CyclistAlUla Tour 2026 preview: Route, favourites and how to watchAfter Australias season-opening Tour Down Under, the early-season racing action moved to the Middle East with the 2.Pro AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia, which runs from 27th-31st January and is set to bring more early-season sprint opportunities after the fast-finishing Aussie opener.The AlUla Tour was first launched in 1999, but this year is only the tenth running of the race after several lengthy breaks over the two and a half decades since its first running, though it has been a (near) constant fixture on the calendar since 2020.While much of the race takes place on flat terrain, there are a few notable bumps in the road that should provide opportunities for late breakaway opportunists to shine. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling) claimed his first elite stage race general classification victory here last season by over a minute over a trio of Uno-X Mobility riders, with Fredrik Dversnes and Johannes Kulset completing the podium either side of Pidcock.Start lists are still being filled out, but unsurprisingly Jonathan Milan will try and open win account for the season here as the sprinter to beat for Lidl-Trek. We were expecting Milans chief opposition to come from Soudal-Quicksteps Tim Merlier, but the European Champion has picked up a knee injury. UAE Team Emirates XRG have confirmed Jan Christen will be riding, while Paul Double and Pascal Ackermann will be at the start for Jayco-AlUla. 19-year-old Giro Next Gen winner and WorldTour debutant Jakob Omrzel lines up for Bahrain Victorious, coming off an impressive 2025 season that saw him top the youth classifications at the Tour of Slovenia and CRO Race, with Fabio Jakobsen looking for a potential win for Picnic PostNL.AlUla Tour 2026: Key informationAlUla Tour/Pauline BalletDate: 27th-31st January 2026Start: AlUla Camel Cup TrackFinish: Harrat UwayridStages: FiveDistance: 800km2025 winner: Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling)Most wins: Ghader Mizbani (2)UK television coverage: Discovery+, TNT Sports 4, TNT Sports 1AlUla Tour 2026: The route and stage-by-stage previewThe race sticks to familiar locations of the AlUla Camel Cup Track, Al Manshiyah Train Station, Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah, AlUla Old Town and Harrat Uwayrid. Theres three sprint stages with the two hilly days ultimately deciding the general classification on Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah (4.9km, 5.8%) and the races finish at Harrat Uwayrid(2.9km, 12%).Stage 1, Tuesday 27th January: AlUla Camel Cup Track AlUla Camel Cup Track, 158kmThe AlUla Tour kicks off where the 2025 edition finished, with a sprint stage around the AlUla Camel Cup Track. Last year cultimated in a sprint finish where Pidcocks teammate Matteo Moschetti prevailed against Dylan Groenewegen, Sebastin Molano and Alexander Kristoff. Expect Milan to be at the fore of proceedings.Stage 2, Wednesday 28th January: AlManshiyah Train Station AlManshiyah Train Station, 152km2025s Stage 1 is 2026s Stage 2. What should be a second consecutive sprint finish comes after a 152km stage spent riding around AlManshiyah Train Station.Stage 3, Thursday 29th January: Winter Park Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah, 142.1kmThe GC battle should wake up after a flat 80km spent heading south towards the summit finish on Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah. The finish marks the first real climb of the race, coming in at just under 5km at an average gradient of 5.8%. Pidcock won here on his way to the overall in 2025, the day having been cut by almost 30km due to poor road conditions.Stage 4, Friday 30th January: Winter Park Shalal Sijlyat Rocks, 184kmFor the second straight stage the racing begins at Winter Park, but this time heads out east towards Aradah before turning west to Shalal Sijlyat Rocks in what should be another fast finish.Stage 5, Saturday 31st January: AlUla Old Tour Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid, 163.9kmThe AlUla Tour ends with a short but sharp climb towards Harrat Uwayrid (2.9km, 12%) followed by an ever-so-slightly-downhill 8km dash to the finish line. Much like Stage 3, this day is one for the GC guys.AlUla Tour 2026: The favouritesAlUla Tour/Pauline BalletThe start list is still far from confirmed, so its not possible yet to pick out the GC riders to beat, but keep an eye on UAE Team Emirates XRG. Theyre coming off a commanding performance at the mens Tour Down Under and will want to keep the ball rolling.CyclistsGC ratings: TBD: TBD: TBDAlUla Tour 2026: How to watchAlUla Tour/Pauline BalletThe UAE Tour 2026 will be available to watch in the UK onTNT Sports/Discovery+. On TV, the first four stages can be seen on TNT Sports 4 with Stage 5 on TNT Sports 1. Viewers elsewhere in Europe can catch the action on Eurosport, with SBS showing the race in Australia, FloBikes providing coverage in the USA, Sky NZ in New Zealand and J Sports in Japan. Its Supersport in Pan Sub Saharan Africa and Claro Sport in Pan South America.If its not being shown in your country, you may be able to watch coverage using a VPN Virtual Private Network which allows users to mask their IP address and watch geo-blocked content, provided they dont need to pay for a subscription. This is also helpful for watching paid-for coverage while travelling abroad in countries without access. One such example isExpressVPN, which iswell reviewed, helps users to find free to watch cycling, and costs start from around 5 per month.Stage 1, Tuesday 27th JanuaryDiscovery+: 11:30-13:30TNT Sports 4: 11:30-13:30Stage 2, Wednesday 28th JanuaryDiscovery+: 11:30-13:30TNT Sports 4: 11:30-13:30Stage 3, Thursday 29th JanuaryDiscovery+: 11:30-13:30TNT Sports 4: 11:30-13:30Stage 4, Friday 30th JanuaryDiscovery+: 11:30-13:30TNT Sports 4: 11:30-13:30Stage 5, Saturday 31st JanuaryDiscovery+: 11:45-13:45TNT Sports 1: 11:45-13:35AlUla Tour 2026: Start listData powered by FirstCycling.comThe post AlUla Tour 2026 preview: Route, favourites and how to watch appeared first on Cyclist.