Longo Borghini positioned well for GC after 100-kilometer echelon breakaway, Wiebes secures her second win
Women's Cycling
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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.
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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.
Read more below!
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
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
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'.
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026
