Abu Dhabi’s first professional cycling race will take place in October next year.
The Abu Dhabi Tour will be a four-day stage race that is part of the Asia Tour calendar of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the Abu Dhabi Sports Council announced yesterday.
The race will take place from October 8 to11 and feature top teams with cyclists competing to be the first Abu Dhabi Tour champion.
The announcement comes less than a year after the inaugural Dubai Tour cycling race in February. Next year's Dubai race is scheduled for February 4 to 7.
The growth of cycling in the region can be seen with the Tour of Oman, which began in 2010. Qatar also has its own race, which has expanded since it was first held in 2002 to a six-stage men’s race and a four-stage women’s race.
Full details about the tour route in the capital are to be announced in June, the sports council said.
Abu Dhabi is becoming a destination for international sporting events, said Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
Cycling has become very popular in the capital and is a clear indication of the kind of welcome the Abu Dhabi Cycling Tour will receive, he said.
The country’s leaders plan to strengthen sport in the UAE and help local athletes prepare to compete at local and international levels.
“We warmly welcome all teams and guests who will be coming to the UAE to be part of the Abu Dhabi Tour,” Sheikh Nahyan said.
The event is in line with the council’s goal of developing sport through events that reach the entire community, as cycling does, said Aref Al Awani, the council’s general secretary.
“I would like to thank the government of Abu Dhabi, which will be supporting this event and the growth of cycling by creating the infrastructure to encourage people to practise cycling as a healthy lifestyle choice,” he said.
The tour has been categorised as a 2.1 race, which is the third tier of UCI races. UCI professional continental teams, UCI continental teams, national teams, and regional and club teams may take part.
Abu Dhabi Sports Council and RCS Sport, a sporting advisory company based in Italy, will organise the event.
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