After Tuesday’s individual time trial, Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) leads the race…but the UAE Tour is far from over. The new 13-km Jebel Mobrah climb, averaging 8 per cent with ramps up to 17 per cent in its final seven km, is going to shake things up.
Evenepoel, dominant so far with seven wins this season, will test his climbing legs against Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG), who took a great win with an impressive uphill sprint on Stage 1.
Despite not having raced since the 2025 national championships, Lidl-Trek’s newest recruit, Derek Gee-West, had a solid ride in the TT. The Osgoode, Ont. rider finished 14th, just 35 seconds behind the Olympic champ. The question is, how will he fare in his first road race in over eight months? He’s not the only Canuck at the WorldTour race. Nickolas Zukowsky (Pinarello Q36.5), Pier-André Côté (NSN Cycling) and Modern Adventure’s Riley Pickrell–who took a solid seventh in Stage 1, are there too.
Pickrell made the move to the new American ProTeam for 2026 and 2027. Previously he rode for the team formerly known as Israel-Premier Tech (now NSN.)
“It feels like a team run by former riders, and they understand what it’s like to be a pro,” he said about the squad spearheaded by former pro George Hincapie. “The management understands we’re not just names on a spreadsheet — we’re people. Our requests are heard, and even when the answer is no, they’re understood. That’s more than you get on a lot of teams.”
Pickrell added that he is meshing well with his new team. “I think Stage 1 went really well. A top 10 is a pretty big deal, and the boys worked really well for me,” he said.
You can watch FloBikes.com coverage beginning at 6:25 a.m. EST. As always, be sure to check back on Canadian Cycling Magazine for a full report.
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