CyclistUAE Tour Men 2026 preview: Route, favourites, how to watch and start listThe stage races are coming thick and fast with the mens UAE Tour next, which runs from 16th to 22nd February and packs in a time-trial and two big summit finishes.Last years edition was won by Tadej Pogaar for UAE Team Emirates XRG ahead of Lidl-Treks Giulio Ciccone and Bahrain Victoriouss Pello Bilbao. Pogaar is not here this year, instead focussing on the Classics, but its set to be a tasty showdown between his teammates Isaac del Toro and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohes Remco Evenepoel. The regular climb up Jebel Jais has been sidelined this year for a brutal new summit finish on Jebel Mobrah, which is almost 15km in length with an average gradient of8.6% but a brutal maximum of 17%.Its not all GC action though. As usual there are plenty of pan-flat stages for sprinters. Last year, Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan won two stages apiece. Milan will be looking to sweep up during this edition given Merlier is out of action with a knee injury, so he only has to deal with the likes of Sam Welsford for Ineos Grenadiers, SebastinMolano for UAE Team Emirates XRG, Merliers new understudy at Soudal-QuickStep, Alberto Dainese, and XDS-Astanas Matteo Malucelli, who beat Milan in one of the AlUla Tour sprints a couple of weeks ago.Theres also a 12km individual time-trial on Stage 2, which will cause some GC splits but also gives the likes of Josh Tarling, Ethan Hayter, Stefan Bissegger and Daan Hoole a first run-out against the clock of 2026.UAE Tour 2026 key informationDario Belingheri/Getty ImagesDate:Monday 16th-Sunday 22nd February 2026Start: Madinat Zayed MajlisFinish:Abu Dhabi BreakwaterStages:7Distance:1,004.2km2025 winner:Tadej Pogaar (UAE Team Emirates XRG)Live television coverage:Discovery+, TNT Sports 1, SBS, FloBikesUAE Tour 2026 route and stage-by-stage previewDario Belingheri/Getty ImagesAs has become typical for the UAE Tour, one of the newest stage races on the WorldTour calendar, the race will be mostly flat, with two mountain-top finishes. While Jebel Hafeet on Stage 6 is familiar territory, Jebel Mobrah on Stage 3 is new ground, and a much bigger opportunity to split the field. There could also be a GC shake-up on Stage 2s 12km time-trial or even on the flat stages with a potential for crosswinds in the desert. Related Posts Clsica Jan Paraso Interior 2026 preview: Route, favourites, how to watch and start list The Broom Wagon: Does this sound familiar? Pro Log: Cycling streaming moves to HBO Max in UK and Ireland; Wiggins is an AI coach now; Remco is red hot Pro cycling winners and losers in January 2026 Assessing the men's sprinting hierarchy in 2026 Stage 1, Monday 16th February: Madinat Zayed Majlis Liwa Palace, 144kmThe opening stage kicks off with a ride south towards two laps of a 18km circuit before the peloton turns back on themselves to finish at Liwa. Its a first opportunity to shine for the sprinters, though the final kilometre is slightly uphill, around 5%, which wont help Jonathan Milan.Stage 2, Tuesday 17th February: Al Hudayriyat Island Al Hudayriyat Island, 12.2km (ITT)Stage 2 takes place entirely on Al Hudayriyat Island for an individual time-trial over 12km. Its a copy and paste of last years Stage 2, which saw Josh Tarling beat Decathlons Stefan Bissegger and the UAE duo of Pogaar and Jay Vine. Its set to be a good competition here, and because its only short its anyones game.Stage 3, Wednesday 18th February: Umm Al Quwain Jebel Mobrah, 183kmGC contenders will be eyeing the latter half of this stage as the race heads to Jebel Mobrah. The climb is split in two, hitting an average of 7% in the first 6.5km before spending the next 2km heading downhill. From there, the main test begins as riders are immediately confronted with a 17% gradient, which then peters out for an average of 12% in the last 5km.Stage 4, Thursday 