Dubai: The Dubai Tour organisers believe the annual race ticks all the right boxes and can aspire to be one of the top races in the world.
Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and RCS Sports and Events – organisers of the Giro d’Italia – are both confident the Dubai Tour can harbour bigger ambitions for the future. The DSC had signed an initial three-year contract with RCS for assistance in organizing the Tour, which can be renewed for a further two years.
“Our challenge is to be one of the top races in the world. There is no end to possibilities and no end to the dream. If we can organise four stages, it’s not more difficult to organise 12 stages. But for the time being we need to grow with what we have. We are not in a hurry, but we want to grow. Our dream is to be there and have a race with 10 to 12 stages,” Saeed Hareb, Chairman, Organising Committee, Dubai Tour and General Secretary, DSC, told media.
“As regards how, where and when, I think that we need more experience and we need to give our people here time to be in a position where they are ready to take on 10 or 12 stages. If you ask me is it possible that this race could become part of the UCI World Tour? I would say, Why not? Yes,” he added.
Lorenzo Giorgetti, CEO, RCS Sports and Events, too sounded confident based on how quickly the Dubai Tour has adapted into the mainstream of international cycling. “The growth of cycling here has been phenomenal. Figures indicate that cycling has grown by 50 per cent all over Dubai. From 2017, there will be new rules that will set new standards in UCI professional racing. I know the UCI is talking to riders, teams and organisers but some of the criteria are already clear including rider safety, quality of television production and the quality of hospitality,” Giorgetti pointed out.
“I think that Mark [Cavendish] can witness the level of investment made by the Dubai Sports Council, by booking this wonderful hotel, building an entire paddock and then engaging the fans and the general public,” he added.
Champion Cavendish, meanwhile, was all praise for Dubai and the manner in which the emirate has gone about promoting the sport. “I think globalisation of cycling is extremely important for the growth of the sport. It has to be done right though. Races like this in Dubai definitely do that right. There’s some races that didn’t quite work and it messed things up in the season, but definitely these short tours like this are growing and you can see from one year to the next it’s already stepped up a level,” Cavendish said.
“It’s definitely a move in the right direction in countries that cycling is actually becoming popular. It’s a big step forward and I think it’s what cycling needs,” the 2015 Dubai champion added.
