Top teams to race in UAE Tour

Sixteen UCI WorldTeams will be joined by four UCI ProTeams that will race along the unique roads of the Middle East, starting and finishing in Abu Dhabi

By Team KT

Published: Thu 2 Feb 2023, 7:32 PM

Sixteen UCI WorldTeams and four UCI ProTeams will race in the fifth edition of the UAE Tour, starting on February 20, organisers confirmed on Thursday.

Abu Dhabi Sports Council, organisers of the UAE Tour, confirmed the full list of teams participating in the Tour, taking place from February 20-26.

Across seven stages, sixteen UCI WorldTeams will be joined by four UCI ProTeams that will race along the unique roads of the Middle East, starting and finishing in Abu Dhabi.

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The UAE Tour has seen its two most recent General Classification victories go to UAE Team Emirates, with Tadej Pogacar winning both editions in 2021 and 2022. Mitchelton-Scott (now Team Jayco-AlUla) secured the lead the year before with Adam Yates topping the standings in 2020, and in 2019, Primoz Roglic of Jumbo-Visma secured the race's first-ever red jersey.

UAE Team Emirates has also enjoyed the most time in the red leader's jersey since the UAE Tour's inception, with Tadej Pogačar wearing it for an impressive 10 stages so far. Primoz Roglic meanwhile, has donned the jersey for a total of seven stages, and in third, Adam Yates has also worn it three times. Elsewhere, Alpecin-Fenix (now Alpecin-Deceuninck) have also held the leader's jersey for three stages, with Jasper Philipsen wearing it for two stages in 2022 and Mathieu van der Poel once in 2021.

The UAE Tour will be the second WorldTour stage race in the 2023 UCI calendar, following the Santos Tour Down Under won by Jay Vine of UAE Team Emirates. As with past editions, the fifth edition of the one and only UCI WorldTour race in the Middle East will see the world-class professional teams, including Jumbo-Visma, UAE Team Emirates, INEOS Grenadiers and Soudal - Quick Step at the start line. The full list of confirmed teams is as follows:

UCI WorldTeams

AG2R Citroen Team

Alpecin-Deceuninck

Astana Qazaqstan Team

Bahrain - Victorious

BORA - hansgrohe

EF Education – Easypost

Groupama – FDJ

INEOS Grenadiers

Intermarché – Circus – Wanty

Jumbo-Visma

Movistar Team