The UAE Tour Women 2025, organized by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, kicks off tomorrow, and today six champions were the protagonists of the pre-race press conference: 2023 edition winner Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), two-time bronze medalist in the Olympic road race (2016 and 2020) and winner of the Giro d'Italia Donne in 2024; twelve-time world champion and Olympic cross-country skiing champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Team Visma | Ldease a Bike); European champion Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime), winner of three stages in the previous two editions; Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL), winner of two stages in the opening edition of the UAE Tour Women; French national champion Juliette Labous (FDJ - SUEZ), 2nd place in the 2023 Giro d'Italia Donne and 2021 World Champion Elisa Balsamo (Lidl – Trek), ready to debut in the UAE Tour Women. Here are their words

Elisa Longo Borghini: "Being in a new team, I'm very motivated to represent UAE Team ADQ here in the United Arab Emirates. I can't wait to race and I came here with great enthusiasm after an intense winter during which we tried to sort everything out quite early, new equipment, bikes, clothing, nutrition... I feel good and I'm quite ready to race, but I don't know exactly where I am with my condition. The general classification? It will be decided by the wind and the climb to Jebel Hafeet".

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot: "I'm quite happy to pedal in warm conditions for my big return for an entire road season. The team decided for me to start here in the group because the roads are wider compared to Valencia and it will be a good test on the Jebel Hafeet climb to compare myself with my rivals. It's been a good winter with my new team, even if this meant many changes for me".

Lorena Wiebes: "I'm back here with my 'guide' from last year Barbara Guarischi and the new arrival Marta Lach. We've trained together, we'll see if the train works in the race. So far my most beautiful memory of the UAE Tour is when I got my first victory for Team SD Worx in 2023. Last year, the entire UAE Tour was a great success for us with Lotte [Kopecky] winning the overall classification. This year's field has many strong sprinters and lead-outs, we're motivated to do well".

Charlotte Kool: "It's nice to be back here after skipping last year's edition. After my 2024 season ended with a broken collarbone, I had a chaotic winter with surgeries, equipment changes... It was a different winter. I think I'm ready but we'll see along the way. The UAE Tour stages are quite similar to those from two years ago, when I did really well. In every sport, it's nice to see a rivalry, with Lorena [Wiebes], we bring out the best in each other, but we're not the only two sprinters in this race, there's also Elisa [Balsamo] and other rivals, which makes this appointment really exciting".

Juliette Labous: "I'm happy to discover Jebel Hafeet and the UAE Tour Women. Everything is new for me here, even being part of a French team for the first time and it's really nice. I have no great expectations, it will be a nice race to test the legs and start the season. There's wind, so we'll need to be sharp in every stage, it's an exciting race for sprinters and climbers. It will be a nice week. With the Tour Down Under in Australia, the Vuelta a Valencia in Spain and the UAE Tour, we have more opportunities for women to start racing again, it's fantastic".

Elisa Balsamo: "I'm really happy to be in the United Arab Emirates for the first time. I know it's a kind of world championship for sprinters, so I can't wait to discover it, especially because I like racing in this weather and the temperatures we have here. We have a good team, we're ready to fight with lots of energy".

To learn more about the UAE Tour Women, including official race route details, jerseys and sponsors, visit www.theuaetourwomen.com.

START LIST

UAE Team ADQ
1 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa
2 BÄCKSTEDT Elynor
3 GILLESPIE Lara
4 PERSICO Silvia
5 SWINKELS Karlijn
6 VAN ROOIJEN Sofie*

AG Insurance - Soudal Team (WTW)
11 GOOSSENS Marthe*
12 (LE COURT) PIENAAR Kimberley
13 MOOLMAN Ashleigh
14P LUIMERS Ilse*
15 VERHULST-WILD Gladys
16 ŽIGART Urška

BePink - Imatra - Bongioanni
21 GRASSI Vittoria*
22 JENČUŠOVÁ Nora*
23 LAPORTA Linda
24 SEGATO Gaia*
25 UITERWIJK WINKEL Meike
26 VALTULINI Elisa*

CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto
31 CONSONNI Chiara
32 AINTILA Wilma*
33 CROMWELL Tiffany
34 DYGERT Chloé
35 NIEDERMAIER Antonia*
36 PALADIN Soraya

CERATIZIT Pro Cycling Team
41 BRAUßE Franziska
42B URLOVÁ Kristýna*
43 DE ZOETE Mylène
44 FIORIN Sara*
45 MIERMONT Dilyxine
46 ZSANKÓ Petra

Cofidis Women Team
51 ALZINI Martina
52 BEGO Julie*
53 BERTEAU Victoire
54 DIDERIKSEN Amalie
55 FORTIN Valentine
56 LUDWIG Hannah

EF Education-Oatly
62 BERTON Nina
63 JACKSON Alison
64 KERBAOL Cédrine
65 KESSLER Nina
66 VOLSTAD Alexandra*

FDJ - SUEZ
71 LABOUS Juliette
72 ADEGEEST Loes
73 CURINIER Léa
74 DEMAY Coralie
75 GUAZZINI Vittoria
76 VIGILIA Alessia

Fenix-Deceuninck
81 COUZENS Millie*
82 DE WILDE Julie*
83 KUIJPERS Evy
84 PERKINS Flora*
85 SCHREMPF Carina
86 SCHWEINBERGER Christina

Human Powered Health
91 COLES-LYSTER Maggie
92 MALCOTTI Barbara
93 KASPER Romy
94 SCHWEINBERGER Kathrin
95 WILLIAMS Lily
96 ZANARDI Silvia

Laboral Kutxa - Fundación Euskadi
101 ARZUFFI Alice Maria
102 BIRIUKOVA Yuliia
103 SILVESTRI Debora
104 TERUEL Alba
105 TOMASI Laura
106 TONETTI Cristina*

Lidl - Trek
111 BALSAMO Elisa
112 NORSGAARD Emma
113 DEIGNAN Elizabeth
114 MARKUS Riejanne
115 SANGUINETI Ilaria
116 WILSON-HAFFENDEN Felicity*

Liv AlUla Jayco
121 GARCÍA Mavi
122 KOREVAAR Jeanne
123 PATERNOSTER Letizia
124 TON Quinty
125 TREVISI Anna
126 TRINCA COLONEL Monica

Movistar Team
131BARIL Olivia
132 LLOYD Carys*
133 MACKAIJ Floortje
134 MAGALHÃES Ana Vitória
135 MEIJERING Mareille
136 RUIZ PÉREZ Lucía*

Roland
141 PIRRONE Elena
142 COSTON Morgane
143 GRIFFIN Mia
144 RYSZ Kaja
145 STIASNY Petra
146 SWINKELS Sylvie

St Michel - Preference Home - Auber93 WE
151 AVOINE Alison
152 CHEREAU Clémence*
153 GONZÁLEZ Alicia
154 NORMAND Adèle*
155 ROUSSEL Elyne*
156 THOMAS Ségolène

Team Picnic PostNL
161 KOOL Charlotte
162 BARBIERI Rachele
163 GEORGI Pfeiffer
164 JASTRAB Megan*
165 KOCH Franziska
166 VINKE Nienke*

Team SD Worx - Protime
171 WIEBES Lorena
172 CECCHINI Elena
173 GERRITSE Femke
174 GUARISCHI Barbara
175 LACH Marta
176 MARKUS Femke

Team Visma | Lease a Bike
181 FERRAND-PRÉVOT Pauline
182 ACHTEREEKTE Carlijn
183 BUNEL Marion*
184 FIDANZA Martina
185 VEENHOVEN Nienke*
186 VON BERSWORDT Sophie