Majid Al Balooshi, 29, only took up cycling competitively in 2010 when he joined A Nasr. Since then he has been racing to make up for lost time, winning gold in the scratch race at the 2015 Arab Championships at Zayed Velodrome in Sharjah and becoming one of the country’s top cyclists. He sees Emirati Olympian Yousif Mirza as his role model, and the two are part of the newly set up Al Nasr Pro Cycling Team-Dubai competing in the Dubai Tour.
Tell us about Al Nasr Pro Cycling Team-Dubai.
We are going through a special time for cycling in the UAE. In the past two years, there has been huge progress in the sport and the country has embraced cycling. At the same time, at Al Nasr and for the UAE national team we have tried as much as we can to improve our performances, and we are capable of achieving better results – whether we are competing at local, Gulf or Arab level, or even Asian level. We had good results before setting up this continental team, but we need to interact with and learn from the world’s best riders, as we are still beginners.
Why is cycling suddenly so popular in the UAE?
The UAE’s leadership have embraced cycling and actually participate in the sport on a continuous basis. Their interest, backing and funding has given a big motivation for the people of the country to take up cycling, whether just for exercise or competitively.
What’s unique about cycling is that you can enjoy it for hours whether you’re an amateur or a professional and it rarely results in injuries.
In the coming years, I expect us to have a very solid base for cycling in this country.
See more: The National's Dubai Tour 2016 preview coverage and reporting
What factors have helped increase participation?
Until recently, cycling was not a sport that people in the Emirates paid much attention to. But having favourable weather conditions means it can be practised for long periods, especially at this time of the year, which has seen many riders from other countries set up training bases here. Of course, in the summer it is too hot in the Emirates and cycling is perhaps more useful to lose weight.
What does the future hold for cycling in UAE?
The UAE has a clear vision and long-terms plans for cycling. There has been the development of many cycling tracks. First stage was to educate people about cycling, and I expect that on Dubai’s streets there will be dedicated lanes like you see in countries with advanced cycling cultures.
More people will take it up if tracks and services continue to develop.
Also, it is our job as riders to be role models to the country’s youth. If you set a good example, it will be picked up by the younger generation, which I expect to be even stronger than ours.
How do you see Al Nasr faring at the Dubai Tour?
We are still a new team, but already we are acclimatising to each other. Everyone knows their role in the team. Entering Dubai Tour at this early stage I am confident that we will put on some good performances. But I don’t think that we will achieve winning results just yet, as we are still a very new team.
akhaled@thenational.ae
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