The penultimate stage of the 2022 UAE Tour will start and end at Expo 2020 Dubai, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council Saeed Hareb announced on Thursday.
The fourth edition of the UCI World Tour race takes place next month, from February 20-26 and features seven stages across the Emirates. The first stage (185km) - the Al Ain Water Stage - begins and concludes in Madinat Zayed, before the second International Holding Company Stage sees the riders start at Hudayriyat Island before finishing at Abu Dhabi Breakwater 173km.
Stage 3 - G42 Stage - will be a 9km individual time trial through Ajman, followed by the fourth Burjeel Medical City Stage which sees the peloton embark on the first mountain route from Fujairah Fort to Jebel Jais over 181km.
Stage 5's Marjan Stage will stay in the Northern Emirates as the riders race from Ras al Khaimah Corniche to Al Marjan Island, before the sixth stage puts Expo 2020 Dubai in the spotlight.
“Next month, on February 25, Expo 2020 Dubai will become the focal point of the cycling world as the sixth stage of the 2022 UAE Tour – the one and only UCI WorldTour race in the Middle East – starts and finishes at the Expo," Hareb said.
"We will see 140 cyclists representing 20 international teams in action during the Expo 2020 Dubai Stage and the 180km route will take the cyclists across Dubai, touching locations like Dubai Sports City, Silicon Oasis Meydan Racecourse, Palm Jumeirah and the Jumeirah Islands, and showcasing landmarks like Ain Dubai and Museum of the Future.
“The Expo 2020 Dubai Stage of the UAE Tour will not be the end of our calendar of top international events at Expo 2020 Dubai. Dubai Sports Council is working with organisers from inside and outside the country to bring more sports events and tournaments at the Expo, and further details about these events will be revealed in time.”
The seventh and final stage - the Mubadala Stage - will start in Al Ain and conclude at Jebel Hafeet as the tour concludes with a summit finish.
UAE Team Emirates star Tadej Pogacar is the reigning UAE Tour champion and will return to his team's home race to defend his title next month. The Slovenian two-time Tour de France winner will be the rider to beat when the UCI World Tour arrives in the Emirates for the first tour of the 2022 season.