19th February: Fujairah Fujairah, 182kmStage 4 begins on the coast in Fujairah, heading inland for a loop around Masfut. Then its back to where they started for what should be another sprint opportunity.Stage 5, Friday 20th February: Dubai Al Mamzar Park Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, 166kmA typical sprint stage in Dubai. Will someone upset the applecart or is it a win for Milan?Stage 6, Saturday 21st February: Al Ain Museum Jebel Hafeet, 168kmThe last day takes the peloton up the 10km Jebel Hafeet, which has an average of 6.9% a welcome sight after Stage 3. It should be high octane with riders fresh from a completely flat ride to the foot of the climb.Stage 7, Sunday 22nd February: Zayed National Museum Abu Dhabi Breakwater, 149kmThe 2026 UAE Tour culminates with one final sprint stage towards Abu Dhabi Breakwater. Its been a constant finishing point in the past five editions, with Tim Merlier (2025, 2024, 2023), Mark Cavendish (2022) and Caleb Ewan (2021) all coming out victorious.UAE Tour 2026 favouritesMaximilian Fries / Red Bull Content PoolThe absence of Tadej Pogaar sets the scene for a mouthwatering clash between Remco Evenepoel and the UAE duo of Isaac del Toro and Adam Yates. Evenepoel has been on fire early this season, victorious in his first three one-day races in Spain and his first stage race at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana, where he won the time-trial and the queen stage.Del Toro has not raced yet in 2026 but comes off a breakthrough season that saw the him come close to a spectacular Giro dItalia victory. He swept up 14 wins in addition to GC triumphs at the Vuelta a Burgos and Tour of Austria as well as national titles in both the road race and time-trial. The pair havent raced against each other much. Since Del Toros breakthrough last year theyve only ridden three of the same races, at the World Championships and Il Lombardia, and the Belgian finished better at all three, but its tough to compare those to whats on offer here.Yates is arriving off the back of a disappointing podium finish at the Tour of Oman. Hes won the GC here before in 2020 and claimed the Jebel Hafeet stage in 2023.Theres still a handful of other strong riders all vying for a podium. Decathlon CMA CGM bring Felix Gall, who had a strong Vuelta a Espaa for a eighth place finish last year, as Ilan van Wilder (Soudal-QuickStep), Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) will all hope to feature.CyclistsGC ratings: Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG): Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates XRG): Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA CGM): Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling), , Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-QuickStep): Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Pablo Castrillo (Movistar)How to watch the UAE Tour 2026UAE Tour/SprintCyclingAgencyThe UAE Tour 2026 will be available to watch in the UK onDiscovery+and on the TV channel with TNT Sports 1. In the USA and Canada, action is covered on FloBikes, while in Australia its on SBS.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. Stage 1, Monday 16th FebruaryDiscovery+:10:45 12:45TNT Sports 1:10:45 12:45Stage 2: Tuesday 17th FebruaryDiscovery+:09:45 11:45TNT Sports 1:09:45 11:45Stage 3, Wednesday 18th FebruaryDiscovery+:11:25 13:00TNT Sports 1:11:30 13:00Stage 4, Thursday 19th FebruaryDiscovery+:11:25 13:00TNT Sports 1:11:30 13:00Stage 5, Friday 20th FebruaryDiscovery+:11:25 13:00TNT Sports 1:11:30 13:00Stage 6, Saturday 21st FebruaryDiscovery+:11:15 13:00TNT Sports 1:11:15 13:00Stage 7, Sunday 22nd FebruaryDiscovery+:10:45 12:45TNT Sports 1:10:45 12:45UAE Tour 2026 start listData powered by FirstCycling.comUAE Tour 2025 Jebel Hafeet stage highlightsThe post UAE Tour Men 2026 preview: Route, favourites, how to watch and start list appeared first on Cyclist.