The second WorldTour stage race takes place from February 16 to 22, 2026, in the United Arab Emirates. Who will win the general classification according to the computer model?
Route
Hills, a time trial, sprints, and two summit finishes — the 2026 UAE Tour offers a varied route featuring an uphill finish, a new brutally steep climb, and desert stages. Stage 1 runs 55 kilometers straight through the desert before finishing via a hilly finale (last year, Milan won here in a sprint). Stage 2 is a short, perfectly flat 12-kilometer time trial on an island (a repeat of 2025, when Tarling took the win).
In stage 3, riders will tackle the legendary ‘Jebel Morah’ (13.2 km at 8.1%), with the final 7 kilometers averaging 12%. The fourth day features plenty of climbing without any monstrous ascents, finishing after a 30-kilometer descent. Stage 5 should be one for the sprinters, before stage 6 climbs the iconic Jebel Hafeet — 10.6 km at 6.9% — where the likes of Alejandro Valverde (winner in 2019), Pogacar (four wins: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025), Van Eetvelt (2024), and Adam Yates (2023) have all triumphed. The UAE Tour concludes on Sunday, February 22, with a flat stage in Abu Dhabi.
Expected finish times for each stage are between 13:00 and 14:00 CET.
Riders
After winning his team’s home race in 2021, 2022, and 2025, Pogacar will not start in the Emirates this year. His teammate and rising star Isaac del Toro will take on the in-form Remco Evenepoel. Jonas Vingegaard was also expected to begin his season here, but a crash and illness have forced him to delay his start.
Alongside Evenepoel and Del Toro, riders like Gall, Adam Yates, Tiberi, Storer, and Van Wilder are also aiming for strong overall results.
Behind Remco Evenepoel, the top time-trial specialists include Ethan Hayter, Daan Hoole, and Ilan Van Wilder. Jonathan Milan is the only top sprinter on the provisional start list, though Matteo Malucelli, Erlend Blikra, and Juan Sebastian Molano may spring a surprise and continue their strong start to the season.
Prediction GC UAE Tour 2026
🔮Prediciton of UAE Tour 2026 💻by CyclingOracle computer model.
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🦄 Lennert Van Eetvelt
*The unicorn is our joker, nice old-fashioned based on feeling