Lorena Wiebes clinched Stage 1 of the UAE Tour Women on Thursday to claim the red jersey and become the first race leader of 2024.
The 24-year-old won 12 races in 2023 and started the new season with yet another victory in the 122km stage that started from the Dubai Miracle Garden and ended in a sprint finish at Dubai Harbour.
Team SD-Worx’s Dutch rider was denied the stage win by countrywoman Charlotte Kool on a dramatic opening day 12 months ago, but in the absence of the DSM rider this time round, there was no denying Wiebes.
Led out brilliantly by teammate and world champion Lotte Kopecky, Wiebes crossed the finishing line ahead of Rachele Barbieri of Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL and UAE Team ADQ’s Chiara Consonni, in second and third respectively.
“It feels great to win the first race of the season. It’s always nice to win,” Wiebes said.
“It was a big chaos in the fight before the final corner but I still had Lotte Kopecky and she made it perfect. She’s a great rider to have to help. I’m happy with how we work together.
“We planned to be on the right as much as possible for the wind. It worked out. We now have the race lead and so there’ll be pressure on us for stage 2 but we’re ready for that.”
And Wiebes revealed that she and her teammates have been enjoying the sights – and heights – since arriving in the UAE.
“It’s quite fantastic to win in Dubai and to have the big buildings in the background.” she said. “This time, I even came a bit earlier to do some sightseeing of the city.
“Some of my teammates went sky diving and said they had a great experience. Maybe I’ll try next year.”
Defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini went down in a huge crash after a clip of wheels that also saw her Lidl-Trek teammate – and runner-up last year – Gaia Realini held up in the commotion.
However, the pair were quickly back up and safely tucked inside the peloton, but Longo Borghini had to change her bike and could be seen trying to shake the pain out of her arm.
Friday's 113km Stage 2 starts at Al Mirfa on the Arabian Gulf coast and crosses a large portion of desert – more than 60km – before finishing at Madinat Zayed in what should be another bunch sprint.
Stage 1 result:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Team SD Worx: 2 hrs 59’11”
2. Rachele Barbieri (ITA) Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL:+00
3. Chiara Consonni (ITA) UAE Team ADQ: +00
4. Georgia Baker (AUS) Liv AlUla Jayco: +00
5. Maggie Coles-Lyster (CAN) Roland: +00
General Classification:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) Team SD Worx
2. Rachele Barbieri (ITA) Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL at 4”
3. Chiara Consonni (ITA) UAE Team ADQ at 6”
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Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
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Starfield
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Bethesda%20Game%20Studios%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Bethesda%20Softworks%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PC%2C%20Xbox%0D%3Cbr%3ERelease%20date%3A%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
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Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
