Favorites Stage 6 UAE Tour 2026 | Evenepoel has one major disadvantage in his hunt for redemption

Following two sprint days, it’s time for the peloton to dust off the climbing legs. The now-iconic ride from Al Ain to Jebel Hafeet is on the menu, with a route that is almost identical to the Jebel Hafeet stage where Tadej Pogačar struck last year.

One key difference from 2025: for the first time since 2021, the trip to the UAE’s famous climb does not come on the final day. Sunday still features a flat stage, which means the overall winner should be all but decided by Saturday.

Where Jebel Hafeet has traditionally been the big GC separator, the peloton has already tackled an even tougher climb on day three this year. That leaves several GC riders already facing sizeable deficits — and stage 6 could tempt some into an all-or-nothing move.

The stage is completely flat until the foot of Jebel Hafeet, where the riders face 10.6 kilometres at 6.9%. It’s certainly still possible to put pressure on race leader Tiberi — but it likely needs to happen earlier on the climb, because the gradients ease in the final kilometres and the last kilometre even includes a short downhill section.

Times
Start: 10 AM Dutch time
Finish: around 2 PM Dutch time

Once again, it looks like a warm day for the riders: around 30°C (86°F). There’s a light breeze early on, but the wind is expected to pick up towards the end of the stage, which could make things nervous in the run-in to Jebel Hafeet. On the climb itself, riders should have a tailwind.

With a similar profile to stage three, it makes sense to start with the men who performed strongly there — and that quickly leads you to stage winner and overall leader Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious). The Italian will want to defend the red jersey and will be ready for a fight, even if stage victory itself isn’t a must.

If you’re looking at the stage win, Tiberi will need to be most wary of Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates–XRG). The Mexican looked as if he came alive just a touch too late on Jebel Mobrah, but on Jebel Hafeet he will be very eager to take over the leader’s jersey: the gap is only 21 seconds, and there are 10 bonus seconds available for the stage winner at the top.

Those bonus seconds could be bad news for Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe). The Belgian completely cracked on Jebel Mobrah and lost more than two minutes, but under normal circumstances he should be able to climb with the best here. Was stage three simply an off-day — and will we see Evenepoel flying to a morale-boosting win? Or do the legs betray him again?

Beyond the headline names, keep an eye on riders such as Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto–Intermarché) and Felix Gall (Decathlon–CMA CGM). Both showed strong form on stage three, even if the climb proved just a little too long for Gall. Van Eetvelt, meanwhile, has happy memories here: he won on this climb in 2024 — the same year he also took the overall title in a surprise result.

And what about Harold Tejada (XDS Astana) and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility)? Under the radar, the two climbers finished fourth and sixth on Jebel Mobrah, so they deserve respect again on Saturday. Other riders from the top ten that day included Derek Gee (Lidl–Trek), Jørgen Nordhagen (Visma | Lease a Bike), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) and Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla).

Because Jebel Hafeet is a little less steep and a very different effort compared to Wednesday’s finale, there are other strong climbers to consider too. Adam Yates will likely be riding in support of Del Toro for UAE Team Emirates–XRG, but riders like Michael Storer (Tudor), David Gaudu (Groupama–FDJ) and Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) should also be in the mix.

Top favorites: Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Outsiders: Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Lennert van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché), Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA CGM) and Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek)
Long shots:Harold Tejada (XDS Astana), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step),Luke Plapp, Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla), Michael Storer (Tudor), Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jørgen Nordhagen ( Visma | Lease a Bike)