United Arab Emirates – wednesday 4 february 2026 – Just a few hours remain until the start of the 2026 Uae Tour Women, the fourth edition of the one and only UciWomen's WorldTour race in the Middle East.
Once again this year, the start list features an outstanding line-up of top riders, led by Elisa Longo Borghini, winner of two of the first three editions of the race. The main contenders for overall victory are expected to be Katarzyna Niewiadoma, winner of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, Anna van der Breggen, a two-time world champion, and Marlen Reusser, all three making their debut at the UAE Tour Women.
Also on the start line are Silvia Persico and Kim Le Court Pienaar, who both finished on the podium in last year’s edition, as well as Neve Bradbury, runner-up in 2024. Among the potential outsiders for the general classification are Niamh Fisher-Black, Juliette Labous, Monica Trinca Colonel and Katrine Aalerud.
The sprint field is equally impressive, headed by Lorena Wiebes, who has claimed six victories across three editions of the race and surpassed the milestone of 100 career wins in 2025. Her main rivals will be Charlotte Kool, winner of the first-ever stage of the UAE Tour Women in 2023, and Chiara Consonni, a frequent protagonist in bunch sprints in previous editions. Riders to watch closely also include Vittoria Guazzini, Daria Pikulik, Georgia Baker, Martina Fidanza and Gladys Verhulst-Wild.

PRESS CONFERENCE
Five stars from the pro peloton spoke to the media this afternoon in a press conference. Taking questions from the media were the following top-class riders:
The winner of the 2023 and 2025 editions Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), two-time bronze medallist in the Olympic Road Race (2016 and 2020) and winner of the Giro d'Italia Women in 2024 and 2025.
The Dutch national champion Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime), winner of six stages in the three previous editions.
The time-trial World champion Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team), runner-up in last year's Giro d'Italia Women.
Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech), winner of two stages in the opening edition of the UAE Tour Women.
The Mauritian national champion, winner of last year’s Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes, Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance - Soudal Team).
Defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini said: "For us at UAE Team Emirates ADQ, the UAE Tour is basically the world championship. It’s nice for us to race on home roads, let’s define them like this. We represent the country although we’re foreigners, so it’s nice to be back here racing for GC. The field is bigger and better this year. With Marlen [Reusser] and Kasia [Niewadoma] in contention, it’s not only about me and Lorena [Wiebes], I believe it’s going to be a very exciting race. Last year, I was way better in condition than I’m now but I still believe I can do well".
Lorena Wiebes: "All my wins here are special. I particularly enjoyed last year’s echelon stage but I also enjoyed the lead outs and the team bringing me perfectly to the finish. This winter, I took part in some track races to keep the speed in the legs. As a sprinter, you start everything from zero again every year. With Anna van der Breggen here this year, we can also fight up Jebel Hafeet. I’ve been in the UAE for a week already. I’ve enjoyed training on bike paths while in Europe there are lots of cars that can be dangerous. Cycling is obviously a growing sport here".
Marlen Reusser: "This is my first time in the UAE but I’ve already seen some bike paths that show a huge potential for cycling here. I always watched the race in the past. It was nice to see crazy echelons on TV, but the wind is not so predictable. I’ve had a good start of the season in Spain [2nd of the Trofeo Marratxi-Felanitx], but I do not have the greatest legs so far. The big targets are still quite far but I’m on the good track. The UAE Tour fits well in my calendar. I like to race in the sun. Seeing the nature of the race with wind, potential echelons and the climb at the end, we’ve decided to put it in the calendar with the team".
Charlotte Kool: "I got one of my first biggest wins here at the UAE Tour in 2023, it’s something I’ll always remember. It’s always nice to come back and kick off the season with this race. My training has been good. It’s gonna be a good week, let’s hope for a great result as early as stage 1. We practiced a lot of lead out and I think I have a very strong team for that".
Third last year, Kim Le Court said: "I have mixed feelings for last year’s race to be honest, the showdown was on the echelon day more than on Jebel Hafeet, but I’m happy to be back. I’m used to the warm weather in the Mauritius. The UAE is a good place to get things going. I’m looking forward to the climb (on stage 4). I’ll take everything as it comes. If it’s a good result, then great, if not, it’ll be a good work for the next races".

THE ROUTE OF THE 4TH UAE TOUR WOMEN
05.02.2026 Stage 1 - Al Masaood Equipment Rental Stage - Al Mirfa-Madinat Zayed, 111 km
06.02.2026 Stage 2 - Dubai Stage - Dubai Police Academy-Hamdan Bin Mohamed Smart University, 145 km
07.02.2026 Stage 3 - TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi Stage - Abu Dhabi TeamLab Phenomena-Abu Dhabi Breakwater, 121 km
08.02.2026 Stage 4 - Modon Stage - Al Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium-Jebel Hafeet, 156 km

THE OFFICIAL JERSEYS
The leader jerseys of the UAE Tour Women are provided by ALÉ
Red Jersey, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by Abu Dhabi Ports Group
Green Jersey, leader of the Points Classification, sponsored by Mubadala
White Jersey, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Burjeel Holdings
Black Jersey, leader of the Intermediate Sprint Classification, sponsored by Aldar.

TV COVERAGE

The UAE Tour Women will benefit from extensive international television and digital coverage, ensuring global visibility for the event.

In Europe, the United States and Canada, the race will be broadcast live and exclusively on HBO Max, Eurosport, and on Discovery + via Warner Bros. In Italy, Rai will broadcast a delayed coverage of the event.

In South America, coverage will be provided by DirecTV on DSports, with live satellite broadcasting, by ESPN, and by SportTv in Bolivia while in Russia the event will be shown exclusively on Okko.

In Asia-Pacific, the UAE Tour Women will reach audiences through a mix of free-to-air and pay platforms: Japan will be covered by J Sports via satellite television, Australia by SBS on free-to-air terrestrial TV, and China by Zhibo TV, offering free streaming with live coverage.

This broad and diversified media distribution confirms the growing international appeal of the UAE Tour Women and guarantees strong exposure across key cycling markets worldwide.