Preview of the UAE Tour women | Three times Wiebes vs Kool, and Longo Borghini vs Ferrand-Prévot on Jebel Hafeet

The women have traveled from Australia to the United Arab Emirates for the second WorldTour stage race of the year. The UAE Tour Women consists of four stages, three of which are flat. Ultimately, everything will be decided on the steep climb of Jebel Hafeet. IDLProCycling.com gives you a preview of all the stages.

This is the third edition of the female version of the UAE Tour, which is still a very young race. While the stages are not particularly exciting, there are plenty of interesting names at the start. We can look forward to exciting duels between top sprinters, and the battle on Jebel Hafeet is always fascinating. It indicates who is already in shape at the start of the new season.

Practical information UAE Tour 2025

• Thursday, February 6 - Sunday, February 9
• Participants
• Classification: 2.WWT

Latest winners UAE Tour

2024 Lotte Kopecky
2023 Elisa Longo Borghini 

Stage 1 UAE Tour Women 2025: Dubai Police Officer's Club - Dubai Harbour (149 km)

Racing in the desert means many flat stages ending in a sprint. So is the first stage in the UAE Tour Women. In 149 kilometers, it goes to and from Dubai. Along the way, there are two intermediate sprints. There will also be some familiar locations, such as the Dubai Safari Park, the Al Qudra Cycle Track, and Umm Suqeim. The course consists of vast, mostly straight roads. The riders head towards Palm Jumeirah and finish in Dubai Harbour. The final stage runs along a boulevard. It seems almost inevitable that this stage will be a sprint with so few obstacles along the way.

Favorites
Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime)
Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL)
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)

Times
Start: 03:50 AM EST
Finish: approx. 07:30 AM EST

Stage 2 UAE Tour Women 2025: Al Dhafra Fort - Al Mirfa (111 km)

In the second stage, the riders also encounter a few obstacles. The course is 111 kilometers long, flat, and even slightly downhill in the second part. The route largely follows long, straight roads and crosses vast desert plains.

After the start at Al Dhafra Fort, the riders head towards Madinat Zayed, where an intermediate sprint awaits. The peloton heads back into the desert for a 60-kilometer passage toward the coast, with another intermediate sprint. The final kilometers remain flat and straight until the finish on an eight-meter-wide road, where the sprinters can once again measure their strength.

Favorites
Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime)
Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL)
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)

Times
Start: 04:55 AM EST
Finish: approx. 07:30 AM EST

Stage 3 UAE Tour Women 2025: Al Ain Qasr Al Muwaiji - Jebel Hafeet (152 km)

As in other years, the third stage is the key stage of this race. It is the only one of the four that does not end in a sprint, so the winner of this stage will almost certainly secure the overall victory. In short, this 152-kilometer mountain stage towards Jebel Hafeet is a classic and the most essential stage of the UAE Tour.

The course first takes the riders through Al Ain, passing sights like the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. This is followed by a long ride through the desert before the peloton returns to Green Mubazzarah. This is where the ultimate test begins: the climb to Jebel Hafeet. Two intermediate sprints are included along the way.

Jebel Hafeet is nearly 11 kilometers long and winds uphill via wide hairpin turns on a 3-lane road. It is undoubtedly steep, with gradients that regularly go to 9%. The climax is three kilometers before the finish when it goes up 11%. A short descent awaits in the final kilometer, followed by a final steep hill. Whoever finishes first here can almost certainly take home the trophy

Favorites
Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Juliette Labous (FDJ-SUEZ)

Times
Start: 03:20 AM EST
Finish: approx. 07:30 AM EST

Stage 4 UAE Tour Women 2025: Abu Dhabi Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy - Abu Dhabi Breakwater (128 km)

The fourth and final stage takes the peloton through and around Abu Dhabi. Along the way, apart from two intermediate sprints, there are no obstacles worth mentioning. Except for the scenery on this 128-kilometer stage. After passing through Qasr Al Hosn, the peloton heads towards Abu Dhabi Breakwater, where a bunch sprint will follow.

Favorites
Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime)
Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL)
Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)  

Times
Start: 04:30 AM EST
Finish: approx. 07:30 AM EST

Weather UAE Tour Women 2025

The weather forecast in the United Arab Emirates is sunny. The first two days will be around 27 degrees, with occasional clouds. The weekend will be slightly less warm, around 22 degrees, but sunnier again. The stages in the dunes can sometimes be surprising because of the wind, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of wind. Still, it could just turn around or happen anyway. For now, Friday seems to be the best chance for possible echelons.

Favorites UAE Tour Women 2025

Three flat sprint stages and a finish on Jebel Hafeet define the UAE Tour. It is clear how the race should be won: whoever reaches the top of the steep climb first. Elisa Longo Borghini already did this in 2023 and won the Tour then. This year, too, she is the big favorite. Silvia Persico finished third on the climb in 2023. As of this year, both riders are teammates, but who knows, they may have to fight for victory again in the final kilometers. Whether Persico gives way to her Italian leading lady remains to be seen.

Mavi Garcia, who finished third last year, is maybe Longo Borghini's biggest challenger, especially since the other top five riders from last year are not in the race. Garcia actually finished ahead of her Italian opponent in the GC last year. Juliette Labous is the leading woman at FDJ-SUEZ. Although she has not participated in the UAE Tour before, she is undoubtedly a talented climber. Finally, we will have to see what Pauline Ferrand-Prévot can do and possibly look out for a rider like Ashleigh Moolman.

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Longo Borghini is the big favorite

Who are the favorites for the UAE Tour Women 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorite: Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) 
Outsiders: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Juliette Labous (FDJ-SUEZ)
Longshots: Mavi Garcia (Liv AlUla Jayco), Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ), Ashleigh Moolman (AG Insurance - Soudal Team), 

TV broadcast UAE Tour Women 2025

The UAE Tour Women can be followed live on Eurosport 1, HBO Max, and Discovery+. The broadcast usually starts around 05:50 AM EST.

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