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'It won't be as tough as Rwanda' - Abu Dhabi Worlds organisation plays down impact of artificial climb
The 2028 World Championships course in Abu Dhabi will reportedly not be as demanding as the three that precede it, despite the possible inclusion of an artificial climb that looks well tailored to UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Tadej Pogacar.
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When Abu Dhabi was first awarded the World Championships, the expectation was that the course would provide an opportunity for the sprinters in the manner of Doha in 2016. Over the winter, however, Tim Merlier raised the alarm that the race would be routed onto an artificial hill that is being constructed at Hudayriyat Island, scene of the stage 2 time trial on this year’s UAE Tour.
Speaking to Tuttobiciweb, UAE Tour director Fabrizio D’Amico – who is also part of the 2028 Worlds organisation – declined to confirm the inclusion of the climb on the course, but he downplayed its difficulty relative to recent Worlds.
“It’s still too early to reveal the details,” D’Amico said. “It’s true that they’re building an artificial hill in the Hudayriyat Island area, but that’s a project that was conceived even before the World Championships were awarded to Abu Dhabi. The idea is to offer those who train a different route that allows them to do a bit of climbing, so they don’t have to drive an hour or an hour and a half every time they want to find a climb.
“Who knows, it might also come in handy for the Worlds, but I can assure you that it won’t be as tough as Rwanda, Canada, or Haute-Savoie next year.”
The two most recent World Championships have taken place on very demanding courses, and the trend will continue for the next two years. The elite men’s road race in Zurich in 2024 featured some 4,291m of climbing, while Tadej Pogacar claimed his second successive rainbow jersey in Kigali last September after 5,475m of climbing.
The elite men’s road race at this year’s Worlds in Montreal will take in 3,720m of total climbing, while the elite men will take on an eyewatering 5,700m of total altitude gain on the Haute-Savoie course in 2027.
A number of riders opted against competing at the Kigali Worlds due to the difficulty of the course, including 2023 world champion Mathieu van der Poel. The Leuven Worlds in 2021 was the last time an elite men’s road race featured less than 3,000m of total climbing, while the Doha Worlds in 2016 was the last time the race’s total altitude gain was lower than 2,000m.
