Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office, on Monday greeted cyclists as they started Stage Two of the UAE Tour in Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Khaled encouraged the riders as they left Hudayriyat Island, the emirate’s main cycling centre, which features 28 kilometres of seaside cycling track, the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office reported.
The seven-stage UAE Tour, organised by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, is the only World Tour race in the Middle East. It will pass through five emirates before culminating at Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain on February 26.
The 176km stage will see them pass Abu Dhabi landmarks including Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Al Wathba Camel Track, before finishing at Abu Dhabi breakwater.
The UAE Tour is one of a growing number of world-class cycling events taking place in Abu Dhabi, including the 2022 and 2024 Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Urban Cycling World Championships, and the 2028 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
In November, Abu Dhabi was awarded "bike city" status by the UCI — the world governing body for cycling — in recognition of the emirate’s long-standing commitment to the UCI’s "cycling for all" strategy, as well as its efforts to promote cycling as a healthy activity, as a more sustainable means of transport, and as a competitive sport for amateurs and professionals.
It came as Abu Dhabi announced a series of new measures to encourage more people to take up cycling.
Planned infrastructure projects include a new 109-kilometre cycling track called the Abu Dhabi Loop and a 3,500-seat velodrome, called the Velodrome Hudayriyat, to be built on Hudayriyat Island.
Sheikh Khaled also at the time launched Bike Abu Dhabi, a new platform to lead the emirate’s long-term cycling ambitions to become a prime global cycling hub.
The organisation will work on cycling infrastructure projects and foster links between three critical elements for cycling growth: mobility, health and leisure, and sport.
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