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”
The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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