Lara Gillespie took another top result in finishing a strong third in the women’s Nokere Koerse in Belgium on Wednesday.

The UAE Team ADQ rider finished just behind double World Champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and ace sprinter Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech), showing fine form in her build-up to Paris-Roubaix.

Gillespie won the Beobank Samyn Ladies earlier this month, and was second in the Omloop van het Hageland.

Sam Bennett also had a solid showing in the men’s race, his first since having a heart operation last autumn. The 35-year-old was prominent with 41km to go, sitting at the front of the bunch, but faded as the final battle for the line unfolded.

Bennett finished 5:11 behind winner Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), with Northern Ireland’s Seth Dunwoody 1:43 back, the 19 year old guesting with the Bahrain-Victorious World Tour team.

“To be honest, I was quite happy, because the base fitness is quite good,” said Bennett afterward the race.

“I just didn’t have the accelerations to keep doing it. On the last lap I just completely blew up. The thing was, even when I was dropped, I was still sitting at 350, 400 watts. I just had one speed. It is the first time in the last couple of years where I thought I need racing to get ready.

“Normally I am good from the start, just with training, but I suppose it has been so many months without racing. I’m only training the bones of two months, so I can’t really expect more.”

The Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling rider said he had hoped to remain with the bunch until closer to the finish but expects to reach better race sharpness soon.

Bennett won two stages and the green jersey in the 2020 Tour de France, but has since faced various setbacks. The Carrick-on-Suir man experienced a knee injury in 2021 and despite taking two stages in the following year’s Vuelta a España, he was later forced to withdraw due to Covid.

Bennett experienced symptoms of atrial fibrillation last November and underwent surgery to correct the heart rhythm issues. He believes the issue may have affected him for several years and hopes to return to his best in the months ahead.

He is pencilled in to ride the Koksijde Classic on Friday, with a final decision to be made following consultation with his team.