Where: United Arab Emirates
When: 9-12 February 2023
Distance: 468km
Rank: UCI Women's WorldTour
UAE Tour Women 2023 race information
The women's WorldTour calendar will count a brand new race in 2023, the UAE Tour Women.
Organised by RCS Sports and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the four-stage race will take place from 9-12 February, passing through the Middle Eastern country's desert landscapes and tall urban skylines.
It will mark the first ever women's WorldTour race held in the Middle East.
"Seeing the Women’s UAE Tour coming to reality is something we are very proud of," said Fabrizio D’Amico, chief operating officer at RCS Sports and UAE Tour director.
"With the Abu Dhabi Sports Council we worked with the objective of bringing further cycling excitement to the region and in doing so, it is therefore natural to offer the same playing field to women with a women’s version of the UAE Tour at the same level as the men’s race.
"We want this new race to become one of the best and most important races of the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar with the goal also to help the development of women’s cycling within the Country and the whole Continent."
The men's version of the race, the UAE Tour, has taken place every year since 2019.
Key Info: Start List I How to Watch
UAE Tour Women 2023 route
The race’s opening stage will be held in Dubai on 9 February, running from Port Rashid on a 109km course to the base of Palm Jumeirah, an archipelago of lavished hotels and stores. Finishing on a wide avenue, the day favours the sprinters, with the first red leader’s jersey up for grabs.
Stage two is also one for the speedsters and brings the race’s longest parcours, at 133km. The peloton will traverse the desert, riding from Al Dhafra Castle to the coastal city of Al Mirfa. There, a flat, open finish will await.
Day three will bear the race’s first and only summit finish - the mountain of Jebel Hafeet. Pitched at an average 6.6% over 11km, the climb winds up through the Martian landscape, peaking out at 11%. To get there, the peloton will ride 107km from the Hazza bin Zayed stadium, home of top-tier football team Al Ain FC.
The race will conclude in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, on 12 February. The final stage will play out over 119km from the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy to the Abu Dhabi Breakwater, taking in the sights of the city. It’ll be another day for the sprinters, before the overall race winner is crowned.
Official race links
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