Five things we learned from the 2019 UAE Tour
This was a comprehensive overall victory for Primož Roglič, who looks poised for an even better year than 2018, in which he won two WorldTour stage races and finished fourth at the Tour de France.
UAE Tour
The peloton at the Abu Dhabi Tour
Where: UAE Tour, United Arab Emirates
When: February 25 to March 2
Rank: UCI WorldTour
UAE Tour, 2019 race
The inaugural UAE Tour is the result of a merger between the Abu Dhabi Tour and the Dubai Tour, and it will continue to be a UCI WorldTour race into 2019.
The seven day race will kick off on Sunday February 24, finishing in Dubai on Saturday March 2.
The Dubai Tour has always been an event populated predominantly by sprinters, and was won by Elia Viviani in 2018.
Comparatively, the Abu Dhabi Tour was more one for the climbers, thanks to the pivotal climb of the 10.8 kilometre Jebel Hafeet. In 2018, it was Alejandro Valverde who scooped up the win.
UAE Tour on live TV in 2019
The UAE Tour 2019 will be broadcast on Eurosport between February 24 to March 2.
You’ll find the TV guide here.
UAE Tour route for 2019
The 2019 route will be announced in January, but the race is expected to start in Abu Dhabi, and conclude with a summit finish on Jebel Harfeet.
| Stage one, Sun February 24, 2019 | Al Hudayriat Island | 16km TTT |
| Stage two, Mon February 25, 2019 | Yas Mall – Abu Dhabi | 184km, flat |
| Stage three, Tues February 26, 2019 | Al Ain – Jebel Hafeet | 179km, mountain |
| Stage four, Weds February 27, 2019 | Dubai – Hatta Dam | 204km, hills |
| Stage five, Thurs February 28, 2019 | Sharjah – Khor Fakkan | 181km, flat |
| Stage six, Fri March 1, 2019 | Ajman – Jebel Jais | 180km, mountain |
| Stage seven, Sat Marhc 2, 2019 | Dubai-Dubai | 145km, flat |
Abu Dhabi Tour recent winners
2015 Esteban Chaves, Orica–GreenEDGE
2016 Tanel Kangert, Astana
2017 Rui Costa, UAE Team Emirates
2018 Alejandro Valverde, Movistar Team
Rui Costa wins stage three of the Abu Dhabi Tour (Credit: Yuzuru Sunada)
Dubai Tour recent winners
2014 Taylor Phinney, BMC Racing Team
2015 Mark Cavendish, Etixx–Quick-Step
2016 Marcel Kittel, Etixx–Quick-Step
2017 Marcel Kittel, Quick-Step Floors
2018 Elia Viviani, Quick-Step Floors
Key info: Start list
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Sam Bennett on his first WorldTour win of 2019: ‘It’s a contract year, so it can’t hurt’
Sam Bennett said his maiden WorldTour victory of 2019 ‘can’t do any harm’ as he keeps one eye on a new contract.
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Sam Bennett takes first major win of the season on stage seven of UAE Tour
Sam Bennett has taken his first big win of 2018 on stage seven of the inaugural UAE Tour.
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Primož Roglič on Jebel Jais summit victory: ‘I’m not a sprinter but I had a lot of power left’
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Primož Roglič wins UAE Tour 2019 stage six summit finish to set up overall victory
Tom Dumoulin finished second on the final mountain stage of the UAE Tour after Primož Roglič pipped him to the line
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Caleb Ewan says it was an 'all or nothing' sprint to win Hatta Dam stage of UAE Tour
Caleb Ewan said it was an 'all or nothing' sprint as he took his first WorldTour stage victory of 2019 at the UAE Tour.
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Caleb Ewan powers to victory up Hatta Dam on UAE Tour 2019 stage four
Australian takes his first victory for Lotto-Soudal as Primož Roglič retained the overall lead
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Peter Kennaugh says rules ‘out of control’ as riders fined by UCI for late sign on
Peter Kennaugh has criticised ‘out of control’ rules after riders were fined for signing on late before stage three of the UAE Tour.
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Dan Martin remaining upbeat despite falling short on first UAE Tour summit finish
The Irishman says he couldn't have given more to match the likes of Alejandro Valverde or Primož Roglič on the race's first summit finish
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James Knox finishes top-10 among ‘different calibre of riders’ on first UAE Tour mountain stage
James Knox battled with some of the best climbers in the world to finish top-10 in the UAE Tour’s first mountain stage.
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Alejandro Valverde hails ‘incredible & tactical’ first win in rainbow jersey
Alejandro Valverde says it was an “incredible and tactical victory” to repeat his success at the summit of Jebel Hafeet, this time in the rainbow jersey.
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Alejandro Valverde times effort perfectly to win UAE Tour 2019 stage three summit finish
World champion takes his first win of the season as Primož Roglič finishes second to retain the overall lead
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Fernando Gaviria: ‘Kristoff among best sprinters in the world, today the best lead-out rider’
Fernando Gaviria was helped to victory in the UAE by “one of the best sprinters in the world," Alexander Kristoff.
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Fernando Gaviria beats Elia Viviani to UAE Tour 2019 stage two victory
Primož Roglič retained the overall lead after crosswind affected day
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Primož Roglič: ‘I don’t worry about my rivals and try to focus on myself’
Primož Roglič says he does not worry about the form of his rivals, but instead will focus on his own condition both at the UAE Tour and in his bigger goals.
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Marcel Kittel: 'I've learned that your career doesn't always go upwards'
Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) takes away a valuable lesson in 2018 - that a career trajectory doesn't always climb.
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Primož Roglič takes lead in UAE Tour as Jumbo-Visma win opening team time trial
Primož Roglič has taken the lead in the inaugural UAE Tour as his Jumbo-Visma team won the stage one team time trial.
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Tom Dumoulin: ‘UAE Tour not just a training race for Giro d’Italia’
Tom Dumoulin says he is not just riding in the Middle East as training for his return to the Giro d’Italia in spring, but has ambitions to add to his palmarès.
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Mark Cavendish: 'I'll see what I can do in the sprints at UAE Tour, but we're here for the GC'
Mark Cavendish will sprint in the UAE Tour this week, but underlines that he is riding in the Emirates to work for Dimension Data's overall ambitions.
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Five things to look out for at the 2019 UAE Tour
Things to keep eye on at the inaugural UAE Tour
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Fernando Gaviria 'relaxed and enjoying every race' after move to UAE Team Emirates
Fernando Gaviria says he is “relaxed and enjoying every race” with his new UAE Team Emirates squad after a sudden move at the end of 2018.
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UAE Tour start list: Mark Cavendish, Vincenzo Nibali and Tom Dumoulin due to ride
The inaugural UAE Tour is set for a stellar line-up, as Chris Froome, Vincenzo Nibali and Tom Dumoulin are due to ride.
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UAE Tour 2019 live TV guide
The first UAE Tour kicks off on Sunday (February 24) with the race to be broadcast live in the UK.
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Chris Froome, Tom Dumoulin and Vincenzo Nibali to race inaugural UAE Tour
The inaugural UAE Tour is set to draw a phenomenal field early next year, including Chris Froome, Tom Dumoulin, Vincenzo Nibali and Rohan Dennis.
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Abu Dhabi and Dubai Tours to merge in 2019
Middle East races will combine to form a seven-stage UAE Tour in 2019 according to local press report
