Lanterne Rouge Cycling Podcast UAE Tour 2026 - Stage 2 (ITT)
Feb 17, 2026
A lively recap of the UAE Tour time trial, from wind and start-order drama to Evenepoel’s dominant win. Quick takes on surprising strong performances and who still threatens the overall standings. Heated debate over a sprint crash, penalties and Van Gils’ injury. Build-up and tactics for the upcoming Jebel Mobra showdown.
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Start Order Skews Short Time Trials
- Race start order and wind shifts can massively skew short TT results in UAE Tour conditions.
- Remco Evenepoel exploited an early slot and gained large GC advantage from variable winds.
Remco's Dominant Short TT
- Remco won the 12.2km TT by a clear margin and paced it well across slow and fast sections.
- The win gave him a surprisingly large GC buffer after only a short effort.
Bad Slot Hurt Del Toro Badly
- Starting late in a wind-affected TT likely cost Paul Del Toro around 25 seconds versus optimal conditions.
- That gap reshapes GC and makes the upcoming uphill stage far more decisive.