With the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) selecting the dead flat roads of Abu Dhabi, UAE for both the 2028 UCI Gran Fondo and UCI Road World Championships, sprinters worldwide rejoiced at the thought of finally having a chance to win a coveted rainbow jersey.

After all, by the time the 2028 UCI Gran Fondo World Championship takes place in Abu Dhabi only three previous editions out of the last ten could be considered “sprinter friendly.”

But now, Spanish newspaper MARCA reports man-made “Mount Al Wathba” is rising out of the sand in a cycling sports complex on the outskirts of the desert city, apparently destined to be part of the 2028 world championships.

While the current Al Wathba climb is only 1.4 kilometers at 6 percent average gradient, next year it will approach 2.0 kilometers in length with 92 meters of vertical gain – including an 11 percent pitch at the summit.

But work on Mount Al Wathba will not end in 2026. According to MARCA, by 2028 “it will be approximately 3.8km long, with an average gradient of around 6.5 percent and a final section reaching nearly 11 percent for a kilometer. The last 250 meters could even reach 13 percent… precisely the kind of terrain where a pure sprinter begins to feel the effects of lactic acid.”

Sorry fast-twitchers, facing a climb of that magnitude at least once if not more during a world championship is likely to shatter any dreams of winning a world title in 2028.

While final routes for the 2028 UCI Gran Fondo and UCI Road World Championship remain a secret, the UCI and Abu Dhabi Sports Council (local organiser) cannot hide the mammoth mountain of sand sitting in the middle of the race venue.

Photo Credit: Aseez Abdul

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