Racing within the Middle East continues after the Tour of Oman with the area’s solely WorldTour race, the UAE Tour. Since it was first run in its present kind in 2019 after the Abu Dhabi Tour and the Dubai Tour merged, it has develop into one of many key early-season kind markers, with an illustrious listing of former winners: Primož Roglič, Adam Yates, Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel, and most just lately, Lennert Van Eetvelt.
While Van Eetvelt is again to defend his title, all eyes will likely be on the season debut of Pogačar, who returns to his workforce’s house race to reclaim the purple jersey he gained in each 2022 and 2021.
Pogačar’s debut will not, nevertheless, see him face off towards the game’s different prime GC stars Jonas Vingegaard, Roglič and Evenepoel, as the previous pair kick off 2025 on the Volta ao Algarve and the latter continues his rehabilitation again from harm.
The Slovenian will put on his world champion’s rainbow jersey as he seems to carry UAE Team Emirates-XRG victory as soon as once more after lacking out for the previous two seasons and never ending on the rostrum in any respect in 2024. After his historic Triple Crown-winning 2024 season, Pogačar begins his pursuit of extra historical past in 2025 within the UAE, earlier than the Classics after which defending his Tour de France and World titles, and solely victory will suffice.
Pogačar would be the heavy favorite going into the seven-day stage race, not solely due to his absolute dominance final season however how properly he is carried out within the UAE earlier than. He’s gained each of the 2 mountaintop finishes to Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet earlier than and must also be the strongest GC contender within the 12.2km stage 2 time trial.
Van Eetvelt is a worthy challenger, nevertheless, and confirmed his skills with the stage victory up Hafeet final 12 months, which introduced him the general win. The Belgian continues to be solely 23 and regardless of lacking plenty of final season as a result of harm, he confirmed indicators of what he can do on the Vuelta and Lombardia – towards Pogačar – earlier than closing out the 12 months with victory on the Tour of Guangxi.
While the beginning listing continues to be largely sparse, a two-time podium finisher within the UAE Pello Bilbao will even be a risk as he leads Bahrain-Victorious. He’s contemporary from a powerful third-place end on the Volta a Valenciana, the place teammate Santiago Buitrago took the win.
The different key storyline to comply with within the UAE would be the typical assembly of the highest sprinters in an “unofficial World Championships” for the quick males which it has beforehand been dubbed as.
With 4 potential bunch finishes, barring any chaos within the crosswinds introduced by the open desert roads, it ought to present a have a look at the highest sprinters who will search for glory on the Tour de France in July, resembling Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla).
Bearing these components in thoughts, listed here are Cyclingnews’ prime favourites to look at on this 12 months’s UAE Tour.
The battle for the overall classification
All eyes will likely be on Tadej Pogačar as he kicks off his 2025 marketing campaign on the UAE Tour on February 17. The Slovenian reached new heights final 12 months when he grew to become solely the third-ever male rider to win the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and World Championships in the identical season, after Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche.
Alongside that well-known trio of wins, he dominated the big majority of races he began, netting 25 victories from simply 58 race days and profitable each stage race he began by greater than 3:40.
He’ll be extra than simply the favorite as something however a dominant win could be an enormous shock. Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet are climbs Pogačar is aware of properly having taken victory on each of them at his final UAE Tour look in 2022. The stage 2 time trial additionally will not be an issue given the shape he confirmed profitable each a Giro and Tour ITT final season.
The file profitable margin within the UAE is 1:01 held by Adam Yates, coincidentally forward of his now-teammate Pogačar again in 2020, nevertheless, with the world champion trying as dominant as ever, 2025 could possibly be the 12 months that the file benefit is widened.
Lennert Van Eetvelt arrives on the UAE Tour with the standing of defending champion, and whereas Pogačar presents a problem that might appear insurmountable, the Belgian will not give it up and not using a battle.
He was not solely highly effective sufficient to win up Jebel Hafeet final season but additionally confirmed the race mind to realize bonus seconds at an intermediate throughout one of many flat levels which, after solely beating Ben O’Connor by two seconds, proved invaluable. The time trial could possibly be an issue, nevertheless, having misplaced greater than 20 seconds to a lot of his GC rivals final 12 months, which within the UAE, is an age.
He’s on one of many ProfessionalTeams on the UAE Tour, Lotto, who typically punch above their weight, with the 23-year-old being one in all their key leaders throughout 2025 as they appear to earn promotion again to the WorldTour for subsequent 12 months. Points will likely be necessary and Van Eetvelt can rating a heap of them if he is anyplace near his kind from final season, even when competing with Pogačar is a process he cannot handle.
Pello Bilbao has been a constant performer on the UAE Tour, with three begins within the Middle East’s solely WorldTour race leading to two third-place finishes, together with final season, and a fourth-place end in 2023.
While there is not a lot descending for the Spaniard to indicate off the place he is one of many best possible on the planet, his constant climbing is greater than robust sufficient to compete for the rostrum.
He’s additionally completed within the prime 5 of all three levels to Jebel Hafeet that he is raced prior to now three editions of the UAE Tour, so he ought to end the race strongly when that mountain as soon as once more attracts the race to a detailed on Sunday, February 23.
Bilbao confirmed stable kind within the Volta a Valenciana final week so he ought to be assured that he can construct upon the third place he scored there, behind teammate and general winner Santiago Buitrago, as he seems for extra success within the UAE.
One of Bilbao’s compatriots Carlos Rodríguez additionally introduced that he could be racing within the UAE after a stable 5 days of racing in Valencia. He completed sixth in his native Spain however will likely be trying to find extra within the UAE.
