Six years ago, Lara Gillespie “didn’t know anything about road cycling.” Now, just three days before Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2025, she’s being touted as a dark horse for victory in the sport’s toughest and most revered cobbled Classic. It’s the third place finishes at Le Samyn and Nokere Koerse, plus the fifth and sixth positions at Brugge-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem, not to mention the European titles on the velodrome, which have done it. Gillespie, just a few years ago an unknown name finding her feet in the WorldTour peloton, is becoming a Classics superstar – and she’s only just getting started.
“I’ve definitely exceeded my own expectations coming in as basically my first time doing all of these races and with a leadership role. I’m really happy that I've learned fast – I'm still making a lot of mistakes, but it's been a really fun process,” Gillespie tells Rouleur.
Despite a late entry to the sport – Gillespie was raised in Ireland's Wicklow mountains competing in running, hockey and other aerobic disciplines – the Irish rider is a natural on the cobbles; she can finesse them with the same skill and bravery as those who have grown up riding on them. She thrives when things are at their most chaotic, be that in the crosswinds of the UAE earlier this season, the speed of a bunch sprint in a race like Gent-Wevelgem, or the fight for position into Belgian bergs.
Gillespie at the start of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025 (Image: Getty)
“I like the races with the cobbles and with the punchy climbs because you're focusing a lot and you're in the moment, present in the race. I don't love the races where nothing's really happening, and it's kind of monotonous,” the 23-year-old explains. “I like it where you're focused. I can really be switched on for a long time – I think that's one of my strengths. That's why I think those races suit me.”
Coming from Ireland, a small country which doesn’t have races with big pelotons in national races, Gillespie says that she’s had little choice but to get stuck in and fight for her spot among the best: “You just have to get in the mix and have no fear, because you don't really get to practice it when you're younger. I definitely think I've also gained a lot of skills and a lot of knowledge from the track.”
Riding on the velodrome with the Irish national team was Gillespie’s initial key to pursuing cycling full-time when she was offered funding from Cycling Ireland. She competed in the Olympics last year on the track and took her first elite European title in the elimination race a few months ago. The speed and requirements of the velodrome complement her road racing well, Gillespie believes, and UAE Team ADQ are happy for her to continue to balance both.
“It's all about communication, and I’m lucky that I’ve got both a good road coach with the team and a good track coach. They communicate really well and my goals for both are like respected,” she says. “I’m happy I'm in an environment where I can express myself in that way, because I really enjoy doing different things.”
Gillespie crossing the line in third place at Belgian semi-Classic Nokere Koerse (Image: Getty)
It’s clear that Gillespie has found a home at UAE Team ADQ – they gave her a chance based on her track results at the end of 2022, and she spent two years learning on the development team. The step up to WorldTour came midway through 2024 and, while she admitted the learning curve has been steep, Gillespie has continued to prove that she belongs in the top echelon of the sport ever since then.
“I remember going to my first race in Belgium with the development team and they were like, okay, today we’re going to ride for you Lara. I was like ‘what? I don’t know what I’m doing!’” Gillespie laughs. “I was really learning on the job but the following year I felt like I really knew what I was doing. A few teams reached out after I won the Antwerp Port Epic, but I felt comfortable at UAE so I thought nothing was broken, so why change it? I felt really supported and like I could really be myself in this team which is important to me and quite rare.”
Racing alongside Elisa Longo Borghini, a Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix winner who joined UAE Team ADQ this year, has been invaluable to Gillespie’s fast learning process. The Italian rider is an exemplary leader who has over a decade of experience in the professional peloton.
“There's people who really know how to be a leader and really carry themselves in that way – it's not in an obnoxious way or like she thinks she’s better than you, it’s that we all want the best, and that's really cool,” Gillespie says. “I’m really learning from her in that way and how honest she is, I think that’s a great characteristic – no matter how good or how bad you are on the day, being honest is really important. That’s how you get better and trust each other more.”
While Longo Borghini won’t be taking to the start line at Roubaix as she recovers from her recent crash at the Tour of Flanders Gillespie confirms she will be contacting her Italian teammate to get tips on how to win the Hell of the North. The race in France, on paper, suits the Irish rider perfectly, especially given the potential of a final velodrome sprint if she can make it there.
Gillespie in the lead echelon of the UAE Tour alongside Elisa Longo-Borghini (Image: Getty)
“A top-five would be really cool,” she admits. “If I’m there at the end then I can produce a really good race, there’s a lot that can go wrong and right but it’s a perfect race to take your chance in. It’s about being in the right place at the right time.”
She may not have grown up watching races like De Ronde or Roubaix on television, but that doesn’t mean the history and fanfare around those events is lost on Gillespie. She’s enamoured with the epic savagery of Roubaix, and says she’s well aware of the legends that have been written in that iconic velodrome.
“I can really appreciate the specialness of it and it gives me goosebumps watching it on TV. I watched Flanders the other day from home and my heart rate was like 180bpm so I can really feel it even just through a screen,” Gillespie smiles. “I think just because I didn’t know about it as a kid doesn’t change things for me, but maybe it means I have a little bit of naivety going in that I don’t know how much it’s going to hurt until I’m in it.”
Throughout her lightning-fast progression in the sport so far, Gillespie has continued to surprise and impress with her ability. She may not be the bookies’ favourite for victory in Roubaix up against the likes of Lotte Kopecky or Marianne Vos, but the plucky Irish rider should not be counted out for a result on Saturday.
“I watched the men’s race by the side of the cobbles last year and the whole atmosphere, the cheering, the crowds and the brutality of it was really cool,” she grins. “There’s no getting away from suffering there. In some races real sprinters can just follow wheels and stuff, but at Roubaix there is nowhere to hide. It’s an honest race, which is good for me.”
Cover image: UAE Team-ADQ
