Artificial climbs for Abu Dhabi Worlds?
After Tim Merlier lamented the plight of the sprinters in light of an artificial climb allegedly being prepared for the 2028 UCI Road World Championships in Abu Dhabi, Marca dug deeper to find details on the Al Wathba climb and other projects that could impact the Worlds route in three years.
The Al Wathba, already punchy enough to put riders to the test, is indeed growing. As Marca writes, "according to internal documents from the emirate consulted by civil engineering companies, the plan is to complete a much more challenging climb by 2028, approximately 3.8 km long, with an average gradient of around 6.5% and a final section that will reach nearly 11% over almost a kilometer. The last 250 meters could even reach 13%."
Moreover, the island of Hudayriyat has for some time now been the scene of efforts to engineer terrain for sporting purposes. The island features "a series of artificial slopes that already exceed several tens of meters in height," giving organizers plenty of options for putting together a race route that could, unfortunately for Merlier, prove challenging for the sprinters. [Marca]
