UAE TOUR 2026: ONE DAY TO GO - TOP RIDERS' QUOTES AND START LIST ANNOUNCED

 total of 145 riders will line up tomorrow for the opening stage of the eighth edition of the UAE Tour, organized by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council & presented by AD Ports Group, the one and only UCI World Tour race in the Middle East will once again feature a star-studded field.

Among the big names targeting the Red Jersey are Remco Evenepoel, winner of the 2023 edition and already boasting six victories this season, and Isaac Del Toro, making his seasonal debut after a 2025 campaign highlighted by 18 wins. Also set to start is another former winner of the race, Lennert Van Eetvelt (2024). Other riders aiming to break into the fight for the top positions in the final general classification include Felix Gall, Derek Gee, Adam Yates, Ben O’Connor, Antonio Tiberi, Michael Storer, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Ben Tulett, Pablo Castrillo and David Gaudu.

Remco Evenepoel will also be the rider to beat in the individual time trial on Al Hudayriyat Island, with Joshua Tarling, Dan Hoole and Luke Plapp as his main challengers. In the stages tailored for the sprinters, all eyes will be on Jonathan Milan, Green Jersey winner in 2025, where he claimed two stage victories. The sprint field also includes Sam Welsford, Fabio Jakobsen, Casper Van Uden, Ethan Vernon, Juan Sebastián Molano, Matteo Malucelli, Alberto Dainese, Erlend Blikra, and young riders Daniel Skerl and Steffen De Schuyteneer.

Remco Evenepoel: "One of my goals this year is to win more one-week WorldTour races and the UAE Tour is an opportunity to do so with a time trial and hilly stages. Usually the strongest guy here wins and that’s what we’re here for. It’s pretty special for me to be back here. As my second family is Arabic as well, the UAE Tour is a race I’d like to do every year when it fits into my program. The season has started very well for me and I’ll try to make the most beautiful race as possible for the fans here too".

Isaac Del Toro: "I feel the pressure a little bit pressure, but it’s because the UAE Tour is my first race this year. I know it’s also the home race for my team. I did some tests in Mexico before coming and it was quite ok. It’s something big to have the confidence of the team for this race. I’m privileged to be in this position. Remco [Evenepoel] is the favourite for the palmares he has. I also hope to be one of the best riders this week".

Jonathan Milan: "I’m really happy with the start of the season I’ve had in Saudi Arabia. I feel ready for this week, I’m really confident. After the experience I had here last year, I was looking forward to coming back. Hopefully there will be some cross winds to have fun on the bike".

Lennert Van Eetvelt: "It’s a great memory to have won the UAE Tour before and it’s always nice to be here again. The organisers have made the course harder this year, there can be echelons as well. It’s gonna be a hard race but I’m looking forward to it".

Joshua Tarling: "It looks windy again for the time trial on stage 2, like last year. I’ve had a cold winter with some rain in UK and snow in Andorra, so I’m happy to be here. Coping with the sun and the heat here should be fine. I’m motivated to do well again".

The leader jerseys of the UAE Tour are provided by ALÉ

Red Jersey, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by AD Ports Group

Green Jersey, leader of the Points Classification, sponsored by Mubadala

White Jersey, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Burjeel Holdings

Black Jersey, leader of the Intermediate Sprint Classification, sponsored by ALDAR

TV COVERAGE

The UAE Tour will benefit from extensive international television and digital coverage, ensuring global visibility for the event.

Host broadcasters Abu Dhabi Sports and Dubai Sports will produce a full coverage live international feed for every stage and also provide local cycling fans in the UAE and in the whole MENA region with full live coverage of the event.

In Europe, the United States and Canada, the race will be broadcast live and exclusively on HBO Max, Eurosport, and on Discovery+ via Warner Bros. In Canada, coverage will also be available on FloSports.

In Italy, RAI will broadcast the event live across its channels. In Belgium, VTM will provide live coverage of selected stages.

In South America, coverage will be provided by DirecTV on DSports, with live satellite broadcasting, and by ESPN, while in Russia the event will be shown exclusively on Okko.

In Asia-Pacific, the UAE Tour will reach audiences through a mix of free-to-air and pay platforms: Japan will be covered by J Sports via satellite television, Australia by SBS on free-to-air terrestrial TV, and China by Zhibo TV, offering free streaming with live coverage.

This broad and diversified media distribution confirms the growing international appeal of the UAE Tour and guarantees strong exposure across key cycling markets worldwide.

The Velon rider data tracking system is being used again in the UAE Tour. Riders are carrying a small unit under their saddles which send real-time speed, power and cadence data to the live broadcast coverage. Highlights from the data are published on Velon and the race’s social media channels. Velon is also producing onbike camera highlights throughout the race. The footage will be published on the same social media channels and Velon’s YouTube channel.

In addition, Velon’s unique rider tracking system for safety is also being used following on from its introduction last year at the Tour de Suisse and Il Lombardia. Velon’s devices send location data and riders are monitored in a custom-built dashboard which issues alerts if a rider’s speed decreases very suddenly or if they stray from the race route.

To find out more about the UAE Tour, including details of the official race route, jerseys and sponsors, visit www.theuaetour.com.