What to expect from the 2026 AlUla Tour? Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier headline desert sprints
Cycling
Cycling off-season is over, the 2026 has started. And while the main audience in Europe will have to wait for racing a little bit longer, the season will get underway with a number of so-called "season-openers", including the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia. While the race doesn't bring many novelties to its race format in itself, the promotion to 2.Pro category, and expected star-filled startlist are bound to make it an exciting race to watch at the end of January.
Just like has become a tradition over the past years, the startlist in Saudi Arabia will be very strong, although the biggest GC names will naturally prefer a more climbing-oriented schedule. But the startlist quality has nevertheless taken a small step forward with the race's introduction to Pro series.
For the 2026 edition, there will 7 WorldTour teams (Bahrain Victorious, Lidl-Trek, Team Jayco-AlUla, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Soudal Quick-Step, Team Picnic-PostNL, XDS Astana Team), one more than in 2025.
Further, 6 ProTeams (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, TotalEnergies, Tudor Pro Cycling Team, Cofidis, Modern Aventure Pro Cycling) will make the trip to Middle East. The startlist will be completed through the presence of 2 of the best Asian Continental lineups (Terengganu Cycling Team, Team UKYO), and the national teams of Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Race itinerary
The race begins on January 27th with last year's final stage, starting and finishing on the AlUla Camel Cup Track with sprinters expected to steal the spotlight. Last year's winner of this stage is Matteo Moschetti who will have a hard time defending his throne against Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan.
The second stage will once again be a showdown for sprinters, and the same is expected of stage 4. While Merlier triumphed at the venue of stage 2 in 2025, Milan will recall the drag finish in Shalal Sijlyat Rocks from his 2023 participation.
Then finally, the race will culminate on days 3 and 5 with the infamous Saudi wall-climbs. First, the Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah finish makes a return on January 29 after its disappointing 2025 debut saw the stage cut short and briefly neutralized due to safety concerns caused by the state of roads used.
The stage design has been reworked ahead of 2026, and instead of a circuit taken on last year, there will be a single ascent, approached from the opposite, much more benevolent side of the mountain. Instead of slopes going up to 15%, riders will face much more tolerable 4.9km climb at 5.9% with final two kilometers going above 7%.
And finally, stage 5 will once again feature one of the most photogenic finishes in the world of cycling. Riders will have to conquer the mythical Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid (3km at 12%). But the most exciting part often comes afterwards, with an open 9 kilometer flat/downhill section where tactical games and fight for victory truly unfold. And as this will be the final stage of 2026 edition, the GC will be decided as well.
Tom Pidcock was the stand-out name of 2025 edition
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The defending champion Tom Pidcock will have different schedule in 2026, understandably so after his Vuelta podium. However his team Pinarello-Q36.5 can still shoot high in the general classification with Eddie Dunbar whose loss of a minute in crosswinds cost him a 4th place in the general classfication last year.
Among his main challengers will be the duo Paul Double and Alan Hatherly (6th oveall in 2025 after time loss in crosswinds) representing "home" team Jayco AlUla. Other confirmed names expected to contest the overall victory are Jan Christen (UAE), Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain), or young Spaniard Jaume Guardeño (Caja Rural).
As for sprint finishes, the pressure will be above all on Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan, the two fastest men in the peloton. But the duo will find strong rivals in Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello-Q36.5), Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor), Milan Fretin (Cofidis), or Astana's speedster Matteo Malucelli.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- When Thomas gets the bullet from INEOS he can get a job as a comedian.
Senna196013-11-2026 - Right on. The more the merrier.Occam13-11-2026
- Remember, Del Toro struggled in this Tour. He is great, no doubt about that, but comparing him to a four time gt winner is absurd at this point. He has the potential. We'll have to see how he develops.awp13-11-2026
- what did Jonas gift and to whom? just curious, haven’t heard about this.mij13-11-2026
- You don't gift grand tours as it has come to light that Jonas has come to regret doing such.
Front24213-11-2026 - Exactly you said it urslf - he outclimbed del toro by 19 sec. 19SEC and you say hes alot better than del toro still lol? And can also do the same where del toro did that to jonas even and del toro dauphine numbers better than jonas all year so why this hard whats the issue its super easy stuff - del toro wasnt that before. Then factor in both their trajectory the last years and the answer is self explonatory like i said. Nothing against jonas like many do but the typing is no the wall and so stupidly easy as its so self explanatory now. Have a good daymiguel13-11-2026
- Dirty ex doperFront24213-11-2026
- As far as points go they need to take a page or ten out of the Astana playbook!Lozza13-11-2026
- Ah, seems he’s been busy elsewhere! 😆Lozza13-11-2026
- Where is he when you need him!? Wake up man! You’re missing an opportunity!Lozza13-11-2026
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