Kool makes history with first stage win in UAE Tour Women

Dutch cyclist Charlotte Kool decided that it was time to come out of the shadow of her mentor and European champion, Lorena Wiebes, to claim her place in UAE sporting history as the Stage 1 winner of the first edition of the UAE Tour Women on Thursday.

Team DSM rider emerged as the fastest finisher on the 109km Dubai Stage from Port Rashid to Dubai Harbour when she outsprinted former teammate Wiebes (Team SD Worx) in a blistering finish.

Chiara Consonni of the UAE Team ADQ finished third in a rare that was marred by several crashes.

For most of the 2022 season, Kool played a supporting role to Wiebes, a double stage winner at the Tour de France, as her leading-out rider.

It was as if she was inspired by the imposing presence of the iconic British cruise liner, the QEII, at the start of the stage at Port Rashid as Kool took her game to a different level to shock some of the biggest names in women’s world cycling.

"It’s an amazing feeling to be the first-ever winner of the UAE Tour Women and I still can’t believe it,” Kool said after receiving the UAE Tour’s first-ever Red Jersey.

“I trained really hard for this race and to produce a nice sprint was incredible. There were a lot of crashes in the last kilometers and we lost some really strong riders, but thankfully I was able to produce a really strong sprint.

“We will go again tomorrow and I can’t wait to sprint again!”

The first stage, sponsored by Dubai Sports Council, saw the 20-team strong peloton begin their ordeal from the port side and head towards Dubai Harbour.

Kool crossed the finish in a time of two hours and 47.14 mnutes, which was four seconds and a bike length faster than Wiebes.

"This is what I trained hard for, to win such a sprint even when not everything went well is amazing," Kool said.

Kool was also awarded the Green Sprint Classification and White Young Rider Classification Jerseys, with Team Movistar Women rider Liane Lippert taking the Black Jersey (Intermediate Sprint Classification)

PROVISIONAL STAGE RESULT

1 - Charlotte Kool (Team DSM), 109km in 2h47’14”, average speed 39.107km/h

2 - Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx) s.t.

3 - Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ) s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1 - Charlotte Kool (Team DSM)

2 - Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx) at 4"

3 - Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ) at 5"

• Sports