UAE Tour 2021 Route stage 3: Al Ain - Jebel Hafeet

Tuesday 23 February - The GC battle kicks it up a notch on the third day of the UAE Tour. At 166 kilometres, the riders travel from Al Ain to a summit finish at Jebel Ḥafeeṫ. The finish climb is 10.8 kilometres long and averages 6.6%.

The 3rd stage is almost a carbon copy of last year's 5th stage, which turned out to be the final race of that edition due to Covid-19 infections in the peloton. Tadej Pogacar outgunned Alexey Lutsenko on the line, while Adam Yates finished in third to seal the overall victory.

This stage starts on the border with Oman, in Al Ain, to penetrate the desert. Following a large and entirely flat loop the riders return to Al Ain. They move through the city to take the Jebel Ḥafeeṫ Mountain Road, which is a three-lane roadway that goes up for 10.8 kilometres.

The Jebel Ḥafeeṫ climb remains wide all the way to the line, while the average gradient sits at 6.6%. The slope is hovering between 8% to 9% from kilometre 4 to kilometre 8 and kicks up to 11% with 2.8 kilometres remaining. The road then levels out and even features a small descent just before the final ramp that leads up to the line, just after a tight left-hand bend.

Jebel Hafeet served two times as finish climb in 2020. Adam Yates laid the ground work for his overall win in the first of two stages, finishing 1 minute ahead of Pogacar.

The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while two intermediate sprints – at kilometre 28.6 and at kilometre 152.5 – come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.

Another interesting read: results 3rd stage 2021 UAE Tour.