Press release
The 2020 UAE Tour will take place 23rd to 29th February, starting in Dubai and finishing in Abu Dhabi
The 2020 UAE Tour – the one and only WorldTour race in the Middle East – will take place 23rd to 29th February, starting in Dubai and finishing in Abu Dhabi
UAE Tour race organisers, the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah Sports Councils, along with RCS Sport, have announced the dates for the second edition of the one and only WorldTour race in the Middle East – 23rd to 29th February 2020, as ratified by cycle sport’s world governing body, the UCI.
The announcement, made in the presence of H.E. Saeed Mohammed Hareb – General Secretary, Dubai Sports Council; H.E. Aref Al Awani – General Secretary, Abu Dhabi Sports Council; H.E. Issa Hilal Al Hazami – General Secretary, Sharjah Sports Council; and Mr Osama Al Shafar – President of the UAE Cycling Federation, follows the hugely successful first edition of the UAE Tour, raced in February 2019. Audi Al Nabooda were also unveiled as the official car of the UAE Tour.
The inaugural UAE Tour featured the highest quality field of competitors, produced a tremendously entertaining sporting spectacle watched keenly across the globe in more than 200 territories, and brought together full and enthusiastic involvement from the United Arab Emirates’ public, businesses and other organisations.
The 2nd edition of the WorldTour cycling race will retain many of the first event’s finest characteristics, and build upon this with even greater public involvement and a new route that will see the riders start with a dramatic send-off in Dubai before the intense competition culminates a week later in Abu Dhabi. Along the way the race will visit seven Emirates – Dubai, Fujairah, Ajman, Ras-Al-Khaimah, Umm-Al-Quwain, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – showcasing the natural landscapes and other beautiful aspects of the whole UAE.
The first edition was won by Primož Roglič – the immensely talented Slovenian rider claiming victory in his first ever seven-day WorldTour stage race, and who went on to replicate that form in claiming his first GrandTour title at September’s Vuelta a España. All 18 WorldTour teams were represented at the 2019 UAE Tour, with 140 riders competing and ranking amongst them such elite talent as former World Champions Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team), Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates) and Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Ineos) along with other Grand Tour winners including Tom Dumoulin (Giro d’Italia – Team Sunweb) and Vincenzo Nibali (Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España – Bahrain-Merida) and a global roster of top class riders such as Mark Cavendish, Caleb Ewan, Fernando Gaviria, Dan Martin, Tony Martin, Richie Porte and Elia Viviani.
The 2020 UAE Tour will attract teams and riders of the same matchless calibre, with start lists to be announced closer to the event. While the full route details are yet to be unveiled, the 2nd UAE Tour will feature a balanced course and is expected to cover more than 1,000km with an elevation gain of more than 4,500m – ideal for all-round General Classification riders while still presenting opportunities for sprinters and time trial specialists to fight for stage wins.
Along with the world’s finest athletes fighting it out, the UAE Tour has inspired competitive cycling in many UAE citizens, and in bringing many visitors to the region, with more than 1,000 riders taking part in the four UAE Tour Challenges, demonstrating that the UAE is a leading cycling destination, not just for professionals but also for enthusiasts. Other important community involvement included an Educational Project, presented by Mubadala, an initiative through which over 2,000 students have learned about the benefits of cycling and road safety.