Lorena Wiebes prevails in record-breaking second stage of UAE Tour and takes second win in a row

Lorena Wiebes prevails in record-breaking second stage of UAE Tour and takes second win in a row

“This was the perfect breakaway”

07/02/2025

In the second stage of the UAE Tour, the echelon battle prevailed from the start. Immediately after the official start was given, the echelon war started. Lorena Wiebes slipped in last in a group of five just at the right moment. The peloton stayed at about 20 seconds for a long time, but at the front they worked well together and the five stayed in front. Good for the fastest stage ever in the Women's WorldTour: 48.4 kilometres per hour average. In the sprint Wiebes reigned supreme, taking her 50th win in the WorldTour only. She has a total of 95 wins now. As a victory gesture, the European champion showed off her SunGod Airas sunglasses, which have been fitted with dark 8KO⁴ Chrome Cat 4 lenses especially for the UAE Tour.

Linked race UAE Tour - Linked cyclists Lorena Wiebes - Gekoppelde ploegleiders: Danny Stam

Lorena Wiebes: "It was clear that the positioning battle would break out right away, as we were already going super fast during the neutral start. Right after the official start signal was given, the first echelon was already forming. I was the last to jump to the group. The peloton kept chasing us, as our lead remained limited for a long time. When we got the stretch with the head wind, I thought we might be caught, but just then our lead grew towards the minute."

"It was the perfect composition of the group. The fact that there were three riders from UAE Team ADQ present played in our favour. I decided to collaborate to maintain our lead, but I tried not to go full-full all out. I still had four riders from Team SD Worx-Protime behind me. That this was the fastest stage ever in the Women's WorldTour doesn't surprise me. At one point I looked at my Garmin and saw that it was fifty kilometres to go. To which I thought: so this will probably be another hour of racing at most. That's also why I knew it would be difficult for the peloton to catch us back. They probably couldn't go much faster than what we achieved in terms of speeds at the front."

"The cooperation was good at the front. UAE Team ADQ went full out for the general classification with Elisa Longo-Borghini. It made it an easier sprint for me. You are never 100 per cent sure in a sprint, but it played to my advantage that I knew this stage from two years ago. I knew in which position to go into the last corner. After that, I had the space to follow my own line and felt confident."

"Whether I will try to defend my lead in the general classification tomorrow? I'll see how the legs feel, but I don't think so. It wouldn't be smart to ride myself all the way to the brink tomorrow on a climb like Jebel Hafeet only to come up short in the sprint in the final stage. The fact that I have won half of all stages ever ridden in the UAE Tour at the moment is a statistic I am proud of. I really enjoy racing here. But I never managed to win the last stage before, so I am keen to hopefully achieve that this year," Wiebes concluded.

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