Dubai: The UAE’s Mohammad Al Mansouri is confident a local cyclist can win a jersey within the next five years.
At 20, the baby of the team, Al Mansouri has not been overawed by the experience of competing with some of the best cyclists in the world. On Saturday, the rider from Al Arabi Club, Umm Al Quwain finished 26th from a total of 28 in the race for the young rider’s ‘White Jersey’. In the final individual classification, Al Mansouri finished 118th from the 122 who started on Saturday.
This was Al Mansouri’s second year at the Dubai Tour, and he is growing in confidence with the lessons he is learning along the way. “It is a growth process. Perhaps last year was a bit unnerving for me. But one year on I feel I have grown and I feel more confident competing with these big cyclists. The experience has got better and I am a much better cyclist compared to what I was last year,” Al Mansouri told Gulf News.
“We are a group of young UAE riders who were put in the race so that we can learn. Personally, I have learnt so much in the past two years. I have watched all these world champions. I have raced with them. I have seen what they eat to be where they are. It won’t be too long when one of us can go on to win a jersey,” he added.
“Any colour jersey would do. We need to get one jersey for a start and I feel confident one of us can if we stick to the big plan.”
