Dubai: Race Director Huraiz Al Mur Bin Huraiz is confident the Dubai Tour will gradually assume its own identity in quick time, provided organisers do not stray from the initial goals.
Held for the first time under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the 2014 race attracted a global audience of 102 countries getting live coverage of the four-day event.
This year 114 countries have sought live coverage of the race and main broadcasters Dubai Sports Channel is expecting some more nations to show an interest at the last moment.
“What we achieved in the first year is making a statement to the world of sport. This year it is about going a step, if not two steps forward. Such was the impact of our event last year that everyone in the cycling world is aware of the Dubai Tour. From now on, it is time to build on this and grow the event each year,” Bin Huraiz told Gulf News.
Learning from their experience of last year, organisers moved the race headquarters from the Dubai World Trade Centre to outside the city at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC). While all four stages will be flagged off from the DIMC, the finale will once again be at the foot of the iconic Burj Khalifa.
During the course of the four stages, adequate attention has been given to ensure all major landmarks of Dubai are covered. The first stage will take the riders through the new Maktoum International Airport, the Expo 2020 site and then on to the Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Road to end at the historic Union Flag House.
The second stage is divided into two parts with the first phase outside the city in the desert area to finally enter new Dubai and end at The Palm Jumeirah. The third stage is the mountains skirting the border of Oman while going through the neighbouring emirates of Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah before finishing with a short climb on the Hatta Dam. The final stage will play out across the old side of Dubai going through Deira, Al Mamzar and Bur Dubai before heading towards Jumeirah and turning off towards a fast finish at the Burj Khalifa.
“The publicity we have received for the tour last year has been immense. The event is such a win-win situation with both the riders and Dubai benefiting at the same time. We had to go the extra mile last year to woo the teams, but this year it was different as so many teams wanted to be a part of this race. We believe we have brought this event close to the people over such a short period,” Bin Huraiz offered.
“We realise we have done most of the things right to be where we are in such a short time. Now it is time to find the means to go forward and put this race as one of the best on the cycling world calendar,” he added.
