The most important facts about the UAE Tour Women 2026 in brief
- Date: 5 to 8 February 2026
- Distance: ~533 kilometres
- Start: Al Mirfa, Target: Jebel Hafeet
- Profile: 4 stages: 3 flat stages, 1 flat stage with mountain finish
- UCI category: World Tour
- Premiere: 2023 (4th edition)
- Last year's winner: Elisa Longo Borghini
- Record winner: Elisa Longo Borghini (twice)
The route of the UAE Tour Women 2026 at a glance
The UAE Tour Women 2026 is characterised by a slightly shorter route and a similar course to last year. The main difference is the order of the stages. While Jebel Hafeet had to be conquered on stage 3 in 2025, the only difficult task now lies ahead on the final day. The climbing finale should be a worthy conclusion to the tour, where the overall classification will be decided.
Stage 1 | Thursday, 5 February | Al Mirfa - Madinat Zayed | 111 kilometres
The start takes place in Al Mirfa. The first stage has almost no metres in altitude: From the coast, the route leads inland to Madinat Zayed. The first intermediate sprint awaits around 50 kilometres before the finish, the second directly at the entrance to the city. The last few kilometres are flat and dead straight towards the finish - without any technical passages or tricky bends. Everything points to a bunch sprint being the decider here.
Stage 2 | Friday, 6 February | Dubai Police Academy - HBM Smart University | 145 kilometres
The second section starts and finishes in Dubai and also runs mostly flat through the city centre. Only directly after the start at the Police Academy and shortly before the finish at Smart University does the route run through the city centre. This time, the two intermediate sprints are located shortly after the start and in the middle of the stage. Although the profile is a little more undulating compared to stage 1, a bunch sprint is still to be expected here - only the wind could cause trouble on the wide roads inland.
Stage 3 | Saturday, 7 February | Abu Dhabi Teamlab Phenomena - Abu Dhabi Breakwater | 121 kilometres
As on stage 1, the riders do not have to overcome any significant difficulties on stage 3. The route leads along the water for long stretches and over several bridges. There is another intermediate sprint right at the start of the stage, followed by another shortly before the finish. This stage is therefore also made for the sprinters.
Stage 4 | Sunday, 8 February | Al Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium - Jebel Hafeet | 156 kilometres
The queen stage awaits the peloton at the end this year. The 4th stage is flat with two intermediate sprints up to the foot of Jebel Hafeet. The climb is a classic at the UAE Tour, both for the men and the women.
With 10.8 kilometres and an average gradient of 6.6 percent, this is where the race will be decided. The climb begins with a moderate gradient over the first 1.5 kilometres, but then picks up speed. The riders then face 7 kilometres at 8 per cent until it flattens out again towards the top. Shortly before the finish, it's downhill again until the last stitch and the finish line. If the overall classification has not yet been decided in the long part of the climb, it will happen in the last few metres before the finish.
UAE Tour Women 2026: TV broadcast & live stream
Parts of the women's races in Germany will be shown on TV on Eurosport 2 but on most days only as a summary. At Discovery Plus there will be a paid live stream of all stages.
The favourites for the UAE Tour Women 2026
As is so often the case, two questions take centre stage at the UAE Tour: Who will dominate the numerous sprint stages, which traditionally make up the majority of the race? And who will prevail on the final stage at Jebel Hafeet and secure overall victory?
Even if the prestige of winning the tour is rather limited and more important preparatory tours will follow in the spring, it is still worth taking a look at the race. As in the previous year, the UAE Tour Women features some of the absolute top female riders at the start. This is precisely why this early test of strength is particularly exciting for both the sprinters and the contenders for the overall classification.
The sprinters
There are no surprises for the sprint stages of the UAE Tour Women in the new season either: Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime) goes into the tour as the clear favourite for sprint stage victories. In 2025, the Dutchwoman won all three sprint finishes, and in 2024 she only missed out on victory once on three occasions, finishing second. However, there is always a small element of uncertainty in the first big showdown of the year. Chiara Consonni (Canyon//Sram zondacrypto) and Charlotte Kool (Fenix - Premier Tech) in particular have the potential to challenge Wiebes for the stage wins. Kool had already scored two stage wins at the UAE Tour Women in 2023, but was thwarted by a serious crash the previous year, had to abandon the Tour de France Femmes and only took part in a few races after that.
Emma Norsgaard Bjerg (Lidl - Trek) and Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco) could also spring a surprise. Megan Jastrap (UAE Team ADQ) also emphasised at last year's Simac Ladies Tour that she can compete for the top places in the sprint.
The overall victory at Jebel Hafeet
The ItalianElisa Longo Borghini(UAE Team ADQ) has been riding for the team from the Emirates since last season - and has already won theUAE Tour there for the second time. As the defending champion, Longo Borghini is once again the top favourite in2026. However, two other world-class riders have already confirmed their attendance: Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) is also at the start and could ensure a thrilling duel with Longo Borghini in the battle for overall victory. The Tour winner from 2024, Katarzyna Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto), is also likely to have her say. There has never been such a high-calibre starting field in the comparatively small tour before - which is probably also due to financial factors.
With Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx - Protime), the team is sending a proven overall class rider into the race alongside arguably the best sprinter in the field. Van der Breggen has won almost everything there is to win in her career - and could be just the rider to make life difficult for the three top favourites. AG Insurance - Soudal also has plenty of quality for the decisive stage: Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner Kimberley Le Court Pienaar and climbing specialist Justine Ghekiere are two strong options. Le Court Pienaar finished third in the UAE Tour Women 2025, but was more than two minutes behind Elisa Longo Borghini.
Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl - Trek), fifth in the Tour de France Femmes 2025, is also expected to be at the front and Juliette Berthet (FDJ United - Suez), the only rider nominated for her team so far, has the potential to surprise as a winner after a strong season: Despite a lot of helper duties, she collected notable results in major tours - as captain, she could show what she's made of here. Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco) or Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) could also provide additional moments of surprise - although Swinkels is likely to have clearly defined tasks, especially as a helper.
Leon Weidner
Working student
