Lara Gillespie claimed another second place in the sprint on the third and final stage of the Tour of Chongming Island, bringing the 2026 UCI Women’s WorldTour season to a close.
The 108.6 km final stage was held on a circuit in the city of Chongming. Gillespie started the day 11 seconds behind race leader Lorena Wiebes, who had won the first two stages.
The racing was lively once again, with UAE Team L’IMAD among the most attentive and active teams in the peloton, working to control the race and bring breakaway attempts back under control.
The most significant escape of the day, featuring three riders, stayed clear for several kilometres. UAE Team L’IMAD took responsibility for closing the gap, with Elynor Backstedt, Greta Marturano and Karlijn Swinkels doing much of the work to bring the breakaway back at 36 km from the finish.
The pace remained high in the closing kilometres, with several attacks disrupting the peloton. Backstedt and Swinkels continued to keep a close eye on the action, while Gillespie reacted promptly to the moves, including an attack by Wiebes herself.
With around 4 km to go, a two-rider breakaway that had built a lead of approximately 15 seconds was caught. Inside the final kilometre, Backstedt and Swinkels tried to stretch out the peloton before Sofie van Rooijen led Gillespie onto Wiebes’ wheel for the final sprint.
The Dutch sprinter proved unbeatable once again, taking her third consecutive stage victory in a sprint and securing the overall title. Gillespie finished second, once again the only rider able to challenge Wiebes in the sprints at this year’s race. China’s Xin Tang took third place.
The Irish sprinter also secured second place in the final general classification, underlining her status among the world’s leading sprinters.
Lara Gillespie said: “The team worked well today. We tried to find a way to give Karlijn some time, but unfortunately, the tactics of the other teams didn’t allow it. We went all in for the sprint, and I felt strong. I’m definitely feeling more and more comfortable in these fast sprints. The last two days have been my best sprint efforts ever, and I’ve reached my highest speeds, so I can be happy with my form.
Greta helped control the race, along with Elynor, while Sofie helped me in the final to put me in contention for the sprint. Lionel Marie guided us well, and, as usual, we received great support from all the staff. We’re very lucky to have them.”
