Kasia Niewiadoma recovered from a late puncture to finish among the peloton at the end of the opening stage of this year's UAE Tour Women on Thursday. However, she was disappointed that her Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto team were unable to achieve a better result in the sprint finish.
The Polish champion is without doubt one of the sport's preeminent climbers and started the four-day race among the favourites to take the GC after Sunday's climbing stage to Jebel Hafeet. However, to be able to fight for overall victory, she cannot cede time to her rivals in a race known for its chaos and crosswinds.
