Lara Gillespie has enjoyed a very strong seaon, but in a very hilly Tour de France, her team has opted for a general classification line-up (Photo: Thomas Braun)
Lara Gillespie (UAE Team L’IMAD) will sit out the Tour de France, a year after making her debut in the race after her team has named a selection set to target the general classification, rather than flat stages, at next week’s race.
Though the UAE-backed team has looked to Italian veteran Elisa Longo Borghini for general classification results, its Spanish rider Paula Blasi is now one of the hottest properties in cycling; perhaps cycling’s breakthrough rider of the season, male or female.
Blasi has already won a stage and the overall at La Vuelta this year, as well as Amstel Gold and a stage and the overall at CIC-Tour Féminin des Pyrénées (2.Pro).
She goes into this Tour as one of the favourites to win and then looks set to leave the team, a year early, for Movistar on a salary reported to be almost €1 million.
Longo Borghini has won the Giro d’Italia twice and at the start of the season won UAE Tour, as well as taking a stage at the Giro and 4th overall.
With world class general classification and climbing talent at its disposal – including Tour 2025 double stage winner Maeva Squiban – UAE Team L’IMAD has opted for a general classification line-up.
That is no surprise considering this is set to be a very hilly edition of the Tour, one unsuited to a classics rider and sprinter like Gillespie.
Paula Blasi is perhaps cycling’s breakthrough rider of the season and, having already won La Vuelta, she has a strong chance of success at the Tour de France (Photo: Antonio Baixauli)
Irish rider Gillespie told stickybottle early this year she would not be doing the Tour, and confirmed that during a recent round of interviews with Irish news publications.
In Gillespie’s absence from the race, Ireland will still have two riders on the start list in Lausanne on Saturday; Mia Griffin (Picnic PostNL) and Fiona Mangan (Mayenne Monbana My Pie).
Gillespie will look to the Tour of Britain, which starts in three weeks, as a main assignment for the latter half of the season, and will go into the race tipped for stage win success.
She won both the TT and road race at last month’s National Road Championships in Co Mayo, before debuting her new Irish champion’s livery in Belgium Argenta Classic-Deurne (1.1), which she won in a bunch sprint.
Last week, Gillespie rode Tour de Pologne, placing 2nd and 3rd and stage as well as 3rd overall, the best general classification result of her career.
The UAE Team L’IMAD lineup for the 2026 Tour de France Femmes is: Dominika Wlodarczyk, Elisa Longo Borghini, Silvia Persico, Mavi Garcia, Maeva Squiban, Paula Blasi and Brodie Chapman.