General Classification Update UAE Tour 2026 | Red Jersey fight blown open as Evenepoel sinks out of Top-10 and Antonio Tiberi takes control

Stage 3 of the 2026 UAE Tour has blown the general classification wide open, with the first summit finish on Jebel Mobrah delivering decisive time gaps and a dramatic shift in control. Antonio Tiberi now leads the race overall after his commanding ride on the climb, while former race leader Remco Evenepoel suffered a costly crack and slipped to 11th.

Tiberi moves into the red jersey on 07:09:03, establishing a 21-second advantage over Isaac Del Toro, who recovered impressively after earlier difficulty on the steepest ramps. What briefly looked like a collapse turned into a measured damage-limitation ride, keeping the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider firmly in the GC fight.

Behind them, Harold Tejada sits third at one minute, followed by Lennert Van Eetvelt at 1:07 and Luke Plapp at 1:19. A tightly packed group then follows, with Ilan Van Wilder, Derek Gee-West and Felix Gall all within eight seconds of each other.

The most striking movement comes just outside the top ten. Evenepoel, dominant in the Stage 2 time trial, cracked badly on the double-digit gradients of Jebel Mobrah and now trails by 1:44. Isolated in the final kilometres and unable to limit the damage, his race has shifted from defence to recovery.

Further back, the gaps are already stretching beyond two minutes, with riders such as Adam Yates having sacrificed their own positions in service of team leaders.

After three stages, the UAE Tour now has a clear GC shape. Tiberi controls the race, Del Toro has emerged as the closest challenger, and a dense chasing group remains within reach. Evenepoel, meanwhile, faces an uphill task if he is to reinsert himself into the overall battle.