Chris Froome (Ineos) starts his comeback in the UAE Tour, this February 23 to 29. It will mark his return after breaking his right leg last June and an eight-month absence from competition.

Join Pro to watch the UAE Tour live and on-demand in the US and Canada

The UAE Tour begins in Dubai this year and covers seven stages. Froome, winner of four Tour de France titles, last raced in stage three of the Critérium du Dauphiné on June 11. He broke his leg in Roanne, France, on June 12 while training for the race's time trial.

"I'm really excited about getting back to racing at the UAE Tour," he said.

"I've come off a good block of training in Gran Canaria and look forward to taking the next step in my recovery and getting back to full strength."

The WorldTour race includes the summit finish stage to Jebel Hafeet. However, this year the organizer excludes a time trial stage and the Jebel Jais summit finish that Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) won on his way to the overall title.

The 34-year-old Brit will race alongside Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), Wout Poels, Mark Cavendish (both Bahrain-McLaren), Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal), Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quick Step), and Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe).

For Froome, this is the first step back to racing to his goal of winning a fifth Tour de France title. It will be a massive challenge since in addition to a broken leg, he suffered a broken hip, a fractured elbow and fractured ribs.

"The only appointment I've set myself is the Tour de France," said Froome last week. "The prospect of going for a fifth yellow jersey is massive for me.

"It's such a motivation [to tie the record of five Tour wins]. On top of that now, coming back from this injury, it's even more reason for me to try to get back there.

"There are no guarantees in sport, there are no guarantees that I'll be back to challenge for it, but I'm going to give it absolutely everything I've got."

The UAE Tour Stages
Stage 1: Marjan Island Stage (158km), Zabeel Park - Marjan Island
Stage 2: Dubai Municipality Stage (203km), The Pointe - Hatta Dam
Stage 3: Sharjah Stage (198km), Sharjah - Rafisah Dam
Stage 4: Dubai Stage (171km), Dubai Design District - Dubai City Walk
Stage 5: Al Ain Stage (162km), Al Ain - Jebel Hafeet
Stage 6: ADNOC Stage (158km), Al Ruwais - Al Mirfa
Stage 7: Abu Dhabi Stage (127km), Al Maryah Island - Abu Dhabi Breakwater