With Jonathan Milan's hat-trick at the Abu Dhabi Breakwater finish line and Isaac del Toro leading the general classification ahead of Antonio Tiberi, the curtain fell yesterday on the 2026 UAE Tour. However, cycling and cycling competitions in the Emirates continue to be the subject of discussion because, as Fabrizio d'Amico, director of the UAE Tour and Chief Operating Officer of RCS Sport and Events dmcc, explained to our Carlo Malvestio, "Cycling has become a national sport" so much so that, as is well known, the International Cycling Union has chosen the Emirates as the stage for the 2030 World Championships.

Despite years still remaining before the world championship races, discussions about the course have been ongoing for some time. Will it be a sprinters' world championship or will it smile on climbers and stage racers? Will there really be an artificial hill to "toughen up" the course? Responding to his colleague Malvestio, d'Amico confirmed that "They are building an artificial hill in the Hudayriyat Island area" but also added that "It's still too early to reveal the details".

Over the weekend, Peter Van den Abeele also weighed in on the matter. The Belgian, an official at the Union Cycliste Internationale, told Sporza that the 2028 edition will certainly be "a World Championship for sprinters," adding: "President David Lappartient requested to make it a festival of sprinters. It's been a while since the last sprinters' world championship".

In fact, to "find" a true sprinters' World Championship, you have to go back in memory to Copenhagen 2011, when Mark Cavendish conquered the rainbow jersey by beating Matthew Goss and André Greipel. Cannonball then finished second in 2016 in Doha, beaten by Peter Sagan: that year in Qatar, Italy placed fifth thanks to Nizzolo and celebrated the junior title with Elisa Balsamo.

Peter Van den Abeele closed his remarks with what sounds like reassurance for the sprinters: "On the 2028 World Championship course, there will perhaps be a hundred-meter hill. Sprinters can sleep soundly".