
Opening the professional calendar in the Middle East this year we have got the Saudi Tour. On the road from the 1st to 5th of February it is the first of a series of stage-races set to take place in the region culminating with the UAE Tour later on in February. Despite atracting a small peloton, it is one that includes some big names, who are looking to start off their season in warm weather and calm roads which they will find here.
The race will have two hilly stages which should decide the GC, one of them being a hilltop finish, and three stages suited to the sprinters which have atracted the biggest names in the startlist.
Please click here to download the startlist!
UAE Team Emirates
1 Costa, Rui
2 Oliveira, Rui
3 Gaviria, Fernando
4 Gross, Felix
5 Mirza, Yousif
6 Richeze, Maximiliano
TotalEnergies
11 Bonifazio, Niccolò
12 De La Parte, Víctor
13 Geniez, Alexandre
14 Oss, Daniel
15 Terpstra, Niki
16 Turgis, Anthony
17 Gestel, Dries Van
Team BikeExchange - Jayco
21 Groenewegen, Dylan
22 Craddock, Lawson
23 Edmondson, Alexander
24 Hepburn, Michael
25 Konychev, Alexander
26 Maas, Jan
27 Mezgec, Luka
Lotto Soudal
31 Ewan, Caleb
32 Buyst, Jasper De
33 Gendt, Thomas De
34 Drizners, Jarrad
35 Kluge, Roger
36 Selig, Rüdiger
37 Gils, Maxim Van
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team
41 Bagioli, Andrea
42 Ballerini, Davide
43 Declercq, Tim
44 Keisse, Iljo
45 Sénéchal, Florian
46 Steimle, Jannik
47 Lerberghe, Bert Van
Bora - Hansgrohe
51 Kämna, Lennard
52 Fabbro, Matteo
53 Laas, Martin
54 Meeus, Jordi
55 Mullen, Ryan
56 Uijtdebroeks, Cian
57 Poppel, Danny van
Bahrain Victorious
61 Buitrago, Santiago
62 Gradek, Kamil
63 Maciejuk, Filip
64 Madan, Ahmed
65 Milan, Jonathan
66 Sütterlin, Jasha
67 Wright, Fred
Cofidis
71 Consonni, Simone
72 Cimolai, Davide
73 Fernández, Rubén
74 Kreder, Wesley
75 Renard, Alexis
76 Zingle, Axel
Alpecin - Fenix
81 Mareczko, Jakub
82 Ballerstedt, Maurice
83 Bax, Sjoerd
84 Dehairs, Simon
85 Meurisse, Xandro
86 Planckaert, Edward
Team DSM
91 Dainese, Alberto
92 Denz, Nico
93 Märkl, Niklas
94 Naberman, Tim
95 Nieuwenhuis, Joris
96 Uden, Casper van
97 Welsford, Sam
Team Arkéa - Samsic
101 McLay, Daniel
102 Declercq, Benjamin
103 Grondin, Donavan
104 Noppe, Christophe
105 Pajur, Markus
B-B Hotels - KTM
111 Barthe, Cyril
112 Debusschere, Jens
113 Lecroq, Jérémy
114 Lemoine, Cyril
115 Lietaer, Eliot
116 Morice, Julien
Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
121 Wærsted, Syver
122 Abrahamsen, Jonas
123 Blikra, Erlend
124 Charmig, Anthon
125 Dversnes, Fredrik
126 Saugstad, Lars
127 Urianstad, Martin
Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team
131 Mat Amin, Mohd Shahrul
132 Meijers, Jeroen
133 Mohd Zariff, Muhammad Nur Aiman
134 Othman, Afiq Huznie
135 Salleh, Mohd Harrif
Kuwait Pro Cycling Team
141 Tzortzakis, Polychronis
142 Alajmi, Abdulhadi
143 Clements, Matthew
144 Jobber, James
145 Julius, Jayde
146 Tigrine, Mehdi

Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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