Date: Monday February 17, 2025 - Sunday February 23, 2025
Start: TBC
Finish: TBC
Total distance: TBC
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, as well as Movistar’s Pablo Castrillo, Davide Cimolai and Fernando Gaviria.
UAE Tour teams:
Announced so far (updated 7 January 2025)
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Lidl-Trek
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Soudal–Quick-Step
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EF Education-EasyPost
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UAE Team Emirates - XRG
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Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
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Israel-Premier Tech
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Movistar
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Intermarché-Wanty
UAE Tour route:
The 2025 edition of the UAE Tour is yet to released the full route for the seven-stage race in the Middle East.
Women’s UAE Tour
Date: Thursday February 6, 2025 - Sunday February 9, 2024
Start: TBC
Finish: TBC
Total distance: TBC
Stages: Three
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 not been confirmed whether any of the previous race winners, including Elisa Longo Borghini, will be making their way to the Middle East for the race’s third edition. The only two riders confirmed so far are UAE Team ADQ’s Silvia Persico and Visma-Lease a Bike’s Martina Fidanza.
Women’s UAE Tour teams:
Announced so far (updated 7 January 2025)
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Visma-Lease a Bike
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UAE Team ADQ
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Lidl-Trek
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Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi
Women’s UAE Tour route:
The route for the Women's UAE Tour has not yet been released.
