Pogacar kicks off the season with a preview of the UAE Tour 2025 cycling race. Excitement builds for what's to come in this thrilling competition!
The UAE Tour was established through the merger of two other cycling races – the Abu Dhabi Tour and the Dubai Tour. However, even considering these races, the history of the UAE Tour cannot be described as long: the Dubai Tour was held since 2014, and the Abu Dhabi Tour since 2015. The race is organized by the Italian company RCS Sport, which manages numerous prestigious cycling events, including the Giro d’Italia.
From its very first year, the UAE Tour gained the status of a World Tour race and attracts a solid lineup of participants. Of course, top-tier stars may not view this multi-stage event as one of the main races of the season, but for many, the UAE Tour serves as the first test of their abilities for the year, making it always interesting to watch.
The only rider to have won the UAE Tour twice is Tadej Pogačar, who triumphed in 2021 and 2022. The inaugural edition of this multi-stage race in 2019 was claimed by his compatriot Primož Roglič. In addition to them, the overall winners have included Adam Yates, Remco Evenepoel, and Lennert Van Eetvelt. As we can see, the list of winners is impressive. The only outlier is Van Eetvelt, although his major achievements in his career are likely still ahead.
Route
The UAE Tour 2025 consists of 7 stages with a total distance of 1013 km. The route is quite balanced: two mountain stages, one individual time trial, and four flat group stages for sprinters. Only the all-rounders in one-day races might feel a bit left out, although the finish on a small hill in the first stage could give them a chance.
The first of three key stages for the overall classification will be a flat time trial of 12 km, taking place on the second day of the UAE Tour. The race will occur on Al Hudayriyat Island in Abu Dhabi, in a very windy area. The wind factor will play a significant role, and if its direction or strength changes significantly during the race, the results could become highly unpredictable.
The following day, riders will face the first of two mountain stages: 178 km finishing at Jebel Jais. Climbing 19 km with over 1200 meters of elevation gain sounds quite daunting. However, the average gradient is only 5.6%, and the steepness of the ascent is very consistent. Often, the selectivity of this stage is not particularly impressive.
The decisive stage will be the final, seventh stage with another mountain finish – at Jebel Hafeet. This climb is noticeably shorter but steeper – 10.9 km with an average gradient of 6.7%. The greater steepness of the ascent and the factor of the final stage usually provide a much more open competition and significant selection.
0Schedule of the UAE Tour 2025:
Monday, February 17: Stage 1, Madinat Zayed – Liwa Plas, 138 km, flat
Tuesday, February 18: Stage 2: Al Hudayriyat Island, 12 km, individual time trial
Wednesday, February 19: Stage 3: Ras Al Khaimah – Jebel Jais, 179 km, mountain stage
Thursday, February 20: Stage 4: Fujairah Kidhfa Beach – Umm Al-Quwain, 181 km, flat
Friday, February 21: Stage 5, American University of Dubai – Hamdan Bin Mohammed University, 160 km, flat
Saturday, February 22: Stage 6, Abu Dhabi – Abu Dhabi, 167 km, flat
Sunday, February 23: Stage 7, Al Ain – Jebel Hafeet, 176 km, mountain stage
Key Players
As the undeniable favorite No. 1 heading into the UAE Tour is Tadej Pogačar, who has chosen to start his season at his team's home race. The Slovenian has already won this multi-stage event in 2022 and 2023, and he has every chance to do it for the third time – this time in the rainbow jersey of the world champion. One of Pogačar's main helpers on the UAE Emirates team will be Jay Vine, who arrives at the UAE Tour with 15 race days in the season and from a nasty fall at the Tour Down Under.
1The reigning champion of the UAE Tour is Lennert Van Eetvelt. The talented rider from Lotto could be considered one of the main breakthroughs of last season; however, health issues limited his capabilities. Nonetheless, the talent of the 23-year-old Belgian is beyond doubt, and even in such a strong field, Lennert has excellent chances to finish on the podium of the overall classification.
The main bet of Decathlon Ag2r for the overall classification will likely be Felix Gall. The Austrian is a great climber but struggles significantly in time trials, so he might lose quite a bit of time on the second stage, despite the short 12 km distance. Meanwhile, the star rookie of the French team, Stefan Bissegger, will be among the main contenders for victory on the second stage.
It will be very interesting to watch his 18-year-old teammate Paul Sejas. The French prodigy will make his debut at the World Tour level. The reigning junior world champion in the time trial has started his first season at the elite level quite well, finishing fifth in the Grand Prix of Marseille on February 2.
The leader of Red Bull Bora will be Finn Fisher-Black, who recently finished on the podium in the overall classification of the Tour Down Under. The backup option for the Austrian-German team is the talented Italian rookie Giulio Pelizzari. However, he started the season with disappointing performances in Spanish one-day races.
Ineos Grenadiers will rely on Carlos Rodriguez, although the lack of descents in the resolutions of key mountain stages is bad news for the Spaniard. The bet of Lidl Trek for the overall classification will be Giulio Ciccone, but the time trial could pose significant problems for him. One of the heroes of the January Tour Down Under, Oscar Onley from Picnic PostNL, will be fighting for high placements.
2Israel Premier Tech will be banking on the revelation of last year's Tour de Suisse, Matthew Riccitiello. The team also includes Czech climber Jan Hirt and the legendary Chris Froome, although no one has expected high results from the latter for a long time. XDS Astana and Movistar have brought their star rookies to the UAE Tour – Sergio Higuita and Pablo Castrellio respectively. However, both did not impress in their first races of the season. The captain of ED Education EasyPost will be Hugh Carthy, with Esteban Chaves as a decent alternative.
The sprinter lineup for the UAE Tour 2025 will be even more star-studded. The start list includes the names of perhaps the four best sprinters of today – Tim Merlier, Jonathan Milan, Jasper Philipsen, and Olav Kooij. Predicting the outcome of the battle among these four titans is very challenging. Dylan Groenewegen might challenge them. He often faces issues in positional battles, but in terms of pure speed, he is on par with the "big four."
After moving to Movistar last season, Fernando Gaviria began to show signs of life, but he greatly lacks a strong sprint train in Eusebio Unzué's team. The sprinting hero of the Tour Down Under was Sam Welsford, who won three stages.