The 2026 Women’s WorldTour continues this week with the UAE Tour Women boasting a strong line-up of contenders, mixing those just starting their seasons with others heading for the UAE after racing the Tour Down Under.
As is customary in the early-season desert race, sprints and flat stages dominate the route, with the first three stages primed for bunch finishes, unless a strong breakaway gets very lucky. Echelons and sandstorms are always a possibility in the desert, but history tells us that the sprint teams will work hard to deliver their riders to the line in this race.
Even if the first three stages go to the sprinters, though, the GC will be decided on the final day, with the now-traditional Jebel Hafeet finale. The 10.7km climb winds up the desert mountain with an average gradient of 6.9%, and often sets the scene for an exciting battle – not only often delivering the overall winner, but regularly highlighting a new, talented climber too. Whoever wins here will almost certainly take the red jersey and overall victory.
Last year, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) won all three sprints, whilst Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) soloed to a lead on Jebel Hafeet that all but guaranteed her the overall victory 24 hours later. With both riders returning this year to start their seasons in the UAE, will we see a carbon copy of the results? It’s very possible – here’s our rundown of the top sprinters, GC contenders, and riders to watch this week.
The sprinters
As she is in every race she starts, Lorena Wiebes is undeniably the top sprinter on the start list for the UAE Tour, and it is not wild to suggest that she may win all three sprints. In fact, it might even be a disappointment if she won anything less, given she did exactly that last year. The Dutch rider is actively trying to become a better all-rounder and improve in the Classics, and it never seems to dull her finishing speed, so this week will offer us the first chance to discover how her form is in 2026.
Competing against Wiebes – or competing for second, to put it harshly – will be riders like Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ), who has come very close to beating Wiebes before, Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), and Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health), winner of the one-day race at the Tour Down Under. One of Wiebes’ most tenacious rivals, Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier…
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