Cycling: Top teams return for next month's UAE Tour

All 19 WorldTour teams will feature in the third edition of the UAE Tour next month (February 21-27). The start and finish locations of the first WorldTour race of the season have also been confirmed.

This year’s edition will see the riders start and finish in Abu Dhabi and compete over seven diverse stages that showcase the unique landscapes of the UAE. Fans across the globe can look forward to again witnessing a tremendously entertaining sporting spectacle.

As many as 20 teams feature on the provisional start list, with every WorldTeam competing, as well as Alpecin-Fenix — the top-ranked UCI ProTeam in 2020.

The first and second editions of the race — won by Primoz Roglic and Adam Yates respectively — attracted an exceptionally strong roster of riders, making for exciting racing. The 2021 UAE Tour will be no different.

Expect to see big names vie for the general classification leader’s Red Jersey, won last year by British rider Adam Yates. Yates beat 2020 Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar by 1 minute and 1 second in the overall standings, despite an impressive display from the young Slovenian that saw him take victory on Stage 5 atop Jebel Hafeet — a 10km long ascent that peaks over 1000m above sea level.

The varied climbs that have featured in the first two editions of the UAE Tour have provided world-class team leaders with exciting opportunities to showcase their form.

The race’s flatter stages have proved to be a sprinter’s paradise, offering fast finishes for the world’s best sprinters including Caleb Ewan, Sam Bennett, Pascal Ackermann, Elia Viviani and Fernando Gaviria.