Just 24 hours after winning in France, Lara Gillespie has pushed the world’s best sprint, Lorena Wiebes, all the way in Fourmies (Photo: Aymeric Lassak)
Just 24 hours after winning A Travers les Hauts de France (1.1) in France, Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) has pushed the world’s best sprinter, Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime), all the way in La Choralis Fourmies Féminine (1.Pro).
Wiebes is perhaps the best sprinter in the history of women’s race, having taken 25 wins so far this season, but Ireland’s Gillespie got closest to her today after 123km of racing.
Indeed, Gillespie may have done better with slightly more support in the final kilometre. Though she was second wheel just before the sprint began, behind SD Worx-Protime’s final lead-out rider for Wiebes, that wasn’t without its problems.
When that rider pulled over a little early, Gillespie found herself on the front too soon. And though she kept her gallop going all the way to the line for 2nd place, Wiebes came off the wheel of the Irish rider to win.
Gladys Verhulst-Wild (AG Insurance-Soudal) rounded out the podium on a day when Ireland’s Mia Griffin (Roland) also rode very well, taking 13th.
More to come.
20ème victoire de la saison pour Lorena Wiebes ! La championne d’Europe a remporté facilement #ChoralisFourmies #GPFourmies devant Lara Gillespie et Gladys Verhulst-Wild pic.twitter.com/kJRcSCiatB
— 🚴 Les Rois du Peloton 🚲 (@LRoisDuPeloton) September 14, 2025