Rachele Barbieri enthusiastic after second place in opening stage of UAE Tour: "We showed everyone that we are ready to be the best lead-out in the peloton"
Cycling
The opening day of racing at the UAE Tour ended in a bunch sprint, according to everyone's expectations. This meant a perfect opportunity for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL's sprinter Rachele Barbieri to show off her speed in the first race day with her new team. And the Italian lady did deliver with a second place losing only to phenomenal Lorena Wiebes.
"I’m super happy to get this result in my first race with the team, it’s really nice. The girls did an amazing job to keep me safe all day and put me in the best position possible for when I could launch my sprint, to then get second place," she said in a press release.
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"I think with this day and how we rode together, we showed everyone that we are ready to be the best lead-out in the peloton. I’m so excited to then be able to race with this group we have and with Charlotte as our sprint finisher when she is fit again. We will keep trying things here and are looking forward to the next days."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
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- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
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