Riders are bracing themselves for a brutal new climb to shake up the racing at the UAE Tour, Jebel Mobrah. The 14.9km ascent on the border of Ras al Khaimah and Fujairah averages a 12% gradient and only gets harder towards the top.
A relatively straightforward 168 kilometres of racing heads out of Umm al Quwain, bringing the riders to the foot of the lower slopes on stage 3. There are four kilometres at 7.6% set to wake up the legs before the final 7km climb to the line averages a stinging 12% average gradient.
It's not quite as vicious as the slopes of the Alto de l'Angliru or Monte Zoncolan, but hot temperatures could play a part. It's a rare chance to see a pure climbing battle between the likes of race leader Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and all those looking to upset the two pre-race favourites.
Stage 2 runner-up Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) didn't have many words to describe it: "Grim, isn't it, grim," he told Cyclingnews, but he did admit that, "I think it's going to be good for the race, and better for the climbers, so it's gonna be a toss-up."
On his first race for Lidl-Trek and looking to get his career back on track after a messy split from Israel-Premier Tech, Derek Gee-West was certainly apprehensive of the gradients, especially being brought in as a late replacement for the ill Giulio Ciccone.
"I'm definitely a bigger GC guy, and to be honest, I hadn't even thought about the race until Giulio got sick, and then I looked at the climb, and I went, 'Oh, that's something'," he told Cyclingnews.
"So I don't know if I will be able to get all 70 of my kilos over those gradients so easily, but I think it should be a good test, and I've never seen a climb that hard, so I'm excited to see what it's like."
After years of a Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet combination deciding the GC race between the climbers, with the latter usually bringing the curtain down on the race for red, the Canadian champion expected this new climb could be where the cream really rises to the top.
"To be quite honest, I think the gaps are going to be so massive on a climb like that – obviously, you can never know how it's gonna be raced or how people are gonna tackle a climb that is so unique – but just on paper, it looks so hard that it seems like the entire race will be decided," said Gee-West.
After trading blows on the opening two stages with respective wins, Evenepoel and Del Toro will be vying for the top spot on Wednesday, with the Mexican having 32 seconds to make up overall after the Belgian's display of strength in the stage 2 time trial.
Gee-West, racing for the first time since June, isn't particularly expecting himself to be in the fight, but admits that the harshness of the gradients, which reach 17% at their steepest, could mean he has the perfect view for a huge early GC clash to unfold in front of him.
"It'll be really interesting. I mean, if you saw the breakout year that Isaac had last year, I'm really curious to see how he starts this year," Gee-West said.
"Obviously, Remco has already come in flying form and won a bunch of races, almost what you expect from a double Olympic champ. I think it'll be a good fight, no matter how close or far away from them I am, on 12% I'll be able to watch it," he laughed. "So I'm really curious to see just how those two teams play it."
Del Toro himself described the ascent as "a crazy hard climb" after winning stage 1, and he had actually been to look at it, according to Adam Yates, who could also thrive, as one of the pure featherweight climbers at the race.
Also looking to upset the two top dogs should be Decathlon CMA CGM's Felix Gall, Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla) and Il Lombardia podium finisher Michael Storer (Tudor Pro). But with the way Evenepoel has been going since he joined the German team and kicked things off with several bangs, he looked the man to beat at Jebel Mobrah, with Del Toro needing to attack.
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