Lorena Wiebes completes hat-trick at UAE Tour 2026

Lorena Wiebes has also claimed victory in the third stage of the UAE Tour 2026. The 26-year-old Dutch champion from SD Worx ProTeam was once again the best at Abu Dhabi Breakwater, just like in the first two stages. She beat Lara Gillespie and Amalie Dideriksen. Thanks to her hat-trick, Wiebes naturally remains the race leader. The tour concludes on Sunday with a mountain stage.

It was clear in advance that the women would sprint again in this WorldTour race on Saturday. The 121 kilometers between Abu Dhabi Teamlab Phenomia and Abu Dhabi Breakwater were almost entirely flat. The chance that this stage would not end in a bunch sprint was as slim as finding water in a bone-dry desert.

In the early stages, several riders tried to break away. After about thirty kilometers, a group of five managed to separate, including a duo from both Top Girls Fassa Bortolo and Vini Fantini-BePink. However, their collaboration was not sufficient to stop the peloton from catching them with forty kilometers remaining. Luxembourg’s Nina Berton then made a solo attempt, but she was like a mouse in front of a cat.

In the final phase, it was all hands on deck, but Wiebes sealed the victory in the last two hundred meters. Lara Gillespie stayed in her slipstream for a long time and seemed to close in but ultimately finished half a bike length behind. “It was a tough sprint because I lost Barbara Guarischi (her lead-out, ed.). So I had to find my own way and spent a lot of time battling the wind. But luckily, I can thank the team for all their hard work today,” said Wiebes.