Lorena Wiebes Claims Opening Stage of UAE Tour Women 2026

Abu dhabi: Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes of Team SD Worx-Protime clinched victory in the opening stage of the UAE Tour Women 2026, known as the Al Masaood Equipment Rental Stage, and secured the first Red Jersey of the race. According to Emirates News Agency, Wiebes narrowly defeated Ireland's Lara Gillespie of UAE Team ADQ and Britain's Zoe Backstedt of Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto at the conclusion of the 111-kilometre stage. Wiebes completed the race in 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 17 seconds, maintaining an average speed of 45.528 kilometres per hour. With this stage victory, Wiebes leads the general classification, holding a four-second lead over Gillespie, while Backstedt remains in third place, trailing by six seconds. The official leader jerseys of the UAE Tour Women, provided by ALÉ, were distributed after the stage. Wiebes claimed both the Red Jersey, awarded to the overall race leader, and the Green Jersey for the points classification. Backstedt earned the White Jersey for the best young rider, while Fem ke de Vries of Team Visma-Lease a Bike took home the Black Jersey as leader of the intermediate sprint classification. Wiebes expressed that the victory marked an ideal start to her season, giving credit to her team's efforts in the final kilometres and emphasizing the tactical decisions that facilitated her successful sprint. She mentioned that while securing one stage win was her initial target, she and her team are setting their sights on more victories in the upcoming stages. Stage two of the UAE Tour Women 2026 is set to take place in Dubai, covering a distance of 145 kilometres. The stage will start at the Dubai Police Academy and conclude at Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University, passing notable landmarks such as Al Qudra Cycle Track, Dubai Sports City, and Meydan Racecourse. The route features wide, straight roads interspersed with large-radius roundabouts.