'A crazy hard climb, grim, so unique' – Riders hold their breath for new monster summit finish to shake up UAE Tour GC battle on stage 3

JEBEL HAFEET, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - FEBRUARY 23: Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates - Red Leader Jersey, Giulio Ciccone of Italy and Team Lidl-Trek, Oscar Onley of The United Kingdom and Team Picnic PostNL, Finn Fisher-Black of New Zealand and Team Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe, Pello Bilbao Lopez De Armentia of Spain and Team Bahrain Victorious, Pablo Castrillo Zapater of Spain and Team Movistar Team, Ivan Romeo Abad of Spain and Team Movistar Team, Ramses Debruyne of Belgium and Team Alpecin-Deceuninck, Patrick Konrad of Austria and Team Lidl-Trek, William Junior Lecerf of Belgium and Team Soudal Quick-Step and Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue of Colombia and XDS Astana Team compete in the breakaway during the 7th UAE Tour, Stage 7 a 176km stage from Al Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium to Jebel Hafeet 1031m / #UCIWWT / on February 23, 2025 in Jebel Hafeet, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images).

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.