The Dubai Tour was first held in 2014, with the Abu Dhabi Tour first held in 2015. The Abu Dhabi Tour joined the UCI World Tour calendar in 2017.[1] In September 2018, the organisers of both races announced their intent to merge, resulting in the UAE Tour, a longer race that would use stages from both events.[1]
The first edition of the race took place between 24 February and 2 March 2019 as part of the 2019 UCI World Tour.[2] The 2020 UAE Tour was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the last two stages cancelled and teams quarantined before being able to leave the country.[3]
Women's Race
In January 2023, organisers announced that a women's race would be held for the first time, as part of the UCI Women's World Tour.[4] This was first staged over 4 days in early February 2023, prior to the men's race.[5]
Route
The race uses similar stages to that of the Abu Dhabi Tour and Dubai Tour - a combination of flat sprint stages and mountain stages using climbs such as Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet.[6] Stages in the open desert can be affected by crosswinds.[6] A time trial is also usually part of the route, with the 2019 and 2023 editions featuring a team time trial.[6]
The Jebel Jais climb is usually considered the queen stage of the Tour, with 20 kilometres (12 mi) of climbing at 5%, with some 7% in the last 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).[7][8]
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