Key points :
Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier, the two standout sprinters of the 2025 Tour de France, will go head-to-head at the sixth edition of the AlUla Tour, from 27 to 31 January.
For the first time, the Saudi race is classified in the ProSeries category.
The finish at Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah (Stage 3) has been redesigned, and the battle for overall victory is expected to be decided on the final day at the Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid.
The promotion of the AlUla Tour to ProSeries status, for the sixth edition of the event launched in 2020 under the name Saudi Tour, comes with the first participation of Lidl-Trek and the return of Jonathan Milan, who vividly remembers winning at Shalal Sijlyat Rocks—his third victory among the 25 that now make up his professional palmarès. In 2022 and 2023, the Saudi Tour marked the start of the season for the young Italian, then riding for Bahrain Victorious. He has since become a sprint powerhouse, claiming two stage wins and the points classification at the most recent Tour de France.
The other major sprinter with two victories last July is Tim Merlier, who made the AlUla Tour his hunting ground in 2024 and 2025 in Milan’s absence. Two wins out of five stages was the price he exacted in each of his two appearances in Saudi Arabia.
The AlUla Tour is a favorite among sprinters, who know they can find three opportunities to launch their season in winning fashion. This will again be the case this year, with returns to historically rich locations in a tourist region famed for the archaeological site of Hegra, its Nabataean tombs, the remains of Dadan, the Sharaan Nature Reserve, Elephant Rock, and more. The Camel Cup Track (Stage 1), AlManshiyah Train Station (Stage 2) and Shalal (Stage 4) are venues where Jonathan Milan or Tim Merlier have already triumphed, and they will once again host what is expected to be a bunch sprint, with no shortage of ambitious challengers beyond the Italian and the Belgian. Matteo Moschetti, winner of last year’s final stage at the Camel Cup Track, and Arvid de Kleijn, runner-up there two years ago, are ready to take up the challenge. Matteo Malucelli, Daniel Skerl, Iuri Leitao, Jason Tesson and Milan Fretin are among the other fast men on the start list.
The succession to Tom Pidcock—third at the most recent Vuelta and whose only stage-race victory to date is the 2025 AlUla Tour—will partly be shaped on the third day, although the finish at Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah, where the Briton won last year, has been reworked. There will be no circuit this time, and the finish will be approached from the opposite direction, with the final climb extending over 4.9 km at an average gradient of 5.1%, including the last two kilometres at a steady 7%. The queen stage remains the Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid, where Maxim Van Gils in 2022, Ruben Guerreiro in 2023, Simon Yates in 2024 and Tom Pidcock in 2025 each claimed both the stage and the overall victory.
While it is clear where the race is likely to be won, Ireland’s Eddie Dunbar—presented last year as Pidcock’s main challenger—now has experience of a race that can be lost on any day due to crosswinds. That has not discouraged him, as he returns to Saudi Arabia as leader of the defending champion’s team (Pinarello–Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team). Meanwhile, his former employer, Team Jayco-AlUla, fields an attacking duo in Paul Double, winner of the Tour of Guangxi last October, and Alan Hatherly, one of last year’s revelations at the AlUla Tour, sixth overall in his first season transitioning from mountain biking (bronze medallist at the Paris Olympic Games) to the road.
For the established riders, the threat will also come from the new generation of modern cycling talents who no longer hesitate to shake up the hierarchy. Topping the list is 19-year-old Slovenian Jakob Omrzel, winner of the Giro Next Gen and a new recruit to WorldTour team Bahrain Victorious. Jan Christen, 21, and Igor Arrieta, 23, are expected to carry on the legacy of Tadej Pogačar at UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Nicolas Vinokourov, 23, continues to progress with XDS Astana Team. Jaume Guardeño, 22, 14th on his debut at the 2025 Vuelta, is emerging as the next great Spanish climber within Caja Rural-Seguros RGA.
A new adventure begins in Saudi Arabia for the newly created American team Modern Aventure Pro Cycling, led by South African Stefan de Bod, who finished fifth last year at Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah while riding for Malaysia’s Terengganu CT. “Promotion to ProSeries no longer obliges us to invite the top Asia Tour teams, but we are maintaining the participation of Terengganu CT and Japan’s Team Ukyo, who have always performed well in this race,” explains Jean-Marc Marino, architect of the AlUla Tour route. The inclusion of the Saudi Arabian and Omani national teams also reflects the organisers’ commitment to contributing to the development of cycling in Asia and the Middle East.
Stages
Stage 1, 27/01: AlUla Camel Cup Track – AlUla Camel Cup Track, 158 km
Stage 2, 28/01: AlManshiyah Train Station – AlManshiyah Train Station, 152 km
Stage 3, 29/01: Winter Park – Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah, 142.1 km
Stage 4, 30/01: Winter Park – Shalal Sijlyat Rocks, 184 km
Stage 5, 31/01: AlUla Old Town – Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid, 163.9 km
Teams
WorldTour: Bahrain Victorious, Lidl-Trek, Team Jayco-AlUla, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Soudal Quick-Step, Team Picnic-PostNL, XDS Astana Team.
ProTeams: Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, TotalEnergies, Tudor Pro Cycling Team, Cofidis, Modern Aventure Pro Cycling.
Continental and national teams: Terengganu Cycling Team, Team Ukyo, Saudi national team, Oman national team.
