When the UCI announced last week the ancient desert city of AlUla, Saudi Arabia had been awarded the 2028 UCI Gravel World Championships, they forgot to point out the city sponsors another world caliber endurance sporting event – with a doping problem.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup is a 120 kilometer horse race across the AlUla desert that is very similar to a gravel bike race, where in 2023 almost half (47%) of the participants tested returned a positive result for banned performance enhancing drugs in their horses – kind of like pro cycling in the 1990s.

The doping problem is so bad the UCI’s sibling international governing body for equestrian sports (Fédération Equestre Internationale or FEI ) is considering sanctioning or banning events in Saudia Arabia due to apparent wide-spread doping. One competitor, Rafea Alamri, was banned 7 years for doping violations, including at The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup.

As for the 2028 UCI Gravel World Championships, even though the route has not been announced, the same rugged, shadeless and unforgiving deep sand desert paths used for the endurance horse race are likely to be key features at the world championships. The event will not be for the faint of heart, out of almost 200 competitors in the horse race, only 64 reached the finish line – and that was in cool spring weather conditions on doped-up horses.

September temperatures, when the gravel worlds typically take place, average over 40C (104F) and barely dip below 27C (79F) at night. Gravel riders hoping to win a world title and rainbow jersey will certainly want time to acclimatize to the harsh desert conditions.

Getting to AlUla (population ~40,000) in the northwest part of the country will not be easy either, requiring a lengthy and tiresome journey for most participants. Estimates for elapsed travel time via air from Europe to AlUla currently range from 17-24 hours and 40-60 hours from North America, home to the largest population of gravel racers.

Why did the UCI select AlUla?

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was willing to make financial guarantees to the UCI as part of its plans to build the region into a global cycling destination, including future road, gravel, and mountain biking networks, plus cultural tourism-focused sites and events.

Photo Credit: experiencealula.com

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