After yesterday's exciting stage, in which Ferrand-Prévot held her own, the third stage of the WorldTour stage race started much calmer. Despite several attack attempts, it took 50 kilometers before three riders were finally given space by the peloton. They built a lead of more than three minutes but were caught 75 kilometers before the finish.

On the way to the Jebel Hafeet, the wind once again played a big role. Small echelons formed, but a large group still started the final climb together. On the crucial climb of the day, the pace increased, and Ferrand-Prévot managed to position herself at the front. The Frenchwoman gave everything but was unable to keep up with the high pace in the group of favorites and was therefore not in contention for the victory.

"Of course, it is a pity that Pauline was not able to get a top classification, but if you think for a moment, it is also logical”, team manager Jos van Emden started. "The past few days, Pauline has done a very good job for the team, and she was often in good shape. Also today she showed herself at the front on the road. It's unfortunate that on the final climb, things don't go to plan, but we shouldn't expect too much. It is, of course, only her first race."

Tomorrow, the UAE Tour ends with a flat stage, where another chance for the sprinters awaits. "We are, of course, here with two fast riders, so tomorrow another chance awaits. We have to wait and see how they got through the day, and then we will make another plan for tomorrow. In the first stage we managed to sprint to third place with Nienke (Veenhoven), and also tomorrow we hope to be in the race for a nice classification."