After an exciting start to the 2025 at the Tour Down Under, the Women’s WorldTour moves to the Middle East to race the Women’s UAE Tour. The four-stage race, which will start in Dubai on Thursday, February 6, and finish in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, February 9, will be in its third edition after its inaugural event in 2023, which saw Elisa Longo Borghini take the first red jersey of the race’s history.
The race is characterised by its flat, open roads, which cut through the desert, with most stages finishing in a sprint against the fastest finishers. However, there is always one mountain test – the famous Jebel Hafeet climb – which, this year, comes on the penultimate stage of the race. While the sprinters get a chance to showcase their talents throughout this race, it tends to be the rider who can excel on the steep gradients of the Jebel Hafeet that takes the overall glory. Longo Borghini was the first rider to prove that, and last year, Lotte Kopecky demonstrated her prowess over any type of terrain, winning the only mountain test and then going on to win the red jersey.
Read the full route for the 2025 Women’s UAE Tour
Kopecky will not be back this year to defend her title, but Longo Borghini is going to the Middle East to try and claim a second title – this time, with her new team, UAE Team ADQ. The door is also open for other riders to take the spoils, and with it being the second race of the season (the first race for many on the start list), legs are still warming up, and the win is up for grabs by anyone who can find their form right away. We look closer at who may be celebrating some early wins at the Women’s UAE Tour.
Stage hungry sprinters
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
Lorena Wiebes continues to cement her status as the undisputed sprint queen of the Women’s WorldTour peloton, proving her dominance season after season. In 2024 alone, she racked up an impressive 22 wins, bringing her career total to a staggering 93 victories. However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Dutch rider, as she occasionally found herself edged out by rivals. The UAE Tour will mark her 2025 season debut, following the same strategy she has followed for the past two years. Last year, she stormed to victory in the opening two stages and claimed the points classification, while her teammate went on to the win overall. But, with a stacked sprinting field in this year’s edition, Wiebes may not have it all her own way.
Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL)
The Team Picnic PostNL sprint squad will make its 2025 debut at the UAE Tour, bringing a formidable line-up that helped shape the sprinting season last year. Their biggest triumphs came at the Tour de France Femmes, where Charlotte Kool powered to two stage victories. Kool has already shown her prowess in the UAE Tour, winning two stages and the points classification in 2023. She skipped last year’s edition to focus on the early season Classics, leaving her rival, Wiebes, to sweep the sprints mostly uncontested. This time, however, Kool returns to a race that suits her strengths – and she has proven she can be a serious challenge for Wiebes.
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)
Elisa Balsamo has endured a turbulent couple of seasons, with crashes disrupting her momentum. In 2023, she fractured her jaw and wrist at RideLondon, and in 2024, she required surgery after a crash on the opening stage of La Vuelta Burgos Féminas. Despite these setbacks, the Italian sprinter still delivered a string of impressive results last year, claiming victories at Classic Bugge-De Panne, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, and a stage at the Tour de Romandie, alongside second-place finishes at Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix. A proven sprint finisher, Balsamo has the speed and strength to challenge for victory – if she gets a clear run to the line.
Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto)
Chloé Dygert is one of the few sprinters lining up at the UAE Tour with race miles already in her legs. The American rider opened her 2025 season at the Tour Down Under, where she claimed victory on the finale stage, before delivering strong performances at the Schwalbe Women’s one-day Classics, Surf Coast Classic and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean road race – securing top-five finishes in each. Making her UAE Tour debut, Dygert has already demonstrated impressive form and will be one to watch in the fast finishes. Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto also boasts another formidable sprinter in Chiara Consonni, giving the team multiple options for success.
The riders fighting for red
Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
A former champion of the race, Elisa Longo Borghini returns to the UAE Tour with the chance to make history as the first woman to win the event twice. Her 2023 victory came while riding for Lidl-Trek, but this year marks her debut with UAE Team ADQ. With this being her new team’s home race, the Italian will be especially motivated to deliver a standout performance. As one of the strongest riders in the field, she has the talent to contend for victory, but success will depend on the support around her. So far, UAE Team ADQ has only confirmed Silvia Persico as part of Longo Borghini’s backing.
Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez)
Another GC contender debuting in new team colours is Juliette Labous. After years with Team DSM, where she consistently delivered strong results but struggled to secure major victories, her move to the French squad could provide the platform she needs to step onto the podium more frequently – when not supporting her new teammate, Demi Vollering. The UAE Tour presents an early opportunity for Labous to make her mark, and as a talented climber, she will be a key contender for the summit finish atop Jebel Hafeet, potentially earning herself the leader’s red jersey.
Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco)
Mavi García is a rider known for her consistency, particularly on the climbs, and she has previously delivered strong performances at the UAE Tour. Last year, she placed third on Jebel Hafeet, finishing 32 seconds behind stage winner Kopecky. García has already begun her 2025 racing season in Spain with the Trofeo Palma Femina and Trodeo Binissalem-Andratx, claiming second and fifth place, respectively. While she is a strong contender for the mountain stage, she lacks the explosive finishing kick that some of her rivals possess in the closing kilometres, which could make securing a victory more challenging.
Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly)
New to the American team for 2025, Cédrine Kerbaol will be a key contender for EF Education-Oatly. Over the past two seasons, she has established herself as a rising force in the Women’s WorldTour, capped off by a historic stage victory at the Tour de France Femmes last year – making her the first French female pro to win a stage at the race. While her fearless descending skills won’t come into play on the UAE Tour’s largely flat parcours, she is also a capable climber. Having already tested her legs in Spain, Kerbaol will make her WWT debut for her new team in the UAE, a race she has never done before. She’ll be back by Alison Jackson and Nina Kessler, both of whom could also seize their own chances in the sprint finishes.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike)
All eyes will be on Pauline Ferrand-Prévot as she makes her long-awaited return to road racing. After spending the past few years focussing on mountain biking and cyclo-cross, the French rider is now fully committing to the road, with major targets ahead in 2025, including the Tour de France Femmes. The UAE Tour marks her first race back, making it a fascinating test of her current form. While her abilities in off-road disciplines are undisputed – and she has proven herself on the road with a World Championship title – how she fares over these four stages remains unknown.
