Cyclingflash
Lorena Wiebes gets the victory with impressive sprint win in UAE Tour Women

Lorena Wiebes gets the victory with impressive sprint win in UAE Tour Women

Lorena Wiebes kicked off the cycling season with a victory. The Dutch champion was far too fast for the competition in the first stage of the UAE Tour Women. Wiebes won by several bike lengths ahead of Lara Gillespie and Zoe Bäckstedt. Naturally, she also takes the lead in the general classification.

The Women's WorldTour season continues this week with the UAE Tour. A year after Elisa Longo Borghini’s win, many top riders have traveled to the United Arab Emirates. On these first sprint days, all eyes are on... Lorena Wiebes.

The fastest woman on two wheels had to contend today, in the relatively flat opening stage, with former teammate Charlotte Kool, Chiara Consonni, Lara Gillespie, and Linda Zanetti among others. The ever-present wind could have caused splits along the way, but a sprint showdown seemed the most likely scenario.

Wind causes nerves
However, there was considerable tension in the peloton due to the threat of echelons, so it was all hands on deck from the start. There were moments when the peloton seemed to split, but it remained just a few probes, half-hearted attempts, and dropping of the weaker riders. Despite all the commotion, the pace never slowed, and any hopes for an early breakaway were in vain.

It turned into a long buildup to the expected bunch sprint, though not without incident. Several riders crashed but were thankfully able to continue. Andrea Casagranda (Vini Fantini-BePink) and Elisa De Vallier (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) made desperate attempts to disrupt the race, but their breakaway was short-lived.

So it was a countdown to a showdown between Wiebes, Kool, and Consonni. In the final kilometers, the SD Worx-Protime riders expertly shielded their top favorite from the wind, but it was Longo Borghini who led the peloton into the last kilometer’s lead-out zone. After that, it was up to her teammates to guide Consonni as best as possible.

Far too fast for the competition
The Italian also received a dream lead-out, but Consonni could not match Wiebes’ much faster legs. The lightning-quick Dutch rider was briefly boxed in but managed to break free in time and delivered an impressive sprint to outperform her rivals. Ireland’s Lara Gillespie was a clear second by several bike lengths. Zoe Bäckstedt—who finished seventh at last Saturday’s Cyclocross World Championships—came in third.

Watch the final sprint here: