"I can assure you that it won’t be as tough": Organizer hints 2028 World Championships could include an artificial climb

The 2028 World Championships parcours have been a topic of discussions ever since Tim Merlier made a half-joking comment about UAE authorities building an artificial mountain in the expected racing site in Abu Dhabi. Only for these rumours to start to turn out to be true. And suddenly, the dream of a World Championships for sprinters, first since the 2016-2017 editions won by Peter Sagan, is gone.

The investigations of MARCA led to the finding that what Merlier proposed slightly ironically seems to be truth. The Al Wathba hill is already the most prominent feature on the Hudayriyat Island, but now an extra steep section is being built on top of this climb, the Spanish outlet reports. And with that in mind, it can be expected Al Wathba or another climb will be a part of the 2028 World Championships course, something UAE Tour director Fabrizio D’Amico doesn't disapprove.

"It’s still too early to reveal the details," the Italian makes an attempt to divert from the public secret in an interview with Tuttobiciweb. In any case, the "new" ascent isn't being built "just for Pogacar" - is the message.

"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."

In any case, D'Amico wishes to stress out that sprinters won't be without chances in 2028 even if the parcours won't be completely flat. At the end of the day, a bit of climbing combined with some echelons could be the right recipe for an extremely exciting race with a wide range of favourites, not only climbers or sprinters.

"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," he concludes.