UNDER-23 AND JUNIOR EVENTS

With a shark-tooth profile featuring berg-like climbs and even cobbles, the profile of the World Championship under-23 and junior road races might have been lifted straight from a northern classic.

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All they lack is the distance.

They all take place on a sinuous 13km circuit in and around the city centre, starting and finishing outside Kigali's Convention Centre. From there the riders descend north towards the top of the course before turning tightly back to begin the first of two climbs on the loop - the Côte de Kigali Golf (800m at 8.1%).

After a sharp descent down the city's KN5 Road, the riders loop round again to begin the cobbled ascent of the Côte de Kimihurura (1.3km at 6.1%).

While the profile may look like something out of the early-season one-day calendar, the Kimihurura cobbles are far more civilised than the rough setts the riders will be accustomed to in Northern Europe.

The top of the climb, on paper, is not, in fact, the top of the climb in practice, and the riders continue to ascend more gradually for another kilometre to the line.

Each category will complete a set number of laps as follows: U23 men - 11 laps / 164.6km / 3,350m climbing; junior men and U23 women - 8 laps / 119.3km / 2,435m; junior women - 5 laps / 74km / 1,520m.

The U23 and junior time trials will also finish outside the conference centre, with a nearby start at the BK Arena. The course snakes southwards through the city towards the Côte de Nyanza, before doubling back along the same road, splitting off east to tackle the Kimihurura climb on the way back.