“Second coronation”: Milan wins the Dubai stage of the 2026 UAE Tour

Italian Jonathan Milan achieved his second successive victory by winning the title of the fifth stage (Dubai stage) today, Friday, of the 2026 UAE Tour, which is organized by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Ports Group, and its competitions continue until February 22nd.

The Lidl-Trek team cyclist covered the distance of the stage, which was sponsored by the Dubai Sports Council, and amounted to 166 km, with a time of 3 hours, 33 minutes and 18 seconds. Norwegian Erland Blekra, rider of the Uno X Mobility team, came in second place, while Italian Matteo Malucelli, rider of the Kazakh XDS Astana team, came in third.
Italian Antonio Tiberi, a rider for the Bahrain Victorias team, retained the red jersey sponsored by Abu Dhabi Ports Group, which is allocated to the leader of the overall standings, after recording a total time of 14 hours, 45 minutes and 37 seconds in the five stages. The stage champion, Milan, snatched the green jersey, sponsored by Mubadala, to lead the points standings, raising its score to 50 points. Tiberi also kept the white jersey sponsored by Burjeel Holding for the best young rider under 25 years of age, while the black jersey remained sponsored by the house for the middle speed leader with Sylvain Dillier, rider of the Alpecin Premier Tech team.
The start of the stage was given by the Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, Saeed Hareb, and the Executive Director of the Events Sector at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Talal Al Hashemi.
The stage witnessed a distinguished air show that decorated the skies of Dubai, presented by the “Emirates Knights” team with professional performances that dazzled the audiences and added an exceptional festive atmosphere to the global event, embodying the spirit of pride and pride and the status of the tour on the international scene.
A gesture of loyalty
In a special gesture of loyalty to the late Osama Al Shafar, may God have mercy on him, in appreciation of his generous career in the service of Emirati sports and his contributions to consolidating the values ​​of excellence and belonging, his two sons, Ahmed and Yahya, were honored on the podium in the midst of an official and public presence, in a gesture of appreciation and gratitude for his sports career and legacy.
The winners were crowned by Dr. Mansour Al Awar, President of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, Arif Hamad Al Awani, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council Saeed Hareb, General Motors Middle East and Africa representative Rohan Fernandez, Abu Dhabi Ports Group representative Ferdinand Velhoven, Mubadala representative Hessa Al Bahili, Burjeel Holding representative Ahmed bin Sulaiman, Aldar representative Sonia Erakovic, and Director Projects Principal at Abu Dhabi Sports Council Adnan Shaheen.

For his part, the champion Milan said after his victory that he benefited from his experience in last year’s edition, and realized the importance of positioning in the decisive meters, praising the role of his team in controlling the course of the stage and preparing it for the final start, expressing his happiness with the victory, and stressing his aspiration to achieve a new victory on Sunday, even though the next mountain stage may not suit him.

The penultimate stage
The sixth and penultimate stage (sponsored by Burjeel Holding) of the 2026 UAE Tour begins tomorrow, Saturday, February 21, from the Al Ain Museum, passing through the most prominent landmarks of the city, reaching the finish line at the top of Jebel Hafeet, for a total distance of 168 km.