The UAE Tour marked the second WorldTour stage race of the season. The eighth edition of the seven-day race began with a 144-kilometer stage finishing at the Liwa Palace. Because of strong winds, race officials decided during the stage to cut nearly thirty kilometers from the original route. The riders ultimately covered 118 kilometers. The stage was largely held on flat roads, with an uphill final kilometer as the climax.  

The day’s only breakaway attempt came from Silvan Dillier. The Swiss rider’s solo move was caught with about thirty kilometers remaining. Shortly afterward, bonus seconds were available at the intermediate sprint. Tulett joined the fight and crossed the line second, behind Jonathan Milan. The peloton then prepared for a bunch sprint.  

In the final kilometers the peloton was shaken by a crash involving, among others, top favorite for the stage win Milan. On the uphill finishing stretch, Del Toro sprinted to the stage victory and the first leader’s jersey. Tulett finished shortly behind him in eleventh place. In the general classification, Tulett sits fifth. The next stage is a twelve-kilometer individual time trial.  

“The strong winds caused a lot of nervousness in the peloton,” Tulett said afterward. “During the race, we were informed that the stage was being shortened, so we had to adapt quickly. We did that very well as a team. We took the initiative and were rewarded along the way with two bonus seconds. In the sprint, I went to the front a bit too early, which cost me in the end. A finish like this suits me well, so there was definitely more possible.”  

“We can look back positively on this stage,” Tulett continued, also looking ahead to the coming stages. “There are still plenty of challenges in this race. We’re aiming for a strong result in the overall standings. Tomorrow’s time trial will be a first test. We’ve also circled stages three and five in red. I came here highly motivated, so I’m looking forward to fighting for the win together with my teammates.”