Climbers have just one day to test their legs in the sprint-heavy UAE Tour Women’s race and everything will come into play on the final ascent of Jebel Hafeet on stage 3 amid intense GC battles.
The second stage is UAE Women’s Tour The overall standings changed less than expected given the race was split from the start by strong crosswinds.However, some key drivers lost some time, including FDJ-SUEZ teammate Marta Cavalli and grace brown.
The peloton galloped along the windswept road from Al Dhafra Castle to Al Mirfa and eventually, in a headwind for the final 50km, the separation returned.
However, a decisive split occurred in the crucial crosswind section of the final 10km, costing several drivers 31 seconds, with Cavalli and Brown being the most prominent victims. In contrast, Elisharon Borgini (Trek-Segafredo) Always be at the front and enjoy the stage.
“I had a great time today. With the crosswinds and echelons it turned out to be an exciting stage,” she said. “I always ride first to avoid surprises. The way the stage is going, we could have bought more time. Tomorrow will be the day of truth.”
Longo Borghini was one of the best GC riders ahead of the decisive stage 3, finishing on Jebel Hafeet. She and Liane Lippert (Team DSM) were 13 seconds behind overall leader Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM), with Silvia Persico (Team ADQ UAE) a second behind.
Persico was also part of the front line. She had a mechanical problem with 104 kilometers to go and returned to the front group, but eventually lost contact 74 kilometers from the finish.
Luckily for her, she was able to join the big chase group that Lippert had been racing in, and when the peloton reached the front group with 43km to go, they made their way back to the front.
Most of the GC contenders were part of this larger group and got into the finals without trouble. 16 seconds behind the leader’s jersey, Simone Boilard (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93), Kristen Faulkner (Team Jayco-AlUla), Soraya Paladin, Élise Chabbey (both Canyon-SRAM), Anna Shackley (Team SD Worx) and Gaia Realini (Trek-Segafredo) If they can find their climbing legs on stage 3, they’re both on track for a top GC finish.
Cavalli and Brown weren’t the only ones to lose time in the final as the group that went down in the final crosswind also included Claire Steels (Israel PM Tech-Roland), Nina Buijsman (Human Health), Mikayla Harvey (UAE) ADQ Team), Esmee Peperkamp (DSM Team), Nikola Nosková (Zaaf Cycling Team) and Pauliena Rooijakkers (Canyon-SRAM).
Buijsman, Harvey, Brown, Cavalli and Nosková are now 47 seconds adrift, while Steels, Peperkamp and Rooijakkers sit 1m12 as they also lost time in a late stage 1 crash.
The 11km climb to Jebel Hafeet at 700m is a daunting challenge, but the lack of time on the first two stages means these riders will have to produce truly phenomenal performances to reach the top of the general class – and they could be better Focus on stage wins.