UAE Tour 2026 Stage 5

February 20, 2026 Up to this point, the UAE Tour has been varied with something for everyone. Stage 5 offers the nailed on pure bunch sprint that we have become accustomed to seeing in the Middle East. The start at the Dubai Al Mamzar Park Hamdan is an idyllic beach side spot just 35KM from the finish at the Bin Mohammed Smart University but the riders will take the scenic route, totaling 168KM, to get there. The peloton will spend the entire day going out and back on large, exposed highways through the dunes. The predominant directions are South and North so if there is a wind blowing off the coast from Dubai, there will be cross tail winds in the middle third of the stage. If the wind doesn't blow, we will see the full peloton coming to the finish for a sprint. When the riders woke up and looked out the window, they found a completely still day with plentiful sunshine. A break formed early with three riders, Gianni Moscon of Redbull-Bora Hansgrohe, Silvan Dillier of Alpecin-Premier Tech, and Nickolas Zukowsky of Pinarello Q36.5. They had a modest gap of 1 minute 35 seconds with 70KM to go with Lidl-Trek, NSN Cycling, and XDS-Astana taking turns on the front. There were lots of jokes and goofing around going on in the bunch because sitting in the wheels was quite easy for the majority of the day. Things changed with 25KM to go as riders started to switch on and get organized in team formation. The road was 6 lanes wide which made room for anyone who wanted to be at the front but it didn't stop the speed from ramping up. With 7KM to go, teams seemed happy with their position but there wasn't will to formally close down the break. The gap went out to 40 seconds but with 5KM to go, it was down to 25 seconds and Zukowsky made a solo move to break clear of Dillier and Moscon. Moscon reacted and reached Zukowsky but their efforts were in vain and they were brought back into the bunch. With 3KM, Groupama-FDJ United hit the front and it was a made dash to hold position. Ineos went to the opposite side of the road which split the peloton in two, right down the middle. They merged back together 1KM later and the fight was on for the first of two corners at 1,200M with the last at 600M from the line. Ineos and Lotto Intermarché were in good position through the first corner onto a two lane road which was far more narrow. XDS-Astana made it through the washing machine best organized and went to the front with three riders. A crash of one Groupama-FDJ United rider caused a slight disruption but the sprint was setting up to be contested by all the big names. When the final rider swung off for XDS-Astana with 200M to go, Matteo Malucelli wasn't in the line and missed the opportunity to sprint from the front. Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek had to use his elbows but he got a free run from sixth wheel. Ethan Vernon of NSN Cycling opened his sprint from just in front of Milan and the pair went for the line. Vernon ran out of legs and it was the Italian that proved to be best once again, taking his second stage win in a row. Erlend Blikra of Uno-X Mobility was boxed in for nearly the entire sprint but he found a gap with 100M to go to get in for second. Malucelli's plan seemed to be, find Milan's wheel and try to pass him in the sprint. That is easier said than done because finding a gap to sneak through is not a sure thing but Malucelli followed the wheels and came in for third on the day.