Dubai: Nearly 1,000 cyclists will line up for the 70km road cycling race to be held over the weekend as part of the Third Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Ramadan Sports Tournament.
Due to a heavy rush of entries, organisers have decided to conduct the cycle races over two days, with the first day reserved for social categories and the Saturday to be dedicated for the elite cyclists.
The first race that will have a 10 pm start on Friday will be for the juniors over a 20km distance. This will be followed by a similar 20km race for the special needs athletes. The social male local, the female local, the social female and social male expats categories will all be held over a 70km distance with a 11 pm flag-off.
The start point of the races will be next to the Falcon Heritge Centre in Nad Al Sheba and the finish line will be at the NAS Sports Complex.
Saturday’s race for the elite category will have a similar 10 pm start. This year’s race has attracted most of the top riders from UAE clubs, UAE national team members and other serious expatriate riders.
Meanwhile, all roads leading towards Nad Al Sheba will remain closed from 9.30 pm on Friday and Saturday. “We have devoted a lot of attention to complete safety of the riders this time,” race organiser Stewart Howison told Gulf News.
“My advice to all riders would be to keep themselves well hydrated during the run-up to the race. We all want to have a nice, safe and enjoyable race for all,” he added.
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