Abu Dhabi Tour's shift to the spring marks changing shape of UCI WorldTour
The 2017 edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour will take place in February, just four months after this year's race as the UCI shakes up its WorldTour calendar
The Abu Dhabi Tour launched its 2016 edition on Tuesday, but already organisers will run it again next February as part of cycling's changing top WorldTour series.
Cycling's governing body granted the four-day Middle East race WorldTour status for 2017, 2018 and 2019. Instead of October, from the 20th to the 23rd this year with Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish racing, it will come at the end of a Gulf Swing of stage races.
It follows the Dubai Tour, also run by organiser RCS Sport and the Tour of Qatar and Tour of Oman, and precedes cycling's traditional calendar of classics and grand tours.
"It was not the only way [to obtain WorldTour status] ," said Lorenzo Giorgetti, CEO of RCS Sports. “We wanted to try to take in that input – making the race more assessable to the locals and better on the cyclists with February's cooler temperatures – and mix in with the other Middle East races.”
Giorgetti flies back and forth regularly from Milan to Abu Dhabi. The flight takes around six hours, nearly the same for anyone flying from Europe. He began doing so to work on the Dubai Tour and starting last October, when temperatures were often 40°C, the Abu Dhabi Tour.
"It's easier for the teams for their transfers if we are alongside the other Middle East races. This year, the fall date works well with the worlds in Doha beforehand, but if you look at next year, with the worlds in northern Europe... It would be a shock for many to fly there to the UAE.
"From a marketing direction, it will change because it allows the organisation to have more events outside and more fans on the roads. The stages are going to become longer in 2017. It'll still be four days, but with hard and long days. We’ll have more teams, the level will go up, and that's thanks to the WorldTour status and television coverage."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
It is unclear if cycling's governing body, the UCI, will change the rules on participation in WorldTour races. Currently, all of the 18 WorldTour teams have guaranteed invitations to the 27 events that make up the series and are obliged to compete in each. It is a big assurance considering the WorldTour includes the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and all the major classics.
As part of the UCI's reforms, the WorldTour will become more global for 2017 with 10 races promoted from HC status. The series still begins in January with the Tour Down Under, but Australia now also has the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race included.
Before the Paris-Nice stage race in March, the series continues with the Tour of Qatar and the Abu Dhabi Tour. Some teams may take the full Gulf Swing, by starting with the Dubai Tour and squeezing in the Tour of Oman between Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
"We are leaving it up to the teams to decide on their flights and their travels. We saw already with Dubai, Qatar and Oman that many of the riders didn't do all the races,” said Giorgetti. “As of 2016, we have extra days between Dubai and Qatar, and so it's easier. President Brian Cookson already talked about this Gulf Swing competition! But let's wait and see about that."
Of course, standing along side its Arab brothers in February and with its WorldTour status, the Abu Dhabi organisation knows they will have to perform better to stand out. Currently, Qatar hosts one of the first gathering of classics cyclists and Oman tests the grand tour contenders for the first time. Giorgetti said his race plans to further into the emirate and develop some of its current stages, like the Jebel Hafeet summit finish and YAS F1 circuit stages.
Other race organisers around the world are also working to be ready for their new 2017 WorldTour status. The UCI rounded out its top series with one-day races Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche and Dwars Door Vlaanderen in the spring. It added the Tour of Turkey in April, the Eschborn-Frankfurt, as always on May 1, and the Tour of California in May. The RideLondon-Surrey Classic, with new upped status, follows immediately after the Tour.
The spring classics and the grand tours still make up the meat of the WorldTour. And Il Lombardia, with its famous Ghisallo climb, continues to end it with a traditional note.
2017 WorldTour schedule (* denotes new WorldTour races)
17-22 January: Santos Tour Down Under (Australia)
29 January: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (Australia)*
6-10 February: Tour of Qatar (Qatar)*
23-26 February: Abu Dhabi Tour (United Arab Emirates)*
25 February: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (Belgium)*
4 March: Strade Bianche (Italy)*
5-12 March: Paris-Nice (France)
8-14 March: Tirreno-Adriatico (Italy)
18 March: Milano-Sanremo (Italy)
20-26 March: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (Spain)
22 March: Dwars Door Vlaanderen / A travers la Flandre (Belgium)*
24 March: Record Bank E3 Harelbeke (Belgium)
26 March: Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields (Belgium)
2 April: Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres (Belgium)
3-8 April: Vuelta al País Vasco (Spain)
9 April: Paris-Roubaix (France)
16 April: Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands)
18-23 April: Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey (Turkey)*
19 April: La Flèche Wallonne (Belgium)
23 April: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium)
25-30 April: Tour de Romandie (Switzerland)
1 May: Eschborn-Frankfurt « Rund um den Finanzplatz » (Germany)*
6-28 May: Giro d’Italia (Italy)
14-21 May: Amgen Tour of California (United States)*
4-11 June: Critérium du Dauphiné (France)
10-18 June: Tour de Suisse (Switzerland)
1-23 July: Tour de France (France)
29 July: Clásica Ciclista San Sebastian (Spain)
29 July-4 August: Tour de Pologne (Poland)
30 July: Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic (Great Britain)*
7-13 August: Eneco Tour (Benelux)
19 August-10 September: Vuelta a España (Spain)
20 August: Cyclassics Hamburg (Germany)
27 August: Bretagne Classic – Ouest-France (France)
8 September: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec (Canada)
10 September: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (Canada)
30 September: Il Lombardia (Italy)
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
USA Cycling unveils 2025 National Championship schedule with 17 chances to claim the Stars and Stripes jersey
From cycling eSports in February to cyclocross in December, here are the dates and locations for the 2025 season
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Tech of the week: A shockingly expensive steel bike from Colnago, a surprisingly affordable carbon bike from Pinarello, DT Swiss energises our cycling lives and Pog's bars are now yours to buy
Colnago's Steelnova is a thing of beauty but you'll pay for the pleasure, while Pinarello's F1 is an inexpensive gateway to the brand. DT Swiss enters the dynamo hub market and Enve brings Pog's cockpit to market
By Luke Friend Published
-
Tim Merlier doubles up in UAE Tour’s final sprint showdown on stage six
Soudal Quick-Step have now won three stages, with Remco Evenepoel leading the GC into the final day
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Molano sprints to stage four victory at UAE Tour to save UAE Team Emirates' race
Colombian rider wins stage for home team at fourth opportunity, as Remco Evenepoel continues in race lead
By Adam Becket Published
-
Remco Evenepoel edges closer to UAE Tour lead as Soudal Quick-Step win stage two team time trial
The Belgian team won by a single second, leaving Evenepoel tied on time at the top of the GC
By Tom Davidson Published
-
‘That’s not bad’ - Mark Cavendish pleased with first podium finish for Astana at UAE Tour
The British road champion recorded his best race result since joining Astana Qazaqstan
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tim Merlier declared winner of UAE Tour stage one in tight photo finish
The Soudal Quick-Step rider's team-mate Remco Evenepoel stretched out an early lead in the battle for GC
By Tom Davidson Published
-
UAE Tour Women 2023: Start list and how to watch
Discover the full start list of this year's UAE Tour Women
By Cycling Weekly Published
-
Global backers in talks over new British WorldTour team
Former management of Ribble Weldtite courting interest in new project
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘Current WorldTour system is killing all the smaller teams,’ says Reinardt Janse van Rensburg
South African ex-Lotto Soudal rider fears more teams could find themselves in B & B Hotels-KTM situation if the system doesn’t change
By Tom Thewlis Published