Rodríguez will lead the GC cost for the Ineos Grenadiers as they proceed to try to rebuild again to their greatest and search for extra wins after a bitterly robust 2024 season.
At 24, he is one in all their prime younger stars who nonetheless has room to develop, and as a fourth-place finisher and stage winner on the Tour de France, he is the right candidate for the British workforce to try to construct round.
The remainder of his squad is not but confirmed, so there may but be a co-leader alongside him. However, Rodríguez has a knack for profitable so ought to swimsuit the levels to Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet, the place a well-timed transfer could possibly be the one technique to cease Pogačar.
Leading the GC problem for Picnic-PostNL on the UAE Tour will likely be Great Britain’s Oscar Onley, with the 22-year-old searching for extra consistency after a stable begin to the season Down Under. It’ll be his first look on the UAE Tour.
The Scot completed fourth general however was second up the important thing stage to Willunga Hill, albeit that is worse than he managed in 2024, nevertheless, this might recommend that he’s aiming for that peak to reach later than it did final day out.
Still within the infancy of his profession as a GC rider, Onley has impressed in Australia twice as talked about but additionally on the Tour of Britain the place he was second final season and the Tour of Guangxi the place he was additionally the runner-up behind Van Eetvelt. Having solely narrowly misplaced out on that victory in China by 5 seconds, Onley will search for a step as much as his kind from Australia and problem the rostrum.
The sprinters vying for prime spot
Belgian dash star Jasper Philipsen is again on the UAE Tour in 2025 for the primary time since 2022, when he gained three levels, with an early probability to see how his kind matches up towards his key rivals.
Philipsen has been essentially the most profitable sprinter on the Tour de France in latest editions, racking up 9 stage victories prior to now three years. However, he is not as dominant as he was in 2023 when he gained 19 occasions.
However, as maybe essentially the most constant quick man, Philipsen will likely be seeking to rating not less than two levels within the 4 probabilities on the UAE Tour, with the purpose in fact being all 4.
While he’ll be with out his typical lead-out de luxe on the Tour, Mathieu van der Poel, Alpecin-Deceuninck have impressed with a number of totally different trains of their assist of Philipsen in recent times, typically delivering him in the perfect positions of any workforce.
Tim Merlier was the dominant dash power finally 12 months’s UAE Tour, netting three stage wins out of the 4 dash alternatives on supply. This, coupled along with his two stage victories from the 12 months prior means he gained essentially the most levels of any rider within the Emirati race’s historical past, surpassing Pogačar’s 4 stage triumphs.
European champion Merlier has typically managed to impress by coming from deep within the bunch finishes, typically not even requiring essentially the most perfect lead-out. However, when the likes of right-hand man Bert Van Lerberghe do ship him properly, Merlier has appeared unstoppable
With a return to the Tour de France lastly trying probably for the Belgian this summer season, Merlier ought to be extra motivated than ever forward of his second look at biking’s largest race. After kicking off the season strongly with two wins on the AlUla Tour, Merlier additionally has the benefit of profitable momentum that Philipsen does not have heading into the race.
Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan has been the dash revelation of the final two seasons, bursting onto the scene with a brutally highly effective Giro stage win in 2023 and solely kicking on to larger and higher issues in 2024.
The Italian has dropped a number of the highest uncooked energy numbers in recent times and has typically been in comparison with all-time sprinting nice Marcel Kittel for his dimension and the sheer aggression with which he handles his bike throughout a bunch end.
Milan received the higher of Philipsen two occasions to the Belgian’s one at Tirreno-Adriatico final 12 months so definitely is aware of he is succesful towards the perfect and he and Merlier equally had nice duels on the Giro d’Italia final season. They every gained three levels, and Milan will even be on the Tour later in July as he makes his debut there. With July firmly in thoughts, the UAE Tour is the right check of kind for street biking’s quickest.
Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike)
On par with the three above is Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij, who’s a 12 months youthful than Milan at 23, and has already racked up a formidable 38 professional wins in his first three seasons. He does not have the motivation of the Tour to assist him however Kooij will head again to the Giro in May.
The Dutchman has typically gone and not using a prime lead-out devoted to his ambitions, as the boys in yellow and black are sometimes additionally chasing GC wins on the races he is at. However, with the signing of skilled Brit Dan McLay as his lead-out, Kooij has particular assist for the quick finishes.
Visma’s determination to signal McLay has arguably already been vindicated, with McLay serving to information Kooij to 2 stage victories on the Tour of Oman final week. Alongside a powerful prepare of younger riders, together with U23 world champion Niklas Behrens, Kooij eased to the win within the flat finales and will likely be assured he can construct on his one win from the UAE Tour final season when the racing begins on Monday.
Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
The final sprinter highlighted on our listing is Australia’s Sam Welsford, as essentially the most profitable sprinter of the season thus far.
Welsford dominated the quick finishes at his house Tour Down Under, additionally taking house the nationwide criterium title throughout a really profitable block of racing in the course of the Australian summer season.
However, whereas he was spectacular on the TDU, Welsford additionally gained three levels finally 12 months’s Tour Down Under earlier than heading to the UAE Tour and never getting near a victory. His greatest was third however he was properly away from the degrees of Merlier and Kooij who gained the flat finishes.
With the Paris Olympics in his thoughts, although, Welsford did produce other issues to deal with in 2024 that he is aware of he does not have heading additional into 2025. The street can get his full consideration and with no Grand Tour confirmed on his schedule, he’ll need to impress the choice workers at Red Bull to make sure he can exhibit his skills throughout one of many three-week Tours.