There will be road closures across major roads in the UAE on Feb 27 until March 2 to give way for the for six of the seven stages of the “UAE Tour” sports event.
The first stage, the ADNOC Stage, will not be affected by any road closure because it is entirely raced on traffic-free cycle path loops.
Stage 2 – SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD GAMES ABU DHABI STAGE – 184km
Stage 2 follows one of the classic Abu Dhabi Tour stages. Starting from Yas Mall, the first part of the route in the northeast part of the city heads towards Khalifa Port, where there is a U-turn on the pier. The riders return to the city along Channel Street and then they ride through from Yas Island to Saadiyat Island, past the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Corniche until the reaching the finish line at Abu Dhabi Breakwater for what is expected to be the first sprint of the race.
Stage 3 – DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT STAGE – Al Ain-Jebel Hafeet – 179km
The first of the UAE Tour’s two mountain stages follows another successful course familiar from the Abu Dhabi Tour. The route around Al Ain takes in many of the landmarks – including Al Ain Zoo, Al Qattara, Al Hili and Al Ain Oasis – goes up to Green Mubazzarah where the final climb of Jebel Hafeet begins, with its 10km that will make the first real selection of the race.
Stage 4 – DUBAI MUNICIPALITY STAGE – Palm Jumeirah-Hatta Dam – 197km
The longest stage of the UAE Tour, this is another classic route in the Emirates, having been raced before as the most difficult stage of the Dubai Tour, and having remained virtually unchanged since the first edition of that race. Only the start has been modified, departing from Palm Jumeirah. After the first part through the desert the route hits the Hajar Mountains. Here, the last hills from the gates of Hatta peak at the suffocating final tier of the Hatta Dam with its gradients that touch 17%.
Stage 5 – SHARJAH STAGE – Sharjah-Khor Fakkan – 181km
This stage, that connects the Arabian Gulf with the Indian Ocean (Gulf of Oman), is another opportunity for the sprinters.
After crossing the desert between the University of Sharjah and the University of Khalba, the route follows the coast north through Fujairah, up to the finish line in Khor Fakkan, where a bunch sprint is expected.
Stage 6 – RAK PROPERTIES STAGE – Ajman-Jebel Jais – 180km
This, the second of the two mountain stages, is likely to be the decisive stage of the UAE Tour. Like Stage 3, it is divided into two distinct parts: the first is a flat approach to the final climb, and the second is about 20km of continuous ascent until the finish line. After departure from Ajman, the route crosses Umm-al-Quwain heading towards Ras-al-Khaimah, whose capital is by-passed, as the race heads directly to Jais Mountain. The final 20km climb averages at 5%, and is generally constant with only slightly higher gradients of around 7% in the last 2km.
Stage 7 – DUBAI STAGE – Dubai Safari Park-Citywalk – 145km
The UAE Tour’s final showdown is through the streets of Dubai, based closely on one of the most popular features of the Dubai Tour. After departure from the Dubai Safari Park the route then grafts on to the familiar course through the Dubai Design District, Mushrif Park, Al Mamzar Beach, Deira, and Rashid Port to reach Jumeirah Road and finish in Citywalk. The final stage is one for the fastest wheels!
