Echelons could be lurking as early as stage 1. Start and finish are in Madinat Zayed, while the flat route goes back and forth to the Moreeb Due in Rub al Khali desert south of the Liwa Oasis.
The 2nd stage is even flatter. Echelons are less likely, since the route mostly runs through metropolitan area. The finish lies at Abu Dhabi Breakwater, where Caleb Ewan won last year.
Time trialists will have it their way on stage 3. The ITT is 9 kilometres long, and flat.
The first of two mountain top finishes happens on Wednesday. Stage 4 finishes on Jebel Jais, a climb of 21.1 kilometres long with an average gradient of 5.4%.
Stage 5 and stage 6 are tailor-made for fast finishers before stage 7 will be the decisive final test. The finale takes place on Jebel Hafeet, a 10.8 kilometres ascent at 6.6%. The section at the heart of the climb is where the GC action is likely to take places, as this rises at 8% to 9% for almost 4 kilometres.
UAE Tour 2022: routes
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stage 4
stage 5
stage 6
stage 7 Watch the highlights of recent races here:
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