Jebel Hafeet and the UAE Tour are inextricably linked. In its three years of existence the race saw four stages finish at the flanks of the mountain. Alejandro Valverde took the win in 2019, while both Adam Yates and Tadej Pogacar emerged victorious in 2020 – the edition with two finishes on Jebel Hafeet. Last year, those two also emerged with Pogacar outgunning Yates in a two-up sprint.
The decisive last stage of the UAE Tour starts on the border with Oman, in Al Ain, to penetrate the desert. Following a large and entirely flat loop the riders return to Al Ain. They move through the city to take the Jebel Ḥafeeṫ Mountain Road, which is a three-lane roadway that goes up for 10.8 kilometres.
The Jebel Ḥafeeṫ climb remains wide all the way to the line, while the average gradient sits at 6.6%. The slope is hovering between 8% to 9% from kilometre 4 to kilometre 8 and kicks up to 11% with 2.8 kilometres remaining. The road then levels out considerably and even goes downhill for a moment.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 7.
Another interesting read: results stage 7 and final GC 2022 UAE Tour.
UAE Tour 2022 – stage 7: route, profiles, more
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