Madinat Zayed (United Arab Emirates) – friday 9 february 2024 - Lorena Wiebes emerged triumphant once again in the second day of action - the Modon Stage - at the Uae Tour Women. The Team SD Worx rider went head-to-head with Chiara Consonni coming out on top in the battle with the UAE Team ADQ rider. Wiebes increased her advantage in the general classification, where Consonni stands now in 2nd place at 12". Her team mate Lotte Kopecky has gained 4" over the rest of the GC rivals thanks to the Intermediate Sprints bonifications. The World Champion sits now in 4th place, 17" behind Wiebes, ahead of tomorrow's uphill finish in Jebel Hafeet where the final 10 km could be decisive for the general classification of the UAE Tour Women 2024.

STAGE 2 RESULTS

1 Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Team Sd Worx – Protime

km 113 in 2h28’08” average speed 45.770 km/h

2 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Uae Team Adq

3 Clara Copponi (Fra) Lidl – Trek

4 Georgia Baker (Aus) Liv Alula Jayco

5 Martina Fidanza (Ita) Ceratizit-Wnt Pro Cycling Team

6 Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) Fdj – Suez

7 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Uno-X Mobility

8 Anniina Ahtosalo (Fin) Uno-X Mobility

9 Gladys Verhulst-Wild (Fra) Fdj – Suez

10 Daria Pikulik (Pol) Human Powered Health

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1 Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Team Sd Worx – Protime in 5h26’57”

2 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Uae Team Adq a 12”

3 Rachele Barbieri (Ita) Team Dsm-Firmenich Postnl a 16”

4 Lotte Kopecky (Bel) Team Sd Worx – Protime a 17”

5 Clara Copponi (Fra) Lidl – Trek a 18”

6 Loes Adegeest (Ned) Fdj – Suez

7 Daria Pikulik (Pol) Human Powered Health a 19”

8 Yanina Kuskova (Uzb) Tashkent City Women Professional Cycling Team

9 Alice Palazzi (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo

10 Gaia Segato (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo a 20”

THE OFFICIAL JERSEYS

    Red Jersey, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by Al Ain Water - Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx)

    Green Jersey, leader of the Points Classification, sponsored by Tadweer - Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx) - worn by Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ)

    White Jersey, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Burjeel Holdings - Yanina Kuskova (Tashkent City Professional Cycling Team)

    Black Jersey, leader of the Intermediate Sprint Classification, sponsored by ALDAR - Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx)

PRESS CONFERENCE

The White Jersey Yanina Kuskova said: "Today’s stage wasn’t more difficult than yesterday’s. But I switched my focus to the general classification so I didn’t break away for the intermediate sprints because I know that tomorrow is the hardest stage of the UAE Tour. I hope I will also have good legs in the mountains to bring this best young rider jersey till the end. I would like to make the top 5 overall but if I end up in the top 10, it will make it a successful Tour for me".

The Black Jersey Lotte Kopecky said: "I don’t think it would have been a different race hadn’t I punctured at the front in the echelons. We made the echelons at the very good moment. It was a very good group but the peloton was still big and chasing not far behind so I believe that even if I didn’t puncture, we would have stopped pulling just a few minutes later. I went for the intermediate sprints for the GC but I don’t how I’ll go tomorrow. If my shape is good enough, I wouldn’t like to lose the race for seconds I could have gained in the intermediate sprints so I went for it just in case. It was a really hectic sprint again today. Because there wasn’t any corner before the finish and a head wind, we had to time it very well. But at the end, we did a very good job again to lead Lorena Wiebes out".

STATISTICS

    Lorena Wiebes now holds the record for most stage wins (3), most leader’s jerseys (3), and most stage podiums (5) at the UAE Tour Women.

    Counting last year’s final stage, the Netherlands are on a streak of 3 wins, the first country with such a record in the UAE Tour Women’s history.

    Clara Copponi posted a top-3 result for the first time since the 26th of May last year, when she was 2nd in the first stage of RideLondon Classique.

TOMORROW'S STAGE

STAGE 3 AL AIN POLICE MUSEUM-JEBEL HAFEET, 128 KM - PRESIGHT STAGE

The route - The classic mountain stage of the UAE Tour. In the first part, the route winds its way through Al Ain, where many of its landmarks are visited (Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, UAE University), and then takes a long tour of the desert along Truck Road E30 until it returns to Green Mubazzarah. Here the final climb of Jebel Hafeet begins, which with its 10 km section will be the final judge of the race.

Final kilometres - The final climb winds through wide-ranging hairpin bends on a 3-lane roadway. Gradients are mainly around 8-9% with a peak of 11%, 3 km from the finish. There is a very short descent in the last km, before the last ramp. The finish line is on straight asphalt.