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"

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.

"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."