The Team Sky member, who is a five-time Grand Tour winner, says he still needs to recover fully from last week's event in Colombia.
The seven-stage tour gets underway on Monday.
The race starts in Abu Dhabi before ending in Dubai on March 2.
It is the only UCI World Tour race in the Middle East.
This year's inaugural edition will feature 20 teams from around the world.
Rutherford and Motie shine as West Indies sink England
Sherfane Rutherford struck an unbeaten half-century and Gudakesh Motie produced a brilliant display of spin bowling as West Indies thumped England by 30 runs in a Twenty20 World Cup Group C encounter on Wednesday.
Australia begin T20 World Cup with win over Ireland
Australia launched their Twenty20 World Cup campaign with a commanding 67-run victory over Ireland in Colombo on Wednesday, powered by four-wicket hauls from Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa.
Thomas Frank sacked by Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Thomas Frank after eight months in charge, the Premier League club said on Wednesday, after a woeful run of results left the north London club hovering five points above the relegation zone.
S Africa survive double Super Over drama against Afghanistan
South Africa survived Kagiso Rabada's final-over meltdown against Afghanistan and then a double Super Over drama before prevailing in a heart-stopping Group D match of the Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday.
Farhan fires Pakistan to 32-run win over US in T20 World Cup
Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan has hit a swift half-century as the 2009 champions comfortably beat the US by 32 runs on Tuesday, clinching their second straight Group A win in the Twenty20 World Cup.
The UAE's Federal Authority for Government Human Resources has announced the official working hours for federal entities during the holy month of Ramadan.
Team Kazakhstan “C” has been crowned the overall champion of the seventh edition of the UAE SWAT Challenge 2026.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended the final day of the seventh UAE SWAT Challenge at the Al Ruwayyah training ground in Dubai.
