With the Covid pandemic putting fewer restrictions on travel, the women’s peloton will be returning to the UAE for the first time since 2020’s Dubai Women’s Tour. That race saw Lucy van der Haar of Hitec Products take a memorable GC victory. Her battle with Tatsiana Sharakova was only settled on the final stage’s sprint and decided on placings as the times were equal. Samah Khaled finished 3rd but since then has been banned for doping. The race visited Hatta Dam, the climb made iconic by the men’s race over the years. The Women’s UAE Tour will be the first Women’s WorldTour race held in the Middle East.
20 teams will take part in the race, which promises to allow some teams to take key points in the relegation battle this season. The teams aren’t confirmed currently, however. The route is also not known so far either, rendering some of the press release a bit moot. We do know that there will be 4 stages between February 9th and 12th though. The race is positioned between the Australian part of the WWT season in January and the first European WWT race at Omloop het Nieuwsblad at the end of February.
“We are very pleased to add another world-class cycling event to the WorldTour calendar with the UAE Tour Women. It’s a great opportunity to showcase and showcase diverse areas and historic sites to the world. This is another important step in the development of women’s cycling in the United Arab Emirates.”
Aref Al Awani, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council
