Evenepoel Dominates UAE Tour Time Trial
Remco Evenepoel stormed to the lead in the UAE Tour with a dominant performance in the stage 2 time trial, notching his seventh win of 2026. The Belgian used a monster 68t chainring to power through the course and take the leader's jersey.
- This victory marked Evenepoel's second career overall win at the UAE Tour, with his first coming in 2023. - The Belgian's average speed of over 56 km/h on the 12.2km course was a personal best for him in a time trial. - He beat British rider Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) by six seconds and France's Rémi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ United) by twelve seconds. - The massive 68-tooth chainring he used is designed to improve drivetrain efficiency; it allows the chain to run straighter by using the middle cogs of the cassette at high speeds, which reduces friction. - After the time trial, Evenepoel led his main rival, Isaac Del Toro, by 32 seconds in the general classification. - The race's decisive moments were expected on the two upcoming mountain stages, with summit finishes on Jebel Mobrah and Jebel Hafeet. - In a dramatic turn of events, Evenepoel lost the overall lead on the very next stage, cracking on the Jebel Mobrah summit finish and dropping to 11th overall, while Antonio Tiberi took over the red jersey.
