Date: Monday February 17, 2025 - Sunday February 23, 2025
Start: Shams Solar Park, Madinat Zayed
Finish: Jebel Hafeet
Total distance: 1,013.2km
Stages: seven
Defending champion: Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Dstny)
The only UCI WorldTour race in the Middle East, the UAE Tour, began in 2019 after the Abu Dhabi Tour and the Dubai Tour merged. Now in its seventh edition, the seven-stage race attracts some of the most illustrious riders in the peloton, aiming for stage wins and for the top prize, a chance at the red jersey.
As the third WorldTour race in the men’s calendar after the Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Australia, the UAE Tour attracts many sprinters thanks to the route’s flat wide roads that have come to define this race. In 2024, fast finishers such as Tim Merlier (Soudal–Quick-Step) and Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) took the top honours, winning the flat stages throughout the week. But in the end, it was Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Dstny) who took the overall GC title after an excellent performance on the race’s final mountain stage, which saw him move up eight places on the GC to clinch the red jersey with Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) two seconds behind.
The first winner of the UAE Tour was Primož Roglič in 2019, followed by Adam Yates in 2020. Tadej Pogačar won the race in 2021 and successfully defended his title the following year in 2022. Pogačar is confirmed to be back at the UAE Tour in search of a third title, but none of his GC rivals are yet to announce their appearance at this race. The only other riders confirmed so far is Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Danny Van Poppel, Sam Welsford, and Giulio Pellizzarim, Movistar’s Pablo Castrillo, Davide Cimolai and Fernando Gaviria, and Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan.
UAE Tour teams:
Announced so far (updated 22 January 2025)
Team Picnic PostNL
Visma-Lease a Bike
EF Education-EasyPost
UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
Israel-Premier Tech
Movistar
Intermarché-Wanty
Lidl-Trek
Soudal–Quick-Step
Lotto
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
UAE Tour route:
The 2025 edition of the men’s UAE Tour is a very traditional route, characterised by the country’s wide, open roads, which slice through the sand dunes and includes its two regular mountain-top finishes – Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet. But before the first mountain test in the desert, an opening sprint stage and a race against the clock awaits the riders. Stage one will see the riders race 138km from Madinat Zayed Shams Solar Park to Liwa Palace, where the home straight features a short 5% uphill kick to the line. The individual time trial that follows the next day is one for the pure TT specialists, with no elevation, but they will have to be mindful of any wind.
The first of two mountain stages takes place on the third day of the week-long race, and it is a day of two halves for the riders. The opening kilometres are very flat until the base of the climb at 148km – where there is also an intermediate sprint. From there, the remainder of the stage is on up and Jebel Jais’ 20km length and 5% average gradient will see a new rider in the red jersey.
Stage four is back in the sprinters favour with a flat final kilometre on a wide avenue road. There is only one uncategorised climb early on in the stage, climbing at the 20km mark, but in terms of elevation, that is the only bump in the road. It’ll most certainly come down to a sprint, however, the riders will still need to be vigilant as exposed roads in the middle of the desert mean wind and sand can be a vital factor. The next stage in Dubai is another sprint opportunity, with the entire 160km-long stage on straight roads interspersed with roundabouts. Stage seven is similar, with an almost pan-flat route and closing kilometres on a wide, smooth road.
After three back-to-back sprint opportunities, the final stage of the race sees the return of the mountains and the 10km Jebel Hafeet will be the race’s final decider. All the action will take place in the final kilometres of the race, with the first 162km winding through the desert on flat roads to the base of the climb. Jebel Hafeet’s gradients are mainly between 8-9%, which peaks at 11% with 3km to go. In the final kilometre, there is a short descent before a rise to the finish. In 2024, Lennert van Eetvelt of Lotto Dstny won the stage atop Jebel Hafeet, rocketing him eight places up the GC, winning the overall race – demonstrating that the UAE Tour is never over until the final stage.
Map provided by UAE Tour
Stage one: Madinat Zayed Shams Solar Park to Liwa Palace / 138km
Stage two: Al Hudayriat Island (ITT) / 12.2km
Stage three: Ras al Khaimah to Jebel Jais / 179km
Stage four: Fujairah Qidfa Beach to Umm al Quwain / 181km
Stage five: American University Dubai to Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University / 160km
Stage six: Abu Dhabi Cycling Club to Abu Dhabi Breakwater / 167km
Stage seven: Al Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium to Jebel Hafeet / 176km
Women’s UAE Tour
Date: Thursday February 6, 2025 - Sunday February 9, 2024
Start: Dubai Police Officer’s Club
Finish: Abu Dhabi Breakwater
Total distance: 540km
Stages: four
Defending champion: Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
The Women’s UAE Tour returns for a third year running, after two successful years. The race remains in the same format with four stages spread across four days from Thursday February 6, until Sunday February 9, 2025. Last year, SD Worx-Protime rider Lotte Kopecky took the overall title with an impressive performance on the country’s highest peak and the race’s only mountain stage, Jebel Hafeet, which saw her take the overall lead. However, the UAE Tour is more commonly known for its wide, flat roads, and this meant that the sprinters took charge on the three other stages, with none other than Kopecky’s team-mate, Lorena Wiebes) taking the opening two stages and Amber Kraak taking the fourth and final stage.
It has been confirmed that Elisa Longo Borghini, the overall race winner from 2023, will be back to race for a second title. However, this time, the Italian will be riding with her new team, UAE Team ADQ, and it is confirmed that her teammate, Silvia Persico, will also be riding. Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco) will also be riding the race, as will Visma-Lease a Bike’s Martina Fidanza and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
Women’s UAE Tour teams:
Announced so far (updated 22 January 2025)
Visma-Lease a Bike
UAE Team ADQ
Lidl-Trek
Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi
FDJ-Suez
Human Powered Health
Cofidis Women Team
Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto
Movistar
EF Education-Oatly
SD Worx-Protime
Liv AlUla Jayco
Women’s UAE Tour route:
The opening stage of the third edition is a classic UAE Tour stage – pan,flat and on wide roads. Therefore, the first winner of this race in Dubai Harbour will no doubt be a sprinter. The entire route is mostly on straight roads, but there are a few roundabouts to contend with. Nevertheless, the finale is on a wide avenue and therefore set to be a fast finish. Stage two is very similar, but this time, the women’s peloton will ride through the desert meaning wind and sand will be on the minds of the riders. The closing kilometres, however, are in the town of Al Mirfa on a wide road with only one roundabout before the closing sprint – positioning will be vital ahead of that bend, so the sprinter’s team will need to be prepared.
Stage three is the race’s only and only mountain stage. Much like the men’s race, all the action will take place at the end of the stage with 138km of flat road through the desert to the base of Jebel Hafeet, where the 10km-long climb awaits. In the previous two editions of the race, it has been on this climb that the overall race winner is decided, with Lotte Kopecky taking the honours in 2024 and Elisa Longo Borghini in 2023. This factor is because the closing stage of the race is another sprint opportunity, finishing in Abu Dhabi Breakwater.
Map provided by UAE Tour
Stage one: Dubai Police Officer’s Club to Dubai Harbour / 149km
Stage two: Al Dhafra Front to Al Mirfa / 111km
Stage three: Al Ain Qasr Al Muwaiji to Jebel Hafeet / 152km
Stage four: Abu Dhabi Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Academy to Abu Dhabi Breakwater / 128km
