Driving to the start at Al Dhafra Fort, it was obvious what would be defining the 111 kilometres of Stage Two at the UAE Tour.

Sand-laden crosswinds slashed across the barren desert roads. A classic case of echelons unfolded, feared and respected in equal measure, with northwesterly gusts reaching 30kph as the race set off southwest.

A five rider group broke free from the very tip of the 114 rider peloton within the first kilometre. Initially, their lead seemed tenuous, but a rare 15-kilometre reprieve of direct headwind and tailwind lulled the peloton into easing the chase, and their advantage stretched to three minutes. When the crosswinds returned with 60km remaining, the peloton ignited into a furious pursuit and split into numerous groups once more, all while the gap remained insurmountable.

Finishing seventh on the stage into Al Mirfa, and second in the chasing bunch sprint, Chiara Consonni reflected on the chaotic day.

“I don’t think anyone expected the breakaway to make it to the finish. Our mistake in the peloton was not reacting when we had the tailwind, and keeping the breakaway better in check. Then in the end, my sprint was affected by the overall effort of the stage, but day by day we are trying to get better.”

“From kilometre one when the echelons opened, it was all chaos. We knew that being in the desert, the crosswinds would be relentless. We tried to start at the front, but we weren’t quite there. The break formed, and no one expected that they would arrive to the finish line. Later, when the race split again, only Tiff and I were in the second group. Behind, we unfortunately had Chloé and Soraya, and Antonia for the GC.”

Tiffany Cromwell shared her thoughts on the opening of a stage that became the fastest recorded in women’s racing history, with the five leaders averaging a mind-boggling 48.4km/h.

“It was as hectic as you would expect when you go straight into crosswinds and every team is told the same thing – to start the echelon. It was already a fight in the neutral, but I was in luck and found some space to get to the front before kilometre zero. But then you just have to bury yourself for the first 5- 10 minutes and fight like crazy to try get in the first group, because it always splits so quickly. Of course you try to be together as a team or look after each other the best you can, but at the same time everyone just needs to fight with all they have. You then reassess your team goals once you see where everyone ends up.”

“I was a little frustrated with myself that I was right there with that front selection. I got into the chop-off with the breakaway riders from kilometre zero and was sticking in there. I had no idea what was going on behind. I think my legs and body were still waking up and I didn’t quite have the strength in the legs. When I got stuck a little bit in the wind, I couldn’t come back through when the echelon was still getting established. At least I put myself there and will keep working on it. My strength isn’t really crosswinds – I just know how to be crafty sometimes.”

With the stage spoils hanging in the balance between the breakaway and the peloton, Tiffany reflected on how she assessed their chances.

“It was always going to be 50/50 to bring the leaders back. It was a really strong group with both GC and stage interest. The issue behind was when we became too big as a group, so the pressure wasn’t always on. We should’ve never have let them get to three minutes. A lot of teams, including us, made some mistakes today, and we should have just kept the chase on rather than easing up and allowing the group to get bigger. When we split again, the gap came down, but it wasn’t fast enough. 

“Obviously we’re disappointed. We came here with big ambitions, but we’re also still learning how we work together – especially with Chiara in the sprint and how she likes it in these really hectic finishes. We still have another sprint chance on Sunday.”

Tomorrow, the peloton visits the infamous Jebel Hafeet climb – 10.9km in length with an average gradient of 6.7%. Traditionally a decisive battleground for the general classification, today’s crosswind carnage has reshuffled the odds, making it both a literal and figurative uphill battle for many contenders. Despite the challenge, the team remains focused on the climbing opportunities ahead, with young uphill powerhouse Antonia Niedermaier finishing in the second chase group today, 2 minutes and 18 seconds behind the leaders.

“For the GC it will be challenging, but it’s not over, and we’ll still support Antonia 100%”, says Tiffany. We’ll treat tomorrow as a one day race and fight for the best possible result on the stage, and see how that looks on GC afterwards.”

HOW TO FOLLOW

The UAE Tour is broadcast on Dubai Sports 1, Eurosport, Discovery+, Max, and FloBikes, with daily coverage available from 12:00 Central European Time. All stages are set to finish between 13:10 and 13:25 CET. You can also follow the race on X using #UAETourWomen and #UCIWWT, as well as through the CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto social channels.

Stage 3 | 152km | Saturday 08 January | Al Ain Police Museum  – Jebel Hafeet | Start 12:10 GST (9:10 CET).

Stage 4 | 128km | Sunday 09 January | Abu Dhabi – Abu Dhabi Marina | Start 13:25 GST (9:25 GST).

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