The second edition of the Dubai Tour received a major boost after the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Management Committee yesterday announced the stage race has been upgraded, allowing more professional teams to take part in the event.

The Management Committee, held in conjunction with the 2014 UCI Road World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain, has confirmed the dates of the next edition of Dubai Tour, which will take place from February 4-7, 2015.

The committee also decided to reclassify the stage race from category 2.1 in the UCI Asia Tour calendar to category 2.HC (above categorisation, from French hors catégorie) in the same calendar.

This change is an important moment for the young stage race, which in its sophomore year will see an increase in the maximum number of UCI ProTeams that can participate from 50 per cent to 70 per cent of the field.

The 2015 Dubai Tour, organised by the Dubai Sports Council in partnership with RCS Sport, will now feature more stars of the sport. 

The inaugural edition of the event brought to Dubai blockbuster names like Mark Cavendish and Fabian Cancellara and featured some of the world’s top teams including Omega Pharma-Quickstep, Cannondale, Giant-Shimano, Lampre-Merida and Trek Factory Racing.

Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team) won the General Classification, while sprinter Marcel Kittel (Team Giant-Shimano) took three stages.