Sprinter Silvia Zanardi capped off a great four days of racing for Human Powered Health in the Middle East by finishing fourth in the final day sprint with compatriot Barbara Malcotti defending her GC position in the UAE Tour Women.
Malcotti was protected throughout the 127km stage 4 from Abu Dhabi Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Academy to Abu Dhabi Breakwater, capturing sixth on GC, her highest overall placing in a WorldTour stage race.
“I haven’t yet fully realized what I’ve done but it’s nice to experience this moment,” Malcotti said. “The whole team has high morale and that’s what I wanted after all the work they’ve done for me and the support they’ve been giving us in these years to grow.”
Both the performance on Jebel Hafeet and the teamwork displayed throughout the race provide encouragement for the rest of the year.
“This year we’re showing that we’ve grown a lot as a team,” says Malcotti. “On a personal level, it gives me confidence and the desire to continue improving. This week I learned first of all to have fun and then the result comes as a consequence, to believe more in myself and my potential and to believe in it until the last centimeter.”
On a final day marked once again by attacks in the wind, it all came down to a bunch sprint in front of the Abu Dhabi skyline,
“I am so happy to be part of this team,” Zanardi said after the finish. “We are all close and every day we hit our target. Barbara finished sixth and in the final, we had one the best trains of all, I’m sure this is just the beginning.”
Fourth place marks her second-best finish in a WorldTour race but this time against tougher competition, with European champion Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx – Protime) sprinting to victory.
“The sprint was a bit chaotic with a crash behind us but all my teammates did a great job,” Zanardi explained. “I was on Kathrin’s wheel and when I saw a direction to the right I started to sprint and found a way through to battle for the podium.”
With a top ten on stage 1 through Kathrin Schweinberger, a heroic effort in the wind for second by Lily Williams on stage 2, Malcotti climbing high on stage 3 and Zanardi finishing it off with fourth on the final. Overall it has been a successful trip to the Middle East marked by a fourth-place finish in the team classification.
UAE Tour stage 4 result
1 WIEBES Lorena – Team SD Worx – Protime 3:03:28
2 FIORIN Sara – CERATIZIT Pro Cycling Team ”
3 DIDERIKSEN Amalie – Cofidis Women Team ”
4 ZANARDI Silvia – Human Powered Health ”
5 VERHULST-WILD Gladys – AG Insurance – Soudal Team ”
6 FIDANZA Martina – Team Visma | Lease a Bike ”
7 AHTOSALO Anniina – Uno-X Mobility ”
8 BRAUẞE Franziska – CERATIZIT Pro Cycling Team ”
9 GILLESPIE Lara – UAE Team ADQ ”
10 TERUEL Alba – Laboral Kutxa – Fundación Euskadi ”
UAE Tour final general classification
1 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa – UAE Team ADQ 13:14:57
2 PERSICO Silvia – UAE Team ADQ 2:06
3 (LE COURT) PIENAAR Kimberly – AG Insurance – Soudal Team 2:08
4 TRINCA COLONEL – Liv AlUla Jayco 2:18
5 SWINKELS Karlijn – UAE Team ADQ 3:02
6 MALCOTTI Barbara – Human Powered Health 3:10
7 NIEDERMAIER Antonia – CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto 3:15
8 AALERUD Katrine – Uno-X Mobility 3:34
9 MEIJERING Mareille – Movistar Team 3:40
10 GEORGI Pfeiffer – Team Picnic PostNL 3:42
Photos: GettySport and Human Powered Health Cycling
