Just after midday, Lippert was the first to raise her arms. The 28-year-old German proved the strongest with a hard attack in the finale, riding clear and holding six seconds over a fast-finishing chase group. In that sprint for second, Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance–Soudal) beat Cat Ferguson (Movistar) to the line.
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Longo Borghini breaks Niewiadoma
At the UAE Tour Women, after three bunch sprint wins for Lorena Wiebes, all eyes turned to the GC showdown on the final day. Jebel Hafeet would decide the strongest climber, but it happened without the ill Anna van der Breggen. Whether she could have matched a flying Longo Borghini will remain a question.
The Italian champion, racing for home squad UAE Team ADQ, tried to force the issue multiple times and eventually managed to crack Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM). Longo Borghini’s solo win also secured the overall title. Monica Trinca Colonel delivered second place for Liv AlUla Jayco, with Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike) finishing third — the same order as the final GC podium.
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.