Remco Evenepoel prepares for 'discovery ride': "Riding blind uphill"

After the individual time trial, Remco Evenepoel holds the best cards to win the UAE Tour, but the Belgian still needs to survive two mountain stages first. Today marks the first uphill showdown on a climb unfamiliar to many, including the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe leader.

For the pure climbers, the key was to minimize losses in the flat time trial to strike back the next day. The finish of the third stage is atop Jebel Mobrah, a newcomer to the UAE Tour. The climb is shorter than the well-known Jebel Jais, which is no longer in the race, but notably steeper.

The last seven kilometers are especially brutal: averaging twelve percent gradient, with spikes up to a hefty 17%. “What do we need to know about that final climb? We’ll have to ask the UAE team,” Evenepoel said with a wink to Sporza. “They’ve ridden it before, if I’m not mistaken.”

“The only thing I can say is that it’s a very tough climb,” said Evenepoel, who hasn’t even seen the ascent with his own eyes yet. “It will be a bit of a wait-and-see because you don’t know how tough the next kilometer will be. It’s going to be a discovery ride. Call it riding uphill blind.”

What does the GC leader see as the most likely race scenario? “It’s difficult, so there will definitely be gaps. But it could also come down to a sprint with three riders like we saw on Jebel Hafeet. We’ll arrive at the foot fresh since it’s not tough beforehand. All scenarios are possible.”