Abu Dhabi: The Dubai Tour and Abu Dhabi Tour cycling events will be merged to create a bigger single race, UAE Tour, from next year. The decision was announced at a joint press conference of the Dubai Sports Council and Abu Dhabi Sports Council in the capital on Wednesday.
The new Tour will have seven stages running across all seven Emirates and will also retain the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Tour status.
“After the success we had in the Abu Dhabi Tour and Dubai Tour, we have decided that it was time to go together. The nature of UAE has