WINNING A GOLD medal at the UCI Track World Championships for the second year in a row was a slightly different experience for Lara Gillespie.
For one thing, the hype was more noticeable to her this time around. When she came home from Chile last year with a gold medal in the elimination race, her success didn’t attract much attention.
But earlier this week, she was greeted by TV cameras as she passed through the sliding doors at Dublin Airport with two medals draped around her neck: one for her victory in the points race, and a silver after finishing second in the scratch race.
So now, word is starting to spread. People are taking notice of the double world champion from Wicklow.
Recognition
But amidst the groundswell of support, and newfound fame, it was Gillespie’s hardcore fans who were waiting for her at arrivals. Her aunt and uncle were present, along with some cousins, all holding up banners and tricolour flags after her latest achievement at international level.
Her mother Suzanne and grandmother May Clarke were in the welcome party too.
“To have lived long enough to see her do so well is wonderful,” Gillespie’s grandmother proudly said to RTÉ as the celebrations continued around her.
Two very important women in Gillespie’s life, who were there long before she was landing home with medals in her luggage.
“She’s 90,” Gillespie says about her doting grandmother. “She’s amazing.
“I’m very lucky to live with her growing up and lived in the Wicklow Mountains. I spent my whole childhood with her. They’re my two rocks. Strong women. I think they woke up at 5am to get to the airport.”
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Gillespie after winning a gold medal at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai. Cycling Ireland
Cycling Ireland
Olympics
While Gillespie appreciates the backing she receives from home, the media recognition is very much welcomed too. And she hopes to see even more cycling on Irish television, particularly with the Olympics coming up in 2028. Gillespie earned a top-10 finish at the Paris Games, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal in the women’s omnium.
And with the way Gillespie is progressing on the world stage, a place on the podium feels possible at LA in two years.
“The media and television do make a big difference,” says Gillespie. “You see people like Rhasidat (Adeleke) and Kate O’Connor, because of the cool interviews they do, they’re all very well televised. It makes a difference for people to be able to follow along, not just on the good days, but then also on the bad days.
“So, you can follow the journey to the Olympics, rather than just being like, ‘Oh yeah, we qualified guys and we’re here.’”
Naturally, LA 2028 is already on Gillespie’s mind, and her prospects in the omnium. She earned a fifth-place finish in that event in Shanghai last week, 18 points outside the medal positions in a 23-strong field. The points and scratch races, where she won her world medals, are not contested as individual disciplines at Olympic level.
The omnium comprises four events: the 10km scratch and tempo races, before the elimination and points races.
There is currently no indoor velodrome for track cycling in Ireland, but plans are underway to build one in Blanchardstown with Sport Ireland, and another in Limerick. Gillespie has been advised that the velodrome in Blanchardstown will hopefully be completed before the Olympics rolls around.
“I was actually really happy with that because it’s my highest result ever in a world-stage omnium, and it’s really good Olympic qualifying points.
“And also, I was feeling terrible that day. I just had a lot of pain. And normally, if I was on a training day, I wouldn’t have ridden that day. But at worlds, you can’t opt out.
“I really fought through. It was just a bad day, and I knew I was on a bad day, so I just had to kind of get through it and make the best decisions possible. I didn’t have the same feeling that I had at all in the scratch race, or in the points race two days later. And that just happens. That’s sport. That’s life.”
Lara Gillespie at the Paris Olympics in 2024. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Progress
Her upbringing in the Wicklow Mountains is where Gillespie’s love of cycling was forged. Of course, there was that typical phase growing up when she cycled to school and enjoyed it in a recreational sense, but the urge to explore the competitive side of the sport took hold when she was in Transition Year.
These days she’s a professional cyclist, representing the UAE Team L’Imad since 2023.
“We have everything that you can imagine. We’ve training camps, bootcamps, equipment, nutritionists, video analysis coaches. The wider team is just crazy.
“They plan out my whole year. My goals are their goals. It works because I’m getting success on the track as well. That does help.”
Poll Results:
-->, and the Giro d'Italia Women. (1)
At the Giro this year, she finished fourth overall in the points classification and was second at one stage in the general classification after back-to-back second-place finishes.
“My best year on the road,” she says. “I was really close to even wearing the leader’s jersey on the second day. That was really cool to do. I’m just getting more confidence. I’m getting to do the best races in the world amongst the best riders in the world basically every, every week or every other week.”
Off-season
It’s time for a break now as Gillespie settles into her off-season for the next couple of weeks. Catching up with friends and family is how she plans to enjoy her downtime before returning to the saddle. She also has a bootcamp in Abu Dhabi to look forward to next week.
Two medals at a World Championship was a satisfying way to bring her campaign to a close, and she clearly turned some heads while doing it.
“The best I’ve felt ever in a post-championship/end-of-season. Normally I have a big crash out after a season of tiredness, and most years you get sick, because you only get two weeks off, and then once your body realises that it can rest, it almost grabs every second that it can.
“So, I’m actually trying to keep a bit more active. I’m not on the bike, but I’m not lying down making my body think that it’s okay to get sick.
“And considering it’s the end of a very long season, I wouldn’t say that my body and my mind are like, ‘Get me off the bike.’ I just need to go rest. I’m feeling super motivated already for next year.”
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Cycling in the Wicklow Mountains, learning from two strong women, and conquering the world twice
WINNING A GOLD medal at the UCI Track World Championships for the second year in a row was a slightly different experience for Lara Gillespie.
For one thing, the hype was more noticeable to her this time around. When she came home from Chile last year with a gold medal in the elimination race, her success didn’t attract much attention.
But earlier this week, she was greeted by TV cameras as she passed through the sliding doors at Dublin Airport with two medals draped around her neck: one for her victory in the points race, and a silver after finishing second in the scratch race.
So now, word is starting to spread. People are taking notice of the double world champion from Wicklow.
Recognition
But amidst the groundswell of support, and newfound fame, it was Gillespie’s hardcore fans who were waiting for her at arrivals. Her aunt and uncle were present, along with some cousins, all holding up banners and tricolour flags after her latest achievement at international level.
Her mother Suzanne and grandmother May Clarke were in the welcome party too.
“To have lived long enough to see her do so well is wonderful,” Gillespie’s grandmother proudly said to RTÉ as the celebrations continued around her.
Two very important women in Gillespie’s life, who were there long before she was landing home with medals in her luggage.
“She’s 90,” Gillespie says about her doting grandmother. “She’s amazing.
“I’m very lucky to live with her growing up and lived in the Wicklow Mountains. I spent my whole childhood with her. They’re my two rocks. Strong women. I think they woke up at 5am to get to the airport.”
Olympics
While Gillespie appreciates the backing she receives from home, the media recognition is very much welcomed too. And she hopes to see even more cycling on Irish television, particularly with the Olympics coming up in 2028. Gillespie earned a top-10 finish at the Paris Games, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal in the women’s omnium.
And with the way Gillespie is progressing on the world stage, a place on the podium feels possible at LA in two years.
“The media and television do make a big difference,” says Gillespie. “You see people like Rhasidat (Adeleke) and Kate O’Connor, because of the cool interviews they do, they’re all very well televised. It makes a difference for people to be able to follow along, not just on the good days, but then also on the bad days.
“So, you can follow the journey to the Olympics, rather than just being like, ‘Oh yeah, we qualified guys and we’re here.’”
Naturally, LA 2028 is already on Gillespie’s mind, and her prospects in the omnium. She earned a fifth-place finish in that event in Shanghai last week, 18 points outside the medal positions in a 23-strong field. The points and scratch races, where she won her world medals, are not contested as individual disciplines at Olympic level.
The omnium comprises four events: the 10km scratch and tempo races, before the elimination and points races.
There is currently no indoor velodrome for track cycling in Ireland, but plans are underway to build one in Blanchardstown with Sport Ireland, and another in Limerick. Gillespie has been advised that the velodrome in Blanchardstown will hopefully be completed before the Olympics rolls around.
“I was actually really happy with that because it’s my highest result ever in a world-stage omnium, and it’s really good Olympic qualifying points.
“And also, I was feeling terrible that day. I just had a lot of pain. And normally, if I was on a training day, I wouldn’t have ridden that day. But at worlds, you can’t opt out.
“I really fought through. It was just a bad day, and I knew I was on a bad day, so I just had to kind of get through it and make the best decisions possible. I didn’t have the same feeling that I had at all in the scratch race, or in the points race two days later. And that just happens. That’s sport. That’s life.”
Progress
Her upbringing in the Wicklow Mountains is where Gillespie’s love of cycling was forged. Of course, there was that typical phase growing up when she cycled to school and enjoyed it in a recreational sense, but the urge to explore the competitive side of the sport took hold when she was in Transition Year.
These days she’s a professional cyclist, representing the UAE Team L’Imad since 2023.
“We have everything that you can imagine. We’ve training camps, bootcamps, equipment, nutritionists, video analysis coaches. The wider team is just crazy.
“They plan out my whole year. My goals are their goals. It works because I’m getting success on the track as well. That does help.”
Poll Results:
At the Giro this year, she finished fourth overall in the points classification and was second at one stage in the general classification after back-to-back second-place finishes.
“My best year on the road,” she says. “I was really close to even wearing the leader’s jersey on the second day. That was really cool to do. I’m just getting more confidence. I’m getting to do the best races in the world amongst the best riders in the world basically every, every week or every other week.”
Off-season
It’s time for a break now as Gillespie settles into her off-season for the next couple of weeks. Catching up with friends and family is how she plans to enjoy her downtime before returning to the saddle. She also has a bootcamp in Abu Dhabi to look forward to next week.
Two medals at a World Championship was a satisfying way to bring her campaign to a close, and she clearly turned some heads while doing it.
“The best I’ve felt ever in a post-championship/end-of-season. Normally I have a big crash out after a season of tiredness, and most years you get sick, because you only get two weeks off, and then once your body realises that it can rest, it almost grabs every second that it can.
“So, I’m actually trying to keep a bit more active. I’m not on the bike, but I’m not lying down making my body think that it’s okay to get sick.
“And considering it’s the end of a very long season, I wouldn’t say that my body and my mind are like, ‘Get me off the bike.’ I just need to go rest. I’m feeling super motivated already for next year.”
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Cycling lara gillespie Lara Gillespie Interview Making Tracks October UCI Track World Championships