KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Abu Dhabi's staging of the 2028 UCI Road World Championships is set to favour the sprinters rather than the climbers, according to an official at the world cycling body.
On the sidelines of the recently concluded UAE Tour 2026, Peter van den Abeele, the Belgian director at Union Cyclist Internationale (UCI), moved to end speculation over the race profile, which had persisted amid reports of an artificial climb being constructed near the UAE capital.
"It will definitely be a sprinters' World Championship," Van den Abeele revealed. "It was President David Lappartient's request to make it a sprinters' festival. It's been a while since there's been a World Championship for sprinters."
The course for what will be only the second World Championships staged in the Middle East is expected to be largely flat, with the UCI confirming that any rise in terrain will be negligible.
"There might be a 100-metre hill on the course, but that's it," Van den Abeele added, offering reassurance to the peloton's pure finishers that their hopes of rainbow-jersey glory will not be dashed.
This move effectively dispels rumours that an artificial climb was being planned on Hudayriyat Island to tilt the balance towards climbers in the general classification.
The construction project is still in the works and is understood to be part of wider tourism and cycling infrastructure development rather than a standout feature of the championship route.
For Abu Dhabi-based UAE Team Emirates XRG, whose talisman Tadej Pogačar is the reigning Tour de France and world champion, and one of the sport's most formidable climbers, this confirmation signals a markedly different challenge on home roads.
Pogačar has conquered mountainous circuits around the world in recent years, but a flat, bunch-sprint finale in 2028 would favour the specialist sprinters and the teams built around them. Further technical details of the 2028 road race route are expected in due course.
"It's been too long since sprinters stood on the podium wearing a rainbow jersey," Van den Abeele said. "The flat World Championships are coming, and the sprinters can rest easy."
The UCI official also confirmed that a new velodrome complex is being built in the emirate ahead of the 2029 Track World Championships.
"It's the most beautiful velodrome on the planet," he said. "The building, the architecture, and the track itself are stunning. It's not fully finished yet, but they're still working on a rooftop climb for outdoor cycling."