The inaugural UAE Tour is set for a stellar line-up as Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) are amongst the big names due to ride.

Team Sky’s Chris Froome had been due to headline the race, but announced he would not be lining up four days before the start.

The Brit spent a number of weeks training and racing at altitude in Colombia and said he underestimated the effects of that load.

Michał Kwiatkowski and Gianni Moscon will share leadership responsibilities.

Organisers have confirmed the list of WorldTour teams scheduled to line-up when the race kicks off on February 24 as well as the two Professional Continental outfits taking part.

The UAE Tour, the only WorldTour race in the Middle East, is a merger between the Abu Dhabi and Dubai tours into a seven-day stage race.

A strong early season field is due to start the race, including sprinters Elia Viviani (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) and Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin).

Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) was also a late addition to the racing.

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World time trial champion Rohan Dennis (Bahrain-Merida) is also set to appear, as well as road world champ Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)

Other big name riders expected include Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo), Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates), young star Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck – Quick-Step), Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal),  Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Sky), Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb), Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) and the Norweigian Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates).

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The new seven-day race, which runs from February 24 to March 2, will consist of a team time trial on the opening day, three sprint stages, one for puncheurs and two days for the climbers.

All seven United Emirates will feature in the race – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain.

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The total distance will be 1,090km with most of the 4,500metres elevation gain accumulated in stages three, four and six.

Stage one opens on Sunday, February 24 with a 16km team time trial in Abu Dhabi, followed by another Abu Dhabi stage the following day.

Then stage three features the first UAE Tour climb – 1,025metres to Jebel Hafeet with a maximum gradient of 11 per cent.

Stage four includes features from the queen stage of the former Dubai Tour, including a finish atop the punchy Hatta Dam climb.

A long flat stage in Sharjah follows on stage five, before the first mountain day on stage six – a 20km uphill finish at Jebel Jais with a five per cent average.

This final day is a parade through Dubai with an expected bunch sprint.

UAE Tour 2019 start list

Movistar (Esp)

1. VALVERDE Alejandro (Esp)
2. AMADOR Andrey (Crc)
3. BENNATI Daniele (Ita)
4. MAS Lluís (Esp)
5. FERNÁNDEZ Rubén (Esp)
6. SÜTTERLIN Jasha (Ger)
7. OLIVEIRA Nelson (Por)

AG2R La Mondiale (Fra) – confirmed

11. LATOUR Pierre (Fra)
12. BOUCHARD Geoffrey (Fra)
13. COSNEFROY Benoît (Fra)
14. DUMOULIN Samuel (Fra)
15. GALLOPIN Tony (Fra)
16. JAUREGUI Quentin (Fra)
17. WARBASSE Larry (USA)

Astana Pro Team (Kaz)

21. IZAGIRRE Gorka (Esp)
22. BOARO Manuele (Ita)
23. FOMINYKH Daniil (Kaz)
24. FRAILE Omar (Esp)
25. GRUZDEV Dmitriy (Kaz)
26. HIRT Jan (Cze)
27. VILLELLA Davide (Ita)

Bahrain Merida (BRN)

31. NIBALI Vincenzo (Ita)
32. BAUHAUS Phil (Ger)
33. CARUSO Damiano (Ita)
34. DENNIS Rohan (Aus)
35. HAUSSLER Heinrich (Aus)
36. SIEBERG Marcel (Ger)
37. TRATNIK Jan (Slo)

Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger) – confirmed

41. FORMOLO Davide (Ita)
42. BAŠKA Erik (Svk)
43. BENNETT Sam (Irl)
44. BUCHMANN Emanuel (Ger)
45. KENNAUGH Peter (GBr)
46. PFINGSTEN Christoph (Ger)
47. SCHACHMANN Maximilian (Ger)

CCC Team (Pol) – confirmed

51. PAUWELS Serge (Bel)
52. BEVIN Patrick (NZL)
53. DE LA PARTE Víctor (Esp)
54. DE MARCHI Alessandro (Ita)
55. MARECZKO Jakub (Ita)
56. OWSIAN Łukasz (Pol)
57. ROSSKOPF Joey (USA)

Deceuninck – Quick-Step (Bel)

61. VIVIANI Elia (Ita)
62. DEVENYNS Dries (Bel)
63. EVENEPOEL Remco (Bel)
64. HONORÉ Mikkel Frølich (Den)
65. KNOX James (GBr)
66. MØRKØV Michael (Den)
67. SABATINI Fabio (Ita)

