising one for the 24-year-old, with strong results in a number of races. She was runner up in the Fenix Omloop van het Hageland, and third in both Le Samyn des Dames and the Danilith Nokere Koerse. In May she was fourth on a stage of the Vuelta España Femenina, one of the biggest races in the sport. "I am super grateful and feel really privileged to be part of the team," she said of her selection for the Tour de France Femmes. "It is a really great opportunity and a great team we have here." However, she almost missed the chance. In mid-June, Gillespie fell in the Elmos Dwars door het Hageland race. She remounted and was able to sprint in 12th, but after the race it became clear that something was amiss. "I had an unfortunate crash over a month ago where I landed on my sacrum," she said. "I had fluid in the bone. I didn't break anything, but I had to really rest a lot from the races." Trying to get ready for the Tour, she went to Spain with her first coach, Martin O'Loughlin. They worked hard together and she quickly built form. "I had a really nice ten days in Majorca, with Martin motorpacing me," she said. "That was really cool. I knew if I left that camp sprinting good, doing high intensity, doing high volume then I could get through to the team. "So that is what happened, and so I am here with a really strong team, really good energy. We are ready to fight for some stages, so that is really cool." The 24-year-old is a strong sprinter and will relish the opportunity to square up against the world's best such as the Dutchwoman Lorena Wiebes. Stages one and two are lumpy and feature uphill finishes which may favor different types of riders, but days three and four are predicted to end in bunch gallops. From there things get progressively more mountainous, meaning sprint specialist Gillespie's best chances of high placing will be in the first half of the race. Griffin (Roland Le Dévoluy) and Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) will also be looking forward to those early stages, with aims of helping their teams but also trying to show their own strength too. There is an additional goal for the trio; building up vital experience in the sport's top event in order to grow as competitors and to become even stronger. And making history for Irish cycling? That's a significant motivation too. Tour de France Femmes schedule: Stage 1, Saturday 26 July: Vannes to Plumelec, 78.8 km (49 miles) Stage 2, Sunday 27 July: Brest to Quimper, 110.4 km (68.6 miles) Stage 3, Monday 28 July: La Gacilly to Angers, 163.5 km (101.6 miles) Stage 4, Tuesday 29 July: Saumur to Poitiers, 130.7 km (81.2 miles) Stage 5, Wednesday 30 July: Chasseneuil-du-Poitou to Guéret, 165.8 km (103 miles) Stage 6, Thursday 31 July: Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert, 123.7 km (76.9 miles) Stage 7, Friday 1 August: Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambéry, 159.7 km (99.2 miles) Stage 8, Saturday 2 August: Chambéry to Saint François Longchamp – Col de la Madelaine, 111.9 km (69.5 miles) Stage 9, Sunday 3 August Praz-Sur-Arly to Châtel Les Portes du Soleil Pré Lajoux, 124.1 km (77.1 miles)
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Irish trio make history with Tour de France Femmes starts
Ben Healy became just the fourth Irish rider to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France this year, but three women will make their own piece of history when they become the first-ever Irish participants in the Tour de France Femmes. The nine-stage race gets under way on Saturday in Vannes, Brittany, and there Lara Gillespie , Mia Griffin and Fiona Mangan will line out for their respective teams in the biggest race in the calendar. It concludes on Sunday week at Châtel Les Portes du Soleil in the Alps. The Tour de France Femmes is in its fourth year and began following years of campaigning by women to have their own version of the race. It has surged in popularity and helped move the sport to a new level. Megan Armitage was due to make Irish cycling history in 2023 when she was selected by her-then Arkéa Pro Cycling Team, but she was hit by a bus two days beforehand and was ruled out due to concussion. READ MORE A women's race run by the Tour de France organisers was previously held between 1984 and 1989. No Irish women competed in that event, but Susan O'Mara and Marie Eribo did participate in the Tour of the EEC Women in 1990 – a separate stage race held to replace that early women's Tour. Contesting the Tour de France Femmes is special for Gillespie, Griffin and Mangan, and a measure of how Irish cycling is developing abroad. Gillespie has won European track championships at different age groups and is a huge prospect. She was fourth on a stage of the Vuelta Espana Femenina in early May, securing a WorldTour contract with UAE Team ADQ after she won the Antwerp Port Epic Ladies race plus the Giro Mediterraneo Rosa last year. Last month she had a big crash in the Elmos Dwars door het Hageland, bruising her sacrum bone, but has recovered. She spent a period of time recently in Majorca training and is in good condition. 'I am buzzing to be one of the first Irish girls to be at the Tour, so that is really exciting to be part of,' Gillespie said on Friday. 'I'm happy to see Fiona and Mia in there and we can experience this whirlwind together.' [ Ineos-Grenadiers soigneur leaves Tour de France amid investigation over 2012 doping allegations Opens in new window ] National champion Griffin (Roland Le Dévoluy) won a stage of the Tour of El Salvador this year and was third in the Tour of Guangxi in 2023. Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) took a stage of the Volta a Portugal Feminina on July 4th, marking her first international pro win. They will line out against the world's best riders in the 1,165 kilometre event. It begins this weekend with two punchy stages to Plumelec and Quimper, with sprint stages to Angers and Poitiers following. Things start to get more mountainous from Wednesday, with tough stages to Guéret, Ambert and Chambéry being followed by the intimidating 2,000-metre high Col de la Madeleine on Saturday, plus the big conclusion at the Portes du Soleil ski station the following day. Last year's winner Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto) and 2023 champion Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) lead the list of overall contenders. Tour de France Femmes Stage 1, Saturday, July 26th: Vannes to Plumelec, 78.8km (49 miles) Stage 2, Sunday, July 27th: Brest to Quimper, 110.4km (68.6 miles) Stage 3, Monday, July 28th: La Gacilly to Angers, 163.5km (101.6 miles) Stage 4, Tuesday, July 29th: Saumur to Poitiers, 130.7km (81.2 miles) Stage 5, Wednesday, July 30th: Chasseneuil-du-Poitou to Guéret, 165.8km (103 miles) Stage 6, Thursday, July 31st: Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert, 123.7km (76.9 miles) Stage 7, Friday, August 1st: Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambéry, 159.7km (99.2 miles) Stage 8, Saturday August 2nd: Chambéry to St François Longchamp – Col de la Madeleine, 111.9km (69.5 miles) Stage 9, Sunday August 3rd: Praz-Sur-Arly to Châtel Les Portes du Soleil Pré Lajoux, 124.1km (77.1 miles)
RTÉ News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Lara Gillespie creates history at Vuelta Espana Femenina
Lara Gillespie took the best grand tour result ever by an Irishwoman on Friday, sprinting to fourth in the Vuelta Espana Femenina. The UAE Team ADQ rider was positioned outside the top 10 as the sprint unfolded but powered past multiple riders before the line in Baltanas. The stage was won by Marianne Vos (Visma Lease a Bike), widely recognised as the greatest female competitor of all time, ahead of another Dutchwoman Mischa Bredewold (Team SD Worx-Protime). The Australian Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) was third. Gillespie's speed inside the final 200 metres was highly impressive. Had she been better positioned inside the final kilometre a podium finish would have been achievable. "This is a nice step in the ride direction for me," she said. "My first grand tour stage race is a whole new experience. These climbs, descents and technical finishes are also new for me." The Vuelta Espana Femenina is, in English, the women's Tour of Spain. Together with the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and the Giro d'Italia Women, they are the most important stage races in the sport. Gillespie's performance is hugely significant, not least because she is still in her first full season as a WorldTour rider. Her UAE Team ADQ squad promoted her from its development team last June on the back of three race victories. The Enniskerry rider is Ireland's top female cyclist, shining on track and road despite being just 24 years of age. In February she became the first Irishwoman to win an elite European track championship, taking the elimination race in Zolder, Belgium. Her performances on the road mark her out as one who is well on the way to becoming one of the sport's top sprinters. Gillespie is embracing that role, and is encouraged by her showing on Friday in Spain. "I feel fast in the finish but I'm learning how to position myself to compete for the win," she said. "Step by step. I'm already excited for the next opportunity to sprint in a few weeks again." The Vuelta Espana Femenina ends Saturday with a tough summit finish, not Gillespie's ideal terrain. She will recharge after the race in advance of her next events. She is provisionally scheduled to ride the Omloop der Kempen Ladies in the Netherlands on 17 May, but her team told RTÉ Sport today that confirmation of her next event will come at a later date. It is not clear if she could be considered for this year's Tour de France Femmes avez Zwift. However, her performance on Friday should boost her chances of selection for the race, which takes place in late July.
Irish Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Lara Gillespie chasing sprint openings in Vuelta a España Femenina
Ireland's Lara Gillespie will be looking for sprint opportunities this week in the Vuelta España Femenina, which got under way in Barcelona on Sunday. Her UAE Team ADQ squad finished 15th in the 8.1km team time-trial stage, won by the Lidl-Trek squad. Gillespie has had a number of strong results this season and will be looking forward to opportunities in the days ahead. Monday's and Tuesday's stages could potentially finish in sprints, while Friday's penultimate stage may also suit explosive riders. European track champion Gillespie is in her first full season as a WorldTour rider and is impressing many. Although the Vuelta a España Femenina is shorter than the men's Vuelta, it is one of women's cycling three grand tours. READ MORE Meanwhile, Mia Griffin continued her own recent fine form, netting 13th in the 1.1-ranked Festival Elsy Jacobs in Luxembourg on Sunday. The Roland rider was recently third and fourth in 1.1-ranked races in El Salvador.
