The race sets off from Al Marjan Island, a group of 4 coral-shaped islands in a man-made archipelago. Several resorts, beaches and other tourism destinations are located in the four islands, being one of the UAE's top tourism spots. The race begins with 64 pan-flat kilometres, the first uphill appears with 50 kilometres remaining. Basically, this is merely a false flat which runs until the base of the final climb, Jebel Jais. ...
Read moreThe race sets off from Al Marjan Island, a group of 4 coral-shaped islands in a man-made archipelago. Several resorts, beaches and other tourism destinations are located in the four islands, being one of the UAE's top tourism spots. The race begins with 64 pan-flat kilometres, the first uphill appears with 50 kilometres remaining. Basically, this is merely a false flat which runs until the base of the final climb, Jebel Jais. The last 20 kilometres go up at 5% on a carriageway, while the surrounds are barren and rocky. As if climbing on the moon.
Jebel Jais includes wide hairpins and the gradients are mostly 4 to 5% in the first part. The second half is slightly tougher with a steepest ramp of 9% inside the last 2 kilometres. Since the road is so shallow, drafting will likely come into play on the climb. Swirling winds could negate attacks and keep the group together, thus producing a sprint from a small group for the win. And since the climb is long, the drafting could force riders to stick together, rather than attacking for victory.
