GOOD MORNING FROM STAGE 1 OF THE UAE TOUR
First battle for the fast finishers with the wind as a wild card. Who will wear the first Red Jersey?
Abdulla Salem Al Hammadi, Plant Manager at Shams Solar Power Station, gave the start to stage 1
Shams Solar Power Station Madinat Zayed, 17 February 2025 – Good morning from stage 1 of the seventh edition of the UAE Tour, the one and only UCI WorldTour race in the Middle East, organised by Abu Dhabi Sports Council and taking place from 17 to 23 February. The race kicks off with a stage tailored for sprinters, but the wind could play a decisive role. A stacked field of top sprinters is set to battle for victory, including Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen, Olav Kooij, and Jonathan Milan. Who will claim the first Red Jersey?
The peloton, 139 riders strong, passed km 0 at 13.19. Did not start dossard n° 134 Chris Harper (Team Jayco AlUla).
Live coverage of today’s stage is available at https://theuaetour.com/.
WEATHER
Shams Solar Power Station Madinat Zayed (Start): Cloudy, 28°C. Wind: moderate E – 18km/h.
Liwa (16.30 – Finish): Cloudy, 30°C. Wind: weak S – 8km/h.
STAGE 1, SHAMS SOLAR POWER STATION-LIWA PALACE, 138 KM – SHAMS POWER COMPANY STAGE
The route
The Shams Power Company Stage. The first part (north-south direction) is about 45 km long, on wide, straight roads. After reaching Liwa, the race enters an area of very pronounced dunes, which make up most of the stage. A series of ups and downs leads to Moreeb Dune, where the race will take two laps of the Moreeb Dune cycle path (18.1 km each lap), marked by rather steep climbs and descents with double digit gradients. It then returns to Liwa for the finish. The stage is on wide, straight roads with good pavement.
Final kilometres
The stage finale features a wide bend on a roundabout. The home straight is all uphill, around 5%.
THE OFFICIAL JERSEYS
The leader jerseys of the UAE Tour are provided by ALÉ, proud jersey partner of the leader jersey by ENIT and ITALIA.IT.
- Red Jersey, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by International Holding Company: IHC
- Green Jersey, leader of the Points Classification, sponsored by Mubadala
- White Jersey, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Nakheel
- Black Jersey, leader of the Intermediate Sprint Classification, sponsored by ALDAR
TV COVERAGE
Host broadcasters Abu Dhabi Sports and Dubai Sports will produce a full coverage live international feed for every stage, and also provide local cycling fans in the UAE and in the whole MENA region with full live coverage of the event.
The race will be broadcast live on Discovery+ and Eurosport in South Asia and Europe. Additionally, Staylive will provide live coverage in New Zealand, the MENA region, and Africa. In Latin America, the event will be broadcast on DirecTV, while in China and in Japan fans will be able to follow the race on Zhibo TV and J Sports, respectively.
To find out more about the UAE Tour, including details of the official race route, jerseys and sponsors, visit www.theuaetour.com.
VELON
The Velon rider data tracking system is being used again in the UAE Tour. Riders are carrying a small unit under their saddles which send real-time speed, power and cadence data to the live broadcast coverage. Highlights from the data are published on @veloncc and the race’s social media channels after each stage.
Velon is also producing onbike camera highlights throughout the race. The footage will be published on the same social media channels and Velon’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/veloncc. The list of riders is avalaible here.
To find out more about the UAE Tour, including details of the official race route, jerseys and sponsors, visit www.theuaetour.com.
#UaeTour
Photo Credits: Sprint Cycling Agency