UAE Tour 2019 Route stage 5: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan

Thursday 28 February - In the 5th stage of the UAE Tour the riders cross the desert on flat to false flat roads. The sprinters should return to the spotlight at the end of the 181 kilometres race between Sharjah and Khor Fakkan.

The race crosses the Arabian Peninsula from the east to the west, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Both start and finish are in the Sharjah emirate and the race also traverses Fujairah, which is the only emirate with a coastline solely on the Gulf of Oman and none on the Persian Gulf.

The route is similar to the 3rd stage of last year's Dubai Tour to Fujairah (sprint win Mark Cavendish), but with an extension of 30 kilometres to Khor Fakkan. The route moves through the Al Hajar Mountains. Although the surrounding hills peak at 1,000 metres, the climb itself is actually a prolonged false flat to an altitude of 461 metres. The peak is crested with 80 kilometres remaining.

The last 40 kilometres run on exposed roads along the Gulf of Oman, so echelons could be a threat when crosswinds start to rip up the peloton. Mostly running on level roads, the finale features a false flat that ends 3 kilometres before the line.

The first three riders on the line win time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while two intermediate sprints (at kilometre 20.2 and at kilometre 136.8) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.

Another interesting read: results/race report 5th stage 2019 UAE Tour.