EF Education First (USA)

71. VAN GARDEREN Tejay (USA)
72. BENNETT Sean (USA)
73. CLARKE Simon (Aus)
74. MCLAY Daniel (GBr)
75. MODOLO Sacha (Ita)
76. VAN DEN BERG Julius (Ned)

Gazprom-RusVelo (Rus)

81. PORSEV Alexander (Rus)
82. ARSLANOV Ildar (Rus)
83. BOEV Igor (Rus)
84. KURIANOV Stepan (Rus)
85. NYCH Artem (Rus)
86. SHILOV Sergey (Rus)
87. VOROBYEV Anton (Rus)

Groupama – FDJ (Fra)

91. ROUX Anthony (Fra)
92. ARMIRAIL Bruno (Fra)
93. DELAGE Mickaël (Fra)
94. GAUDU David (Fra)
95. REICHENBACH Sébastien (Sui)
96. SARREAU Marc (Fra)
97. SCOTSON Miles (Aus)

Lotto Soudal (Bel)

101. EWAN Caleb (Aus)
102. BLYTHE Adam (GBr)
103. HANSEN Adam (Aus)
104. KLUGE Roger (Ger)
105. LAMBRECHT Bjorg (Bel)
106. MONFORT Maxime (Bel)

Mitchelton-Scott (Aus)

111. ALBASINI Michael (Sui)
112. BAUER Jack (Aus)
113. BEWLEY Sam (Aus)
115. GRMAY Tsgabu (Eth)
116. MEZGEC Luka (Slo)
117. SCOTSON Callum (Aus)

Dimension Data (RSA)

121. CAVENDISH Mark (GBr)
122. EISEL Bernhard (Aut)
123. GHEBREIGZABHIER Amanuel (Eri)
124. JANSE VAN RENSBURG Reinardt (RSA)
125. KREUZIGER Roman (Cze)
126. MEINTJES Louis (RSA)
127. THOMSON Jay Robert (RSA)

14. Jumbo-Visma (Ned) – confirmed

131. ROGLIČ Primož (Slo)
132. BOUWMAN Koen (Ned)
133. DE PLUS Laurens (Bel)
134. LEEZER Tom (Ned)
135. MARTENS Paul (Ger)
136. MARTIN Tony (Ger)
137. VAN EMDEN Jos (Ned)

Katusha – Alpecin (Sui)

141. KITTEL Marcel (Ger)
142. DOWSETT Alex (GBr)
143. HALLER Marco (Aut)
144. KOCHETKOV Pavel (Rus)
145. NAVARRO Daniel (Esp)
146. ZABEL Rick (Ger)
147. ZAKARIN Ilnur (Rus)

Team Novo Nordisk (USA) – confirmed

151. IRVINE Declan (Aus)
152. BENHAMOUDA Mehdi (Fra)
153. BRAND Sam (Gbr)
154. CALABRIA Fabio (Aus)
155. KUSZTOR Péter (Hun)
156. PERON Andrea (Ita)
157. PLANET Charles (Fra)

Team Sky (GBr) – confirmed

161. ELISSONDE Kenny (Fra)
162. GOŁAŚ Michał (Pol)
163. HALVORSEN Kristoffer (Nor)
164. KWIATKOWSKI Michał (Pol)
165. MOSCON Gianni (Ita)
166. PUCCIO Salvatore (Ia)
167. SIVAKOV Pavel (Rus)

Sunweb (Ger) – confirmed

171. DUMOULIN Tom (Ned)
172. ARNDT Nikias (Ger)
173. BOL Cees (Ned)
174. HAGA Chad (USA)
175. KELDERMAN Wilco (Ned)
176. POWER Robert (Aus)
177. WALSCHEID Max (Ger)

Trek – Segafredo (USA)

181. PORTE Richie (Aus)
182. CLARKE Will (Aus)
183. EG Niklas (Den)
184. IRIZAR Markel (Esp)
185. MOLLEMA Bauke (Ned)
186. MOSCHETTI Matteo (Ita)
187. REIJNEN Kiel (USA)

UAE Team Emirates (UAE)

191. KRISTOFF Alexander (Nor)
192. GAVIRIA Fernando (Col)
193. COSTA Rui (Por)
194. LAENGEN Vegard Stake (Nor)
195. MARTIN Dan (Irl)
196. TROIA Oliviero (Ita)
197. ULISSI Diego (Ita)