Analysis written by Diego Martín (@martinthecaleb) from Le Puncheur

Route analysis UAE Tour Women

STAGE 1 - Thursday, February 5 - Al Mirfa - Madinat Zayed: 111 km

• Schedule: 1:55 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. local time (10:55 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. CET).
• Broadcast: from 11:45 a.m. on Eurosport - MAX (Madrid UTC+1)

The UAE Tour Women 2026 starts with a stage in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This is not a new route; two years ago the second stage followed an almost identical course. On that occasion a few riders did not finish with the same time as the winner.

The last kilometre is completely straight and flat. Could anything prevent a volata? Without a doubt, the passage through the desert interior. From Al Mirfa, on the coast of the Persian Gulf, to Madinat Zayed, the wind (and the ambitions of some) could change the course of the race. In between there are wide, straight roads, with some roundabouts at the entrances and exits of built-up areas, which can also contribute to the bunch gradually disintegrating through whiplash effects and accelerations.

STAGE 2 - Friday, February 6 - Dubai Police Academy - Hamdan Bin Mohamed Smart University: 145 km

• Schedule: 12:55 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. local time (9:55 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. CET).

The second stage of the UAE Tour Women 2026 takes place in the Emirate of Dubai. The start at the Dubai Police Academy is already a regular feature of the race, both as a start and a finish. From start to finish the stage runs along wide roads. The finale does not look excessively complicated. Although there are two 90º bends at 1 km and 500 m from the line, the width of the avenue suggests it will not be an overly technical or tactical finish.

STAGE 3 - Saturday, February 7 - Abu Dhabi TeamLab Phenomena-Abu Dhabi Breakwater: 121 km

• Schedule: 1:40 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. local time (10:40 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. CET).

The third stage of the UAE Tour Women 2026 runs through the Emirate and city of Abu Dhabi. It is also a fairly familiar route, finishing at the breakwater. Despite being a very coastal day, it is not very likely that the wind will be the main protagonist. On paper, it is another opportunity for the fastest riders.

STAGE 4 - Sunday, February 8 - Al Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium - Jebel Hafeet: 156 km

• Schedule: 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. CET).

The final stage of the UAE Tour Women 2026 features the race’s most famous symbol. What would the UAE Tour Women be without Jebel Hafeet? The now iconic climb that forms the border between the United Arab Emirates and Oman is the main attraction and incentive of this race.

The ascent of Jebel Hafeet, 10.8 kilometres at 6.6% average gradient, is expected to be, once again, the judge of the race. The last two kilometres are noticeably easier than the rest of the climb. Therefore, the climber or GC rider who doesn’t want to leave everything to her final rush should try to attack earlier. The last kilometre has a downhill section before the final kicker up to the finish line. At 7.5 and 3.5 km from the finish we may find the most heavily underlined points in the road books of the brave.

THE WEATHER

Warm temperatures are expected, higher than those on the European continent. Temperatures between 24 and 27 degrees are forecast during the four days of the UAE Tour Women. It is extremely unlikely that it will rain during any of the stages. We already know that wind tends to play a crucial role in some stages. However, the wind forecast for the second and third stages is low (10 km/h and gusts of less than 20 km/h), while in the first and last stages the wind will blow with somewhat more intensity (5 km/h more). It may not be enough to be decisive. Even so, we should not trust it blindly; it is worth checking the forecasts at the last minute. The direction of the wind on the approach to Jebel Hafeet and on the climb itself may shape the course of the race.

FAVORITES FOR THE UAE TOUR WOMEN 2026 GC

Preamble

The UAE Tour Women 2026 offers terrain for three types of riders. Obviously, the sprinters are the main protagonists in terms of days with opportunities. With the final day finishing atop Jebel Hafeet, the climbers and GC riders come to the fore. But we must not forget some rouleurs and time-trial specialists with a view to possible echelons; they can be the turning point of this race.

Speed: Queen Wiebes opens her 2026 season

Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) is, without any doubt, the reference when it comes to speed. The UAE Tour Women has become Wiebes’ usual road (UCI) debut. Wiebes has won 50% of the stages of the race, a fact that could increase the pressure on her. She has three stages ahead of her in which she will be the outright favourite. Jebel Hafeet still seems like a pipe dream, despite the fact that Wiebes has shown notable improvement when climbing. Nor does it seem that her objective (or that of her team) is a transformation of the kind they have attempted with Lotte Kopecky.

Favorites

New Zealander Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-SUEZ) comes into the race after filling her bag in Australia: three wins out of five possible and proving untouchable. As she did last year at the Cadel Evans GOC, she has once again shown that she is another top sprinter evolving into more than just pure volatas. The aim seems to be improving on hills and climbs that are not excessively long. But it’s still a long way to San Remo and the climbs of the Cipressa and the Poggio. Now is the time for her to confirm her good Australian form against some stronger layers of the peloton. Not everyone is here. Remember that the European Track Championships are taking place in Konya, but there are more top-level riders here than there were in Australia.

Chiara Consonni (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) is undoubtedly one of those few sprinters who, on a given day, can beat Wiebes without it being a surprise. The change of colours last year cost her. She did it alone: none of her lead-out or positioning riders moved with her to Canyon. Nor did her best friend Persico. Although her personality may not make that seem like a problem, chemistry develops over time and all the more so in volatas. This season is key to seeing how far Consonni can go. She has skipped the European Track Championships for two weighty reasons: being a torchbearer for Milano-Cortina and taking on the challenge of aiming for the sprint crown held by Lorena Wiebes. Both reasons are exciting and also somewhat overwhelming.

