Ireland’s Lara Gillespie finished on the podium after Tuesday’s 130.7km fourth stage of the Tour de France Femme.
Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) took her second stage victory of the Tour, winning a sprint finish to see off yellow jersey rival Mariann Vos in second and 24-year-old Gillespie in third.
The largely flat stage from Saumur to Poitiers saw the peloton remain tightly packed until the closing stretch before a showdown among the sprinters.
The close finish meant Team Visma-Lease a Bike’s Vos retained her lead in the general classification, holding a 12 second gap over Wiebes and AG Insurance-Sourdal’s Kim Le Court Pienaar.
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Gillespie, racing for UAE Team ADQ in her first Tour, is now 106th in the GC and 18th in the race for the sprinters’ green jersey.
Fellow Irish riders Mia Griffin (Roland Le Dévoluy) and Fiona Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) also charged home with the leading pack, taking 25th and 28th in the stage respectively.
Wednesday’s stage five brings the peloton to Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, following a 165.8km route to Guéret which features one Category 3 and two Category 4 climbs.
