Longo Borghini wins in UAE and Ferrand-Prévot and Markus still have work to do

Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team QDQ) claimed victory on Jebel Hafeet, winning the queen stage of the UAE Tour for Women. On what is now the most famous climb in the United Arab Emirates, she proved to be the strongest on the ascent, after her teammate Silvia Persico set a blistering pace, dropping several big names along the way.

The first two stages of the UAE Tour for Women were anything but disappointing. Stage 1 ended in a bunch sprint, resulting in an all-Dutch podium—Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) took the win ahead of Charlotte Kool (Picnic PostNL) and Nienke Veenhoven (Visma | Lease a Bike). Stage 2 followed with another win for Wiebes, but this time in a crosswind battle, making for an even more dramatic stage.

That second stage also shook up the general classification, as five riders gained a significant advantage of nearly a minute and a half. Among them, Longo Borghini was by far the biggest GC threat, making a golden move for her new team, UAE Team ADQ. Her teammate Karlijn Swinkels played a key role, setting a strong tempo to maintain the gap.

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Brief crosswind echelons shake up the race

Stage 3 featured a 152-kilometer route leading to Jebel Hafeet. There was no early breakaway, as the wind created nervous racing conditions. The first real splits occurred with around 80 kilometers to go, but it was later in the stage that the race truly came to life. A 12-rider group, including Elisa Longo Borghini and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike), briefly got away, but Picnic PostNL, FDJ-Suez, and Lidl-Trek worked together to bring the race back under control.

So we quietly moved on to the foot of the final climb, although we still saw a notable team attack by the ladies of Cofidis. Amalie Dideriksen and Victoire Berteau surged ahead, followed by Marta Lach, but with the Jebel Hafeet climb looming, the peloton let them go. As the climb approached, the break’s advantage quickly evaporated, as teams worked to position their leaders at the front.

As soon as the road started climbing, the race exploded. UAE Team ADQ took control, setting a high pace for Longo Borghini, while other contenders waited for their moment to strike. The tempo was too much for race leader Lorena Wiebes, who was dropped with 7.5 kilometers to go, at nearly the same moment as Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek) and Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ). A few kilometers later, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot also had to let go with six kilometers remaining.

The relentless pace set by Silvia Persico also proved too much for Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez) and Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Cannondale), but others managed to dig deeper. Among them was Mavi Garcia (Liv AlUla Jayco), who launched the first attack. Longo Borghini, along with the impressive Nienke Vinke (Picnic PostNL), responded immediately. However, Garcia had gone too deep, as she was the next to be dropped.

A select group remained at the front: Longo Borghini, Persico, Kimberley Le Court Pienaar, Antonia Niedermaier, Dilyxine Miermont, Barbara Malcotti, and Vinke. However, the Dutch rider couldn’t hold on for much longer. With three kilometers to go, Longo Borghini launched her decisive attack—and it was the winning move. The Italian immediately opened a gap and rode solo to the finish, securing a dominant victory for her new team in their home race.

Results stage 3 UAE Tour women 2025

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