In her first race with Trek-Segafredo, Gaia Lealini showed the climbing prowess that earned her a three-year contract with the Women's WorldTour team and an overall win in the UAE Tour Women.

The diminutive 21-year-old Italian climber pulled away from the peloton on the Jebel Hafeet climb and continued to set the pace for teammate Elisa Longo Borghini. Longo Borghini took the leader's jersey, while Reallini finished second overall by just 7 seconds.

Realini and everyone at Trek-Segafredo were elated with her performance and the team's result.

"Today was a very hard day. It was an incredible day for me, my first year with this big team, my first race of the year, and this result - very, very good. Elisa and I had a good rhythm on the climbs and it was a big day for the team," Realini said.

Realini, who raced primarily cyclocross as a junior and in her first U23 season, was picked up by the Italian Continental team Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria in 2021 and 2022. 20 years old and a talented Giro Donne He became known as a climber, finishing 6th in Prato Nevoso and 11th in Monte Matadors, placing 11th overall and 2nd in the under-23 class.

Rialini fared even better in the 2022 Giro Donne. Although the results sheet lists him as the third U23 rider to finish 13th overall, Rialini was much more visible that year, finishing seventh on stage 7 at Prato Nevoso and in a long-distance breakaway on stage 9 with Kristen Faulkner (then Team BikeExchange-Jayco). He stood out.

Realini led Passo Daone, the Seema Coppi of the race, but was eventually overtaken by Faulkner, with Realini finishing in fifth place.

Trek-Segafredo had been negotiating with the young Italian climber since before the Giro Donne, and in mid-August Learini was announced by the team as a new member.

At the time, Reallini used Longo Borghini as a role model and reference. Six months later, Lealini and Longo Borghini raced in the same jersey for the first time.

For the first time since she was 16, Realini missed the cyclocross season to focus on road training and prepare for her first full season on the Women's World Tour.

In Jebel Hafeet, Realini quickly cut the group of favorites for the win in half, leaving only Longo Borghini on her wheel with 5km to go.

Realini was clearly enjoying the day, and her smile for the camera belied her efforts.

Longo Borghini explained this sentiment and the final team tactics in a post-race interview.

"We were a little bit enthusiastic, especially Gaia. She was really enthusiastic, really into this match. At one point she said, 'I want to cry. Longo Borghini, after donning the leader's jersey before the final flat stage around Abu Dhabi on Sunday, said, "She's a great bike rider, she's a great rider.