Wiebes, alongside Elisa Longo Borghini, Lara Gillespie, Karlijn Swinkels, and Lily Williams, formed an echelon early in the race and held off the peloton from start to finish. This performance not only shattered previous records but also provided a glimpse into the accelerating evolution of women’s professional cycling.
Record-breaking speeds in women’s cycling
To put the UAE Tour performance into perspective, the previous fastest average speed for a women’s WorldTour stage was recorded at Stage 4 of La Vuelta Femenina in 2024, where Kristen Faulkner took victory with an average speed of 46.75 km/h. Prior to that, the fastest mark was 45.9 km/h, set in Stage 2 of the 2023 Vuelta a Burgos.
Women’s cycling has historically been perceived as slower than men’s due to physiological differences, but the gap is narrowing. With improved training, better race conditions, and increasingly aggressive tactics, the numbers tell a different story. Each year, records continue to fall, and the latest milestone at the UAE Tour demonstrates that women’s pelotons are riding faster and more strategically than ever before.
Inside the race: Riders’ perspectives
The incredible pace of Stage 2 of the UAE Tour surprised even those in the breakaway. Lily Williams, who finished second behind Wiebes, expressed her astonishment upon learning about the record-breaking speed.
“Wow, that’s filthy,” she said. “It’s crazy—every year the level progresses more and more, and it’s fun to feel that I’m at the pointy edge of that.”
Williams, an Olympic gold medalist in track cycling, admitted that she hadn’t expected to make it to the finish with the breakaway group.
“The echelon started immediately, and honestly, I was thinking the peloton would let us dangle until the second crosswind section and then come with speed after we were fatigued, so I wasn’t doing too much in the first bit,” she explained. “But once we hit the tailwind, we had a three-minute gap, and we were just riding. Longo Borghini was trying to gain time on GC, so UAE were obligated to do the work, but I was really on the limit.”
For Williams and her breakaway companions, the intensity of the effort was undeniable. “It was windy, which is why the race was so quick, but the willingness to create an echelon and sustain that effort for 110km is a symbol of people understanding what’s happening in a bike race. It will always be a bit different from men’s racing, but we’re moving towards the standards that maybe people think we should be racing at.”
What is driving the increased speeds?
Several factors contribute to the increasing speeds in women’s professional cycling.
Advancements in training and nutrition
Over the past decade, women’s teams have seen significant investments in sports science, data-driven training plans, and refined nutrition strategies. Riders are training more efficiently and optimising recovery, leading to higher sustainable power outputs.
Equipment and aerodynamics
Bike technology continues to improve, with lighter frames, optimised aerodynamics, and advancements in wheel and drivetrain efficiency playing a key role in overall speed. Teams are also investing more in aero testing, ensuring their riders are positioned as efficiently as possible on the bike.
Race tactics and increased professionalisation
Women’s cycling is becoming increasingly aggressive, with teams willing to take risks and increase the tempo. An understanding of tactics such as echelons, lead-outs, and breakaway strategies has deepened, making races faster and more dynamic.
Greater depth in the peloton
More riders are reaching the highest levels of competition, creating a deeper and more competitive field. This increased talent pool leads to faster races as more riders are capable of sustaining high intensities for longer durations.
The biological debate: Are women limited by physiology?
Despite long-held assumptions, current research suggests that we have underestimated women’s abilities. It is a biological fact that men, on average, have greater muscle mass, higher lung capacity, and larger aerobic capacity per kilogram of body weight. These physiological differences account for the 10-12% performance gap between elite men and women in endurance sports, including cycling.
However, women possess physiological advantages that shine in ultra-endurance events. Studies have shown that women take longer to reach absolute fatigue in certain physical tasks and are more efficient at utilising fat as an energy source. In extreme conditions, such as extreme cold or ultra-long distances, women often perform on par with or better than men.
So why don’t women’s races reflect a 10-12% difference in distance or duration compared to men’s? One reason could be lingering biases and outdated perceptions about what women can or should do in sport. While the men’s Tour de France covers over 3,000km across three weeks, the Tour de France Femmes is currently only eight days long. With performances continuing to rise, it is worth questioning why women’s race distances remain shorter than their male counterparts.
What does this mean for the future of women’s cycling?
The record-breaking speed of Stage 2 at the UAE Tour suggests that with continued improvements in training, equipment, and tactics, women’s racing will become even faster and more intense. The growing depth of talent will further accelerate the pace, making breakaways and aggressive attacks more commonplace.
As women’s performances continue to improve, calls for longer, more challenging race routes will become harder to ignore. Races like Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the expanded Tour de France Femmes have already shown that women can handle extreme endurance challenges—so why stop there?
With faster, more exciting racing comes greater audience engagement. More spectators, sponsors, and media attention will help drive further investment in the sport, allowing teams to continue pushing the limits of performance.
Finally, these performances prove that outdated ideas about women’s endurance and capabilities in cycling are ready to be discarded. As women’s cycling continues to develop, it is clear that the argument for equal opportunities in race distances and formats is stronger than ever.
