Longo Borghini positioned well for GC after 100-kilometer echelon breakaway, Wiebes secures her second win

After yesterday's first stage, in which Lorena Wiebes continued what she had already shown last year, i.e., winning, there was another tricky stage on the schedule today. In a 110-kilometer stage with no elevation gain, the wind played the leading role, and fans enjoyed the wonderful cycling phenomenon: echelons. And who turned out to be the strongest in the end? Wiebes, for a change.

The images beforehand said it all: the strong wind made it sandy, and not much later after the start, it was already there: the first echelon. Elisa Longo Borghini and Wiebes, favorites for the GC, were up front when the peloton broke away. Silvia Persico, Juliette Labous, and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, among others, were in the chase.

Is the battle for the UAE Tour GC already decided?

The other GC favorites were 30 seconds behind but seemed to catch up at 85 kilometers. But that was idle hope. The gap increased again, and several riders in the peloton had to give up their roles. At 70 kilometers, it was over for the peloton. The five-strong breakaway had a lead of nearly three minutes and seemed to have a clear shot at winning the stage.

The pace in the peloton increased behind the leaders. Several riders could not keep up with the pace and had to let up while the peloton gradually moved closer to the leaders. At 50 kilometers before the finish, the peloton, which had thinned out by now, had already taken a minute off the lead.

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Lead steadily dwindles, exciting finale follows

Will it be exciting after all? The answer is yes! With 35 kilometers to go, the peloton, which by now consisted of about 20 riders - without Charlotte Kool but with Nienke Veenhoven and Elisa Balsamo - was 1.5 minutes behind the five leaders. At twenty kilometers before the finish, the lead was down to one minute, and there seemed to be a merging between the two groups.

But the chasing group appeared to have already spent their fuel and did not come closer to the leaders in the finale. The red carpet was rolled out for Wiebes because of the five in front. The Dutch rider was the biggest favorite, and it worked out that way. Little happened in the final kilometers, and Wiebes secured her second win. Longo Borghini fared well, gaining over a minute on her rivals heading into tomorrow's queen stage.

Results of second stage UAE Tour

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