Evenepoel could be set for early-season showdown with Del Toro in Middle East
Remco Evenepoel and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe have already announced the Olympic Champion's 2026 schedule, with the Tour de France being the primary objective. However, reports suggest that the Belgian could be adding another race to his schedule in the early months of the season in the Middle East.
According to information obtained by Het Laatste Nieuws, Remco Evenepoel will add the UAE Tour to his race schedule for 2026. The reports suggest that the race organisers have convinced Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe to bring their marquee signing to the race in the Middle East, which kicks off on February 12.
Evenepoel will make his debut for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at the Trofeo Ses Salines team time trial event on January 29, which will serve as preparation for the opening stage of the Tour de France, which is a team time trial around the city of Barcelona.
From here, Evenepoel will begin his first stage race of the season on February 4 at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. It was then expected that his next outing would be once more in Spain at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, which kicks off on March 23, but if the reports come to fruition, the UAE Tour will slot in between these two fixtures. Another stage race in preparation for the ultimate goal of the Tour de France.
Among those who have signalled their participation in the UAE, is Isaac del Toro. The talented Mexican will be looking to follow in the footsteps of his teammate Tadej Pogačar in winning UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s home race.
Additionally, Del Toro will be hunting the milestone of his first WorldTour GC success, having come agonisingly close to victory in the Giro d’Italia in 2025, in a year in which he claimed 18 victories. Another rider who has been confirmed to ride the UAE Tour is Evenepoel’s former trusted teammate Ilan Van Wilder, who will be aiming to fill the void left by the Olympic Champion.
The eighth edition of the UAE Tour is set to take place across seven stages from February 16-22. Evenepoel has featured in the race twice previously. In his debut professional season in 2019, the Belgian abandoned the race on stage 4. Though it was a far happier return for Evenepoel in 2023, when he stormed his way to the general classification victory with a stage win along the way.
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