The UAE Tour offers early-season racing under winter sun, mixing flat desert stages with summit finishes that separate the climbers from the fast men.
The UAE Tour is a men's WorldTour stage race held each February in the United Arab Emirates. Established in 2019, it replaced the Abu Dhabi Tour and Dubai Tour, consolidating the region's racing into a single week-long event that draws top teams looking for warm-weather competition.
Tadej Pogačar has won three times, using the race as a springboard to bigger ambitions later in the season.
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February in the Gulf means reliable sunshine and racing that splits into distinct acts. The opening days favor sprinters on wide, exposed roads where crosswinds can fracture the peloton. Then the race moves into the mountains of the eastern emirates, where short, steep climbs decide the overall classification. It's a race that rewards both speed and climbing form, often serving as a proving ground for riders testing their condition ahead of the European spring.
The route typically opens with flat stages around Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where sprint teams control the pace and wind direction becomes a tactical variable. Echelons are possible but not guaranteed. The decisive stages come later in the week, when the race heads east toward Jebel Hafeet or Jebel Jais. These climbs are short by European standards but steep enough to create meaningful gaps, especially when riders are still finding their legs in February. Time bonuses at stage finishes can matter as much as the climbing itself. The final general classification is usually settled on the summit finishes, though a strong time trialist can gain time if the route includes a race against the clock. Sprinters who survive the mountains can still win stages late in the week, making it a race with multiple narratives running in parallel.
The defining climb of the UAE Tour. A 10.8-kilometer ascent above Al Ain that usually decides the general classification, favoring pure climbers who can sustain power on a steady gradient.
Flat stages through the UAE interior expose the peloton to desert wind that can split the field into echelons and catch unwary GC contenders off guard.
Several flat stages suit pure sprinters, creating a parallel competition for stage wins alongside the mountain GC battle.
Held early in the European season, the UAE Tour functions as a high-profile fitness check for riders building toward the spring classics and stage races.
Most recent winner: Isaac del Toro (2026)
Primoz Roglic won the first edition of the merged UAE Tour, establishing the new format as a credible WorldTour stage race from day one.
Tadej Pogacar won a second consecutive UAE Tour on Jebel Hafeet, confirming the climb as his personal proving ground and the race as his February showcase.
Isaac del Toro became the first Mexican to win the UAE Tour, sealing the red jersey with a decisive mountain strike on Jebel Hafeet that signaled a generational shift.
Three victories in the UAE Tour make Pogacar the most successful rider in the race short history. Jebel Hafeet became his springboard into each season.
Won in 2023 with the kind of dominant stage-race performance that confirmed his ability to control a week-long GC battle.
The 2026 winner, del Toro became the first Mexican rider to win a WorldTour stage race, using Jebel Hafeet to build an unassailable lead.
The UAE Tour moves between desert flats, modern cityscapes, and the mountainous east of the Emirates. Jebel Hafeet is where the classification is decided.
A 10.8 km climb above Al Ain, one of the highest points in the UAE. The steady gradient and exposed switchbacks make it a power test that usually decides the GC.
The highest mountain in the UAE at over 1,900 meters. Used as a summit finish when organizers want to add a second mountain test beyond Jebel Hafeet.
The modern skyline of Dubai provides the backdrop for flat sprint stages that showcase the fastest finishers in the peloton.
A waterfront finish venue that typically hosts either the opening stage or a flat intermediate stage, with the Corniche promenade providing the sprint arena.
