‚It’s UAE’s to lose‘ – What the GC favourites expect on Jebel Hafeet with UAE Tour Women overall win up for grabs

For a lot of onlookers, the UAE Tour Girls is a precession of sandy dash levels received by Lorena Wiebes with rising and alarming regularity. Whereas that is perhaps the case, the inclusion of the mountain stage to Jebel Hafeet supplies the primary mountain take a look at of the season, and for that it’s fascinating.

The race is barely in its fourth version and Elisa Longo Borghini is the one lady current who has received on the mountain earlier than, first in 2023, when using for Lidl-Trek, then final yr along with her present workforce, UAE Crew ADQ.

Because the race is the workforce’s dwelling race, the strain is on to take victory and Longo Borghini can be all however anticipated to succeed on Sunday. Ask any of her rivals and they’re going to inform you the Italian champion is favorite, and also you needn’t have been within the peloton to see she is powerful, simply the TV protection proves that.

You could like

Longo Borghini herself is extra circumspect. On the pre-race press convention she claimed to not be within the situation she was final yr and mentioned as a lot to Cyclingnews when requested whereas warming down after stage 3, when she appeared to be in additional a pre-stage mentality than in any other case.

„I did a great preparation, absolutely not peaking for this race like I used to be final yr, as a result of final yr I used to be clearly requested to win this race,“ she mentioned.

„If they are saying that I am the strongest, I take it as a praise. I noticed a really sturdy Niewiadoma, I feel Le Court docket is in a good condition and I do not find out about Van der Breggen and the opposite contenders.“

Jebel Hafeet lies within the south of the Abu Dhabi Emirate on the sting of the mountains separating it from Oman. Protecting 10.8km at a median gradient of 6.6%, it is not the toughest climb the peloton will sort out this season and, at 1,025m above sea degree it is definitely not the best. Nonetheless, a big chunk of the center part averages 8% and there are ramps of 11%, add in temperatures approaching 30ºC and a 20kph wind and it turns into a stiff problem.

That is to not point out the previous 145km which winds its manner from the beginning at Al Ain and may very well be affected by cross winds, one thing Lidl-Trek’s climber, Niamh Fisher-Black is worried about.

„The primary a part of the race is what makes me most nervous, whenever you unravel the climb it is a course of everyone knows methods to do, that half I am not so nervous about, however the remainder…“ Fisher-Black is likely one of the 50 debutants on this yr’s race and hasn’t ridden the climb earlier than. „I’ve heard that it is a actually deceiving climb as a result of it is open and a giant street, however it’s steep, so I can think about it should be onerous and the warmth presently of yr is troublesome for everybody.“

SD Worx-Protime will begin the day with Lorena Wiebes sporting the chief’s pink jersey and so they have Anna van der Breggen as their GC rider, however Fisher-Black shouldn’t be anticipating her former workforce to journey within the early a part of the race.

You could like

„If one thing goes early then for positive they do not they do not take accountability, however I feel that is truthful sufficient, I feel tomorrow it is UAE’s race to lose.

Together with her poker face and equally unreadable physique language, Van der Breggen’s climbing kind stays a thriller, although like Longo Borghini, she’s regarded sturdy working for Wiebes.

„It is at all times onerous to know if she’s good, like she at all times seems the identical, so it is actually onerous to inform if she’s in form or not,“ Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-SUEZ) mentioned. „For positive, the primary is Elisa. She’s actually ready for this race, and it is one of many greatest races for the workforce, so I feel it is actually her the favorite. However you then even have quite a lot of ladies really, the ladies’s bunch has a extremely excessive degree and I feel there are quite a lot of ladies who ready this race.

„For positive Kasia is trying in good condition, she can be a great problem for Elisa, I hope to be there as properly, I’ll see.“

Kim Le Court docket-Pienaar (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal) was virtually as noncommittal as Longo Borghini, mentioning how she and the workforce are within the UAE to „set a baseline for the larger objectives within the Classics season.“

She spoke about not getting excited in races, however added, „We got here final yr, I wasn’t ready for the race and I bought a high three GC. So for positive, we come again to try to and do related.“ Not solely that however she has 2024 Tour de France Femmes stage winner and Queen of the Mountains, Justine Ghekiere, alongside her.

All the time close to the highest of any favourites record on a mountainous race, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, too has very in a position assist at Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto within the type of Neve Bradbury – who has dropped out of GC rivalry herself – however it’s positively UAE Crew ADQ who’ve the strongest workforce.

Longo Borghini is supported by Silvia Persico and Karlijn Swinkels, the latter already with a win to her title this yr and, with two second place finishes for Lara Gillespie the workforce can be assured, however eager to hit the highest step.

However, as Longo Borghini mentioned when requested methods to win on Jebel Hafeet, it is not a lot in regards to the workforce and even the ways: „It is being the strongest.“