GOOD MORNING FROM STAGE 3 OF THE UAE TOUR
High-altitude showdown on the 21.1 km final climb to Jebel Jais.
Raki Phillips – Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority – gave the start to stage 3
Ras Al Khaimah, 19 February 2025 – Good morning from stage 3 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.
Great anticipation surrounds the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority Stage, which will take the riders from Ras Al Khaimah to Jebel Jais, marking the first summit finish of the UAE Tour. Joshua Tarling starts the day in the Red Jersey, but he will have to defend himself against the attacks of Tadej Pogacar (18” behind) and other contenders for the overall lead. Among the riders at the start, the world champion has already claimed victory on this climb in 2022, while Colombian Einer Rubio conquered it in 2023.
The peloton, 135 riders strong, passed km 0 at 12.00. Did not start dossard n° 44 Sean Quinn (EF Education – EasyPost).
Live coverage of today’s stage is available at https://theuaetour.com/.
WEATHER
Ras Al Khaimah (Start): Sunny, 24°C. Wind: weak S – 10km/h.
Jebel Jais (16.30 – Finish): Sunny, 10°C. Wind: weak W – 8km/h.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers)
2 – Stefan Bissegger (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) at 13″
3 – Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) at 18″
THE OFFICIAL JERSEYS
The leader jerseys of the UAE Tour are provided by ALÉ, with ENIT and ITALIA.IT as proud jersey partners
- Red Jersey, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by International Holding Company: IHC – Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers)
- Green Jersey, leader of the Points Classification, sponsored by Mubadala -Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) – worn by Jonathan Milan (Lidl – Trek)
- White Jersey, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Nakheel – Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) – worn by Pablo Castrillo (Movistar Team)
- Black Jersey, leader of the Intermediate Sprint Classification, sponsored by ALDAR – Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group BardianiCSF-Faizanè)
STAGE 3, RAS AL KHAIMAH-JEBEL JAIS, 181 KM – RAS AL KHAIMAH TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY STAGE
The route
The first of the two mountain stages of the UAE Tour. The stage is divided into two distinct parts. The first one approaches the final mountain by undulating through the desert, while the last one features approximately 20 km of continuous climbing all the way to the finish. Starting in Ras al Khaimah, the race reaches Al Marjan Island and returns to the desert. After the Ras al Khaimah airport, the race heads straight for Jais Mountain. The final climb is approximately 20 km long with a constant 5% gradient, with slightly higher gradients around 7% in the last 2 km.
Final kilometres
The final climb winds through hairpin bends on a very wide roadway. Gradients are mainly around 4-5% in the first part and 5-7% in the second one, peaking at 9% around 2 km from the finish. The finish is on straight asphalt roads
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