On the second day of the UAE Tour, the riders faced a 12.2-kilometer individual time trial on Hudayriyat Island, featuring a lightning-fast flat course. It soon became clear that few riders could challenge world champion Remco Evenepoel for the stage win. Wilco Kelderman delivered the best result for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. The former Dutch national time trial champion finished in sixteenth place. Tulett, who was fifth overall after the opening stage, lost 55 seconds.  

Sports director Maarten Wynants reflected: “It wasn’t a time trial that suited us perfectly. Ben lost 55 seconds to Evenepoel. Of course, we had hoped the gap would be a bit smaller. Everyone gave it their all, but Wilco may well have been the surprise of the day. His sixteenth place finish shows that he’s already performing well right from the start of the season.”  

“There are still several challenging stages to come with uphill finishes,” Wynants added. “We hope to achieve some top results with Ben in the coming days. The steep final climb in stage three should suit him well. He is surrounded by a strong group of riders, so we’re looking forward to showing ourselves as best as possible.”