World champion cyclist back on the road with new Mercedes-Benz
World champion Lara Gillespie has collected the keys of a brand new Mercedes-Benz A180 AMG Line from Johnson & Perrott Fleet in Co Dublin, continuing a mult-year association between Ireland’s most decorated racing cyclist and the leading vehicle leasing company.
The 25-year-old from Enniskerry, Co Wicklow returned home on a flying visit last week as she geared up for the UCI World Track Cup in Malaysia with Team Ireland following a successful spring road racing campaign which delivered a famous victory in the Ename Samyn one-day cobbled classic in Belgium.
Jonathan O’Brien, managing director, Johnson & Perrott Fleet, with racing cyclist Lara Gillespie
Helping her with the challenge of negotiating her hectic calendar will be the Johnson & Perrott Fleet-supplied Mercedes A180 AMG Line which she will have the use of throughout 2026, continuing a winning partnership for a fourth successive year.
Resplendent in her world championship winning rainbow stripes jersey, Gillespie arrived to collect her new vehicle and left with her team issue Colnago V5R bike tethered to a bespoke roof rack on the Johnson & Perrott Fleet Mercedes.
Speaking at the handover, Johnson & Perrott Fleet managing director Jonathan O’Brien said: “Lara Gillespie is Ireland’s most decorated woman racing cyclist in history and is among a tiny elite racing in multiple disciplines at the highest levels of the sport.
“It’s an honour for us to be able to ease her logistical challenges in some small way and for us to align ourselves with our shared values of commitment, endurance and consistent delivery of results in a high-pressure environment.”
In expressing her delight at renewing a valuable commercial partnership, Gillespie said: “I’m thrilled to continue this association with Jonhson & Perrott Fleet who have supported me since my international career was in its earliest stages.
“It’s been a great 12-months with victory in World and European Championships on the track and recent success on the road in Belgium. I’m looking forward to the battles to come on track and road at the World Championships and beyond. It’s great that I have this beautiful Mercedes to help me on my way.”