Latest World Championships in modern history - 2028 Abu Dhabi event pushed back by one week

The 2028 UCI Road World Championships have been pushed back one week, making the championships set to be one of the latest editions in modern history. Abu Dhabi is set to host a desert edition of the championships, with the Emirati event primed to be a battle of the sprinters.

The UCI Management Committee has approved a change to the dates of the championships after discussions with the local organiser. Originally scheduled for 15 to 22 October 2028, it will now take place from 22 to 29 October, they confirmed in a press release.

According to the UCI, the later dates are expected to offer more favourable weather conditions, with the Middle East region prone to higher Summer and Autumn temperatures, making racing difficult in extreme temperatures.

In recent years, the events have been held in late September. However, in 2016, the Qatar World Championships were held from from October 9th to 16th. The move means that the event will be among the latest championships in recent memory and will form the natural conclusion of the 2028 season.

Official route details for the championships are expected to be announced later this year. It emerged over winter that an artificial hill could be constructed at 2028 World Championships in a move seen to ensure the parcours could be more selective with a high level of climbing - similar to that of the most recent editions of the rainbow jersey battle.

UCI director of sports Peter Van den Abeele later played down those concerns earlier this year, confirming that it would remain a World Championships for the sprinters.

“It will certainly be a sprinters’ World Championships,” Van den Abeele told Sporza. “It was the request of president David Lappartient to make it a festival for sprinters. It has been quite some time since we had a Worlds designed specifically for them.”