After riders complained of extreme heat at the Abu Dhabi Tour earlier his month, UCI President Brian Cookson says he is worried about similar conditions for the 2016 Road Worlds, which will beheld at the same time next year in nearby Qatar.

“Obviously we need to be mindful of the health aspects. We will have the Extreme Weather Protocol in place and we will operate under that,” Cookson told Cyclingnews.

Cookson says that he thinks that despite warm temperatures for Qatar, the riders will be ok and cool enough to race. But he says he will put rider safety ahead of the racing should temperatures reach the 35-40 degress Celsius that they did in Abu Dhabi.

“All the indications are that it won’t be quite as hot in Qatar as it was in Abu Dhabi,” Cookson said. “The UCI World Championships will be held a little bit later than the Abu Dhabi Tour and I’ve been told that the temperatures that the riders raced in were exceptional. I think we will be okay but we will be mindful of the riders’ health. Riders' health will take precedence.”