UAE Tour 2025: Riders, teams, routes, road closures and all you need to know

The finest teams and riders in the world will be arriving in the country this week for the 2025 UAE Tour.

Ahead of the race that begins at Shams Solar Power Station near Madinat Zayed on Monday, here is everything you need to know.

What is it?

The UAE Tour is an annual professional road cycling stage race that is part of the UCI World Tour that includes 36 events across the globe throughout the season.

The UAE race is the third race of the season, contested over seven days and stages in what is the seventh edition of the event.

When is it?

The 2025 race starts with Stage 1 on Monday, February 17, before concluding on Sunday, February 23, with the seventh and final stage when the winner will be crowned.

What is the race route?

The route crosses much of the UAE and spans 1,013.2km. There will be four flat stages, two mountain stages and one individual time trial.

Monday, February 17: Stage 1: Shams Solar Power Station Stage (138km, sprint) – Shams Solar Power Station near Madinat Zayed to Liwa Palace.

Tuesday, February 18: Stage 2: Tudor Stage (12.2km, individual time trial) – Hudayriyat Island.

Wednesday, February 19: Stage 3: Ras Tourism Development Authority Stage (181km, mountain) – Ras Al Khaimah to Jebel Jais.

Thursday, February 20: Stage 4: Taqa Stage (181km, sprint) – Fujairah Qidfa Beach to Umm Al Quwain.

Friday, February 21: Stage 5: Dubai Sports Council Stage (160km, sprint) – American University in Dubai to Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University.

Saturday, February 22: Stage 6: Modon Stage (165km, sprint) – Abu Dhabi Cycling Club to Abu Dhabi Breakwater.

Sunday, February 23: Stage 7: Burjeel Stage (176km, mountain) – Al Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium to Jebel Hafeet.

Will there be any road closures while the race is on?

Yes, there will be some disruption throughout the race. To see how the road closures may affect your travel plans, refer to the gallery above.

Which teams and riders are competing?

There will be 15 UCI world teams taking part and five UCI pro teams.

Triple crown winner Tadej Pogacar will be leading the way for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, with the Slovenian making his first appearance at the race since he retained the title in 2022.

Reigning champion Lennart Van Eetvel is returning to defend his crown, while Michael Storer, who finished fourth overall in 2024, is also one to watch.

European champion and five-time stage winner Tim Merlier is among a strong sprinting line-up that also includes the likes of Olav Kooij, Dylan Groenewegen and Jonathan Milan.

Lotto-DSTNY's Belgian cyclist Lennert Van Eetvelt celebrates after winning the general classification in the 6th UAE Tour after his victory in Stage 7 on Jebel Hafeet on February 25, 2024. AFP
Lotto-DSTNY's Lennert Van Eetvelt celebrates with the trophy after winning the UAE Tour. AFP
Lotto-DSTNY's Lennert Van Eetvelt reacts after winning the 7th and final stage of the UAE Tour to claim overall victory. AFP
Lotto-DSTNY's Belgian cyclist Lennert Van Eetvelt after crossing the finish line to win the 7th Stage of the UAE Tour. AFP
Stage 7 winner Lennert Van Eetvelt, centre, with Pello Bilbao, right, who finished second, and Ben O'Connor, who was third. AFP
UAE Team Emirates' Australian cyclist Jay Vine after he finished 22nd in Stage 7. AFP
UAE Team Emirates' Australian cyclist Jay Vine at the end of the race. AFP

Who are the past winners?

2019: Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo – Visma) Slovenia

2020: Adam Yates (Mitchelton–Scott) UK

2021: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) Slovenia

2022: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) Slovenia

2023: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick-Step) Belgium

2024: Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto – Dstny) Belgium

What do the coloured jerseys mean?

Red Jersey, general classification: Worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the leader of the general classification by time.

Green Jersey, points classification: Worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the fastest sprinter, who has obtained the best positions in each stage and intermediate sprints.

White Jersey, young rider classification: Worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the best young rider (U25) in the overall classification by time.

Black Jersey, intermediate sprint classification: Worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the rider who has gained more intermediate sprint points than any other rider.

Is the UAE Tour on television?

The entire race will be shown live on Abu Dhabi Sports and Dubai Sports.

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem

Rating: 4/5

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THE SCORES

Ireland 125 all out

(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)

UAE 125 for 5

(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)

UAE won by five wickets

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

What is tokenisation?

Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.

Sole survivors

Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

GRAN%20TURISMO

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Neill%20Blomkamp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Harbour%2C%20Orlando%20Bloom%2C%20Archie%20Madekwe%2C%20Darren%20Barnet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

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Race 3

Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars

US tops drug cost charts

The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.

Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.

In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.

Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.

The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.

High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.

How to register as a donor

1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention

2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants

3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.

4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope

UAE Tour 2025: Riders, teams, routes, road closures and all you need to know

Best cyclists in the world arrive for seventh staging of popular race

What is it?

When is it?

What is the race route?

Will there be any road closures while the race is on?

Which teams and riders are competing?

Who are the past winners?

What do the coloured jerseys mean?

Is the UAE Tour on television?

The President's Cake

While you're here

THE SCORES

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

What is tokenisation?

Sole survivors

GRAN%20TURISMO

Key facilities

Avatar: Fire and Ash

While you're here

While you're here

Race 3

US tops drug cost charts

How to register as a donor