Are Lorena Wiebes and Elisa Longo Borghini ready to copy and paste last year's success, or will they be challenged? – Analysing the UAE Tour Women contenders

The 2026 Women's WorldTour continues this week with the UAE Tour Women boasting a strong line-up of contenders, mixing those just starting their seasons with others heading for the UAE after racing the Tour Down Under.

As is customary in the early-season desert race, sprints and flat stages dominate the route, with the first three stages primed for bunch finishes, unless a strong breakaway gets very lucky. Echelons and sandstorms are always a possibility in the desert, but history tells us that the sprint teams will work hard to deliver their riders to the line in this race.

Even if the first three stages go to the sprinters, though, the GC will be decided on the final day, with the now-traditional Jebel Hafeet finale. The 10.7km climb winds up the desert mountain with an average gradient of 6.9%, and often sets the scene for an exciting battle – not only often delivering the overall winner, but regularly highlighting a new, talented climber too. Whoever wins here will almost certainly take the red jersey and overall victory.

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Last year, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) won all three sprints, whilst Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) soloed to a lead on Jebel Hafeet that all but guaranteed her the overall victory 24 hours later. With both riders returning this year to start their seasons in the UAE, will we see a carbon copy of the results? It's very possible – here's our rundown of the top sprinters, GC contenders, and riders to watch this week.

The sprinters

As she is in every race she starts, Lorena Wiebes is undeniably the top sprinter on the start list for the UAE Tour, and it is not wild to suggest that she may win all three sprints. In fact, it might even be a disappointment if she won anything less, given she did exactly that last year. The Dutch rider is actively trying to become a better all-rounder and improve in the Classics, and it never seems to dull her finishing speed, so this week will offer us the first chance to discover how her form is in 2026.

Competing against Wiebes – or competing for second, to put it harshly – will be riders like Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ), who has come very close to beating Wiebes before, Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), and Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health), winner of the one-day race at the Tour Down Under. One of Wiebes' most tenacious rivals, Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech), is also going to be in action, and it will be exciting to see how they're matching up this season.

Other sprinters to keep an eye on will be Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco), Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility) and Alison Jackson, making her debut for St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93.

The GC battle

When it comes to the GC-deciding Jebel Hafeet stage, all eyes will be on Elisa Longo Borghini, who is not only the defending champion (and winner in 2023), but also the star rider of the home team, UAE Team ADQ. This might not be the most important race on the calendar, but it is a big race for them. The not excessively long climb clearly suits Longo Borghini's strengths, and she knows how to win here, so she will certainly be in contention for a repeat victory.

All that said, the Italian possibly faces one of the strongest fields in recent seasons at this particular edition of the UAE Tour Women. Marlen Reusser (Movistar) is set to continue her opening races of 2026 here after a runner-up spot on her debut in Mallorca, and she has a strong team to support her. Former Tour de France Femmes winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) is also making her debut at the event, and whilst she's usually a rider who builds into the season rather than starts with a bang, you can't overlook her when climbs are on the cards.

Kim Le Court-Pienaar will lead AG Insurance-Soudal, but they have options in Justine Ghekiere and Alex Manly too and will be hoping for a top result here. Lidl-Trek will probably look to Niamh Fisher-Black as leader, though she had a fairly quiet race at Down Under. Juliette Berthet (née Labous) is set to lead FDJ United-SUEZ, and should take the opportunity to race for herself before sharing the mantle with Demi Vollering and Évita Muzic as the season progresses.

SD Worx-Protime will be all about the sprints, but Anna van der Breggen is there to race for the GC, and is the kind of climber who can succeed on Jebel Hafeet. Keep an eye on Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco), the Italian who shot to prominence at this race last year, finishing fourth overall.

Of course, there is an assumption that the GC will all be decided on Jebel Hafeet, but the climbers and overall contenders will have to safely get through the sprint stages, which can be hectic, if they want to be in with a chance of winning overall come Sunday. Get caught on the wrong side of an echelon in one crosswinds section and your hopes of the red jersey could quickly be over.

Ones to watch

One of the best things about these early season races is the way they often showcase the up-and-coming riders who are ready to make a splash, and the slightly less full fields can give these riders a chance to shine and take a real result.

The UAE field is actually particularly strong this year, but there are still some names to keep an eye on. Picnic PostNL are coming with a young team, including junior world champion Megan Arens, British domestic scene graduate Robyn Clay and rising star Mia Griffin, all making their debuts for the team.

UAE Team ADQ have more than enough options with Longo Borghini, Gillespie and Persico, but new signing Megan Jastrab will be hoping to start her first season strong, and she showed some early-season form at the Challenge Mallorca.

Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Lidl-Trek) is one of the exciting attacking prospects who has stepped up to the WorldTour for this year, and is the kind of rider who could get in an opportunistic move or take advantage of the crosswinds to find success. Watch out for Femke de Vries (VIsma-Lease a Bike) too, an established rider who really seems to be finding her groove at 31.