Vingegaard vs Evenepoel vs Del Toro: UAE Tour sets up early season super battle for 2026

The early season rarely offers a clearer statement of intent than this. Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Isaac del Toro are all expected to line up at the UAE Tour in February, setting up a three-way headline battle before the European spring has even properly begun.

With the men’s race scheduled from 16 to 22 February, organisers have confirmed that three of the most talked about GC figures in the sport are among the top names targeted for the start line. It gives the UAE Tour a level of star power that few February races can match, and immediately frames the race as more than just a warm-weather opener.

For Vingegaard, it offers an early chance to measure himself against another grand tour winner in Evenepoel. For Evenepoel, it is a first major stage race test of the new season. For Del Toro, it is another step into the spotlight as he continues to be spoken about in the same breath as the sport’s established leaders.

The organisers are openly leaning into that shift in status. Fabrizio D'Amico, Chief Operating Officer of RCS Sports and Events and UAE Tour Director, said in the official presentation: “This year marks an important milestone as the UAE Tour has been elevated within the UCI points scale, now standing alongside the most prestigious one-week stage races in the world.”

The 2026 men’s race has been designed to give both climbers and all-around GC riders clear opportunities to shape the standings.

There will be two summit finishes, one on the new climb of Jebel Mobrah and the traditional showdown on Jebel Hafeet, alongside an individual time trial on Al Hudayriyat Island. Around 3,600 metres of total climbing is packed mainly into the two mountain stages, with the rest of the week shaped around sprint-friendly days through the desert and coastal cities.

Jebel Mobrah will make its debut as a summit finish on stage three, with a final climb that features long sections above double-digit gradients. Jebel Hafeet returns on stage six as the classic final mountain test, with its steady 8 to 9 percent slopes and late ramps that have decided the race many times before.

Between those two days, the time trial and the likely sprint stages give riders like Evenepoel and Vingegaard different ways to gain or defend time, while Del Toro will again be measured on how he handles a route that demands consistency rather than just one explosive climb.

The UAE Tour has spent much of its life being treated as a season opener with good weather rather than a race that truly defined form. That is something the organisers now want to change.

H.E. Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said: “The UAE Tour and the UAE Tour Women continue to grow in stature year after year, confirming Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates as a global hub for world-class cycling. We are proud to welcome the world’s best riders once again and to deliver races that reflect our commitment to excellence, innovation and sustainability in sport.”

With Vingegaard, Evenepoel and Del Toro all expected to be there, that ambition suddenly looks much more real. Instead of a gentle start to the year, February in the desert now promises an early-season clash that could shape how the rest of 2026 is viewed before it has even begun.