Charlotte Kool from Kortenhoef has won the first stage in the Tour of the United Arab Emirates. The DSM rider beat her former teammate Lorena Wiebes in the sprint.
In the 109-kilometer stage, Wiebes seemed to sprint to victory, but Kool managed to make up for her ten-meter deficit in an impressive way. In the end she won by three bike lengths.
“It’s a great feeling to be the first ever winner of a stage in the UAE Tour for women. I trained very hard for this race and then to put down a good sprint is fantastic,” Kool said afterwards.
For de Kool it is her third major victory. She won a stage in the Ladies Tour in both 2021 and 2022.