World-class men's cycling returns to the country on Monday with the start of the UAE Tour in Abu Dhabi.
Last year's race was won by UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Tadej Pogacar as the Slovenian superstar secured the crown for a third time.
There will be no Pogacar this time around, with Isaac Del Toro leading the UAE team's charge alongside Adam Yates - but there are plenty of cycling's finest hitting the roads of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Al Ain, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the race.
What is it?
The UAE Tour is an annual professional road cycling stage race and is the third event of the 2026 UCI World Tour. It will be the eighth staging of an event that was first held in 2019 after the Abu Dhabi Tour and Dubai Tour merged into one race.
When is it?
The 2026 race begins with Stage 1 on Monday, February 16, before concluding with Stage 7 on Sunday, February 22, when the latest winner will be crowned in Abu Dhabi.
Who is racing?
All 18 UCI world teams – the highest level of professional road cycling – will be taking part: Alpecin-Premier Tech, Team Bahrain Victorious, Decathlon CMA CGM, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ United, Ineos Grenadiers, Lidl-Trek, Lotto-Intermarche, Movistar Team, NSN Cycling Team, Red Bull-Boro-Hansgrohe, Soudal-Quick-Step, Team Jayco-AlUla, Team Picnic-PostNL, Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Uno-X Mobility and XDS Astana Team.
There are also three teams from the second-tier UCI ProTeams: Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, Tudor Pro Cycling Team.
What happened last year?
At the start of what was another incredible season for Pogacar, the Slovenian took a grip of his home race on the Stage 3 climb up Jebel Jais, winning a sprint finish by crossing the line ahead of Oscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL) and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale).
Pogacar also sealed the final stage in sensational fashion, winning by more than 30 seconds on top of Jebel Hafeet. He finished the overall classification one minute and 14 seconds ahead of second-place Giulio Ciccone, with Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) a further five seconds back in third.
“Three times champion means a lot to me and to all the people who work really hard for this week,” said Pogacar. “It was not easy, but we did it. To win the home tour of the team is unbelievable and I'm super happy.”
Who are the favourites to win this year?
The 2022 Vuelta a Espana winner and 2023 UAE Tour winner Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) heads into the race in red-hot form having made the most successful start to a season of his career to date. The 26-year-old Belgian took the overall title at the Volta a la Valenciana on Sunday, which came on the back of three stage victories at the Mallorca Challenge.
A potentially thrilling head-to-head battle between three-time Grand Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard and Evenepoel will sadly not be happening. Pogacar's fierce rival has dropped out due to illness and a recent crash which will delay his season debut.
“I was really looking forward to returning to the UAE Tour and am therefore disappointed that we have had to make this decision,” said Vingegaard, 29, of Visma-Lease a Bike.
Rising star Del Toro, meanwhile, heads into his first UAE Tour with expectations high this season. The 22-year Mexican was on course to win last year's Giro d'Italia before being overhauled by Simon Yates on the penultimate day – but seven wins in the Italian autumn classics showed his huge potential.
Other riders to look out for include Del Toro's English teammate Yates, who won the title with Mitchelton–Scott in 2020, Lotto's Belgian rider Lennert Van Eetvelt, a surprise champion in 2024, and Antonio Tiberi of Team Bahrain Victorious, who took the best young rider crown in front of his home fans at the 2024 Giro d'Italia.
What is the race route?
Stage 1: Monday, February 16 – Bin Hamoodah Auto Stage (144km, sprint). Madinat Zayed Majis to Liwa Palace. Start: 1.20pm; Estimated finish: 4.30pm.
Stage 2: Tuesday, February 17 – Breitling ITT Stage (12.2km individual time trial). Entire stage takes place around Al Hudayriyat Island. Start: 1.05pm; Estimated finish: 3.30pm.
Stage 3: Wednesday, February 18 – Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Stage (183km climb). Umm Al Quwain to Jebel Mobrah. Start: 12.30pm; Estimated finish: 5pm.
Stage 4: Thursday, February 19 – Palm Sports Stage (182km sprint). The stage starts and finishes in Fujairah and features a turnaround in the enclaves of Hatta (Dubai) and Masfut (Ajman). Starts 1pm; Estimated finish time: 5pm.
Stage 5: Friday, February 20 – Dubai Stage (166km sprint). Dubai Al Mamzar Park to Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University. Starts: 1.30pm; Estimated finish time: 5pm.
Stage 6: Saturday, February 21 – Burjeel Holdings Stage (168km climb). From Al Ain Museum to Jebel Hafeet. Starts: 1pm; Estimated finish: 5pm.
Stage 7: Sunday, February 22 – AD Ports Group Stage (149km sprint) Zayed National Museum to Abu Dhabi Breakwater. Starts: 1.15pm; Estimated finish: 4.30pm.
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
2025: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) Slovenia
Is the UAE Tour on television?
The race is being shown live on Abu Dhabi Sports and Dubai Sports.
