Vingegaard, Del Toro, Evenepoel set for blockbuster pre-Tour de France brawl next month on brutal new climb.(Photo: Getty Images)
Updated January 22, 2026 05:58AM
The UAE Tour presented the big dogs of the Tour de France with a somewhat unexpected, very ugly test of early-season form when it launched its 2026 route.
Jonas Vingegaard,Remco Evenepoel,and Isaac del Toro learned this week they’ll scale the UAE’s own Angliru when they face off at the Emirati race next month.
Featuring for the first time in 2026, the jebel Mobrah isn’t one of the smooth, shallow summits so typical to the UAE.
it’s not been manufactured, either.
Judging by the stats, it’s a true leg-snapper that would hold its own in the Alps or Pyrénées.
The sandy, stoney peak sprawls across 17km and averages a lung-busting 12 percent gradient through the final 6km. The climb pretty much points skyward in the final kilometer with repeated 17 percent ramps.
there’s no harder climb on the WorldTour calendar ahead of the Giro d’Italia.
UAE Tour includes a new mountain, Jebel Mobrah. 🏔️
Basically a high-way version of Alto de L’Angliru, as the last 5.75 kms are 12% average, with gradients up to 17%. 📈 [image]
