Building UAE Team ADQ's powerhouse squad – Lara Gillespie and Silvia Persico on hitting the gym and learning from the top

AL AIN QASR AL MUWAIJI UNITED ARAB EMIRATES FEBRUARY 08 A general view of Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy Elynor Backstedt of Great Britain Nina Berton of Luxembourg Green Points Jersey Lara Gillespie of Ireland Silvia Persico of Italy Karlijn Swinkels of the Netherlands Black intermediate sprint jersey Sofie Van Rooijen of the Netherlands and UAE Team ADQ prior to the 3rd UAE Tour Women Stage 3 a 152km stage from Al Ain Qasr Al Muwaiji to Jebel Hafeet UCIWWT on February 08 2025 in Al Ain Qasr Al Muwaiji United Arab Emirates Photo by Tim de WaeleGetty Images.

The home team of the UAE Tour Women 2025, UAE Team ADQ, are currently dominating the podium. Elisa Longo Borghini is in red and green, and Lara Gillespie holds the black jersey.

This is Gillespie's first race and first year on the WorldTour stage, after joining the UAE development team in 2023 and Gillespie is having a sterling start with holding the jersey.