When Wiebes left DSM at the end of 2022, Dutch rider Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech) emerged as a top-level sprinter. Although in 2024 she did not reap as many rewards as in 2023, she still beat her former leader at the Tour de France Femmes, taking two wins. However, her 2025 season was disappointing. In August she changed teams and although her first few months were not fruitful, there are expectations that the turn of the year has brought renewed impetus for the Dutch sprinter.

Other contenders and surprises

The overlap between the UAE Tour Women and the Europeans in Konya has meant that many riders have had to choose one event or the other. One of the sprinters who has been deprived of taking part in the latter is Irish rider Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ). Without a doubt, she can be one of the top lieutenants in contention in the Emirates. A similar case is that of Italian Martina Fidanza (Visma-Lease a Bike), who has not gone to defend her continental titles and is another of the contenders for stage wins at the UAE Tour Women. In Australia she was not as present in the finishes as we expected, but even so she took the alternative classification at the Surf Coast Classic. Nor was Australian Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco). A crash took her out of the Tour Down Under and although she was able to compete in the last two days of the Australian trip, her condition can be expected to improve further in the Emirates.

Cuban rider Arlenis Sierra (Movistar) is back after motherhood. In Mallorca she left a good impression. In the Trofeo Llucmajor she was able to help her teammate Ferguson in the sprint. It is likely that her peak power is not yet at the level of the top sprinters in contention, but her return is encouraging. Likewise, Canadian Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health) was back in Australia after iliac artery surgery and sprang a surprise in the Down Under one-day race.

Swiss rider Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility) is still a no-hoper. Although she has already shown that she is a powerful sprinter, we have not yet seen her come out on top in a pure sprint against the front-rank sprinters. Why not break the bank in the Emirates and show that the Nordics were right about her?

Although not everyone is here and there are some doubts about the start list – 2016-cycling-season déjà vu – there are some other riders we may well see fighting for top positions in the finishes. We are talking about riders such as Italians Eleonora Gasparini (FDJ United-SUEZ), Martina Alzini (Cofidis) and Martina Fidanza (Visma | Lease a Bike), Irish rider Mia Griffin (Picnic PostNL) or Dane Emma Norsgaard Bjerg (Lild-Trek).

Climbers and favorites for overall victory

Top favorites

Some of the top guns in the international peloton are already in the Emirates. Double UAE Tour Women winner Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) is without a doubt one of the big favorites. Although the Italian is a double winner on Jebel Hafeet, it will not be easy: this year’s start list is the best so far, at least for the GC.

Swiss rider Marlen Reusser (Movistar) is another of the top favorites for the win. Reusser showed last year that she is one of the greats when it comes to general classifications and stage races. Although she was hampered in the Giro and abandoned the Tour early, Reusser showed good form at the end of the season. In Felanitx she left a good impression despite dropping back before Squiban. She is one of the main favorites for the overall victory.

Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) is one of those riders who needs no introduction. Although her comeback season was not as successful as she would have liked, she left us with the feeling that the best is yet to come and that class is permanent. Along with Longo Borghini and Reusser, she is a major favorite for the overall win.

Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM-zondacryto) is the other big favorite for the overall victory. Although last year she had a somewhat slow start, there is a noticeable difference between this winter and the last. Niewiadoma has not had to deal with the media and promotional burden of being the maillot jaune. That’s why we expect to see the Pole fighting head-to-head for the win.

Other favorites and contenders

French rider Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-Suez) is another of the main contenders at the UAE Tour Women. Although her last season was good, she did not fully exploit the opportunities when she was not riding in support of Vollering. Perhaps the change to her married surname (Labous) will bring that little extra she needs to become a regular leader or winner of stage races.

Mauritian rider Kim Le Court De Billot - Pienaar (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) was one of last year’s revelations. She had already left a strong impression and performances in 2024, but in 2025 she showed herself to be a true all-rounder. She is a top-level puncheur, but also climbs at a sensational level. At the Tour de France Femmes she perhaps spent too much energy defending a yellow jersey and her teammate Gigante, but she is undoubtedly a rider to be reckoned with on Jebel Hafeet. She is also the fastest of the overall favorites.

Continuing with the sensations of 2025, we should also highlight Italian Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco). The Italian made a step up in quality both in hilly classics and in long climbs and stage races. Last year she was one of the best on Jebel Hafeet; why not confirm or improve on that?

Taking into account their good climbing abilities, there are three riders who we could practically consider to be in a similar status or moment. They have shown what they are capable of at the highest level, but they raise certain doubts. We are talking about French rider Marion Bunel (Visma | Lease a Bike), Australian Neve Bradbury (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) and Italian Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek). All three have been in Australia but have not yet appeared to have their previous turn of speed. But it may simply be that there were no sufficiently long climbs to showcase their qualities. The last two face a make-or-break season after an unproductive 2025.

And as we usually say, there is always room for surprises, especially at the dawn of the cycling season. Swiss rider Petra Stiasny (Human Powered Health) and Dutch rider Nina Buijsman (Human Powered Health) left good impressions in Australia and are two notable climbers to watch in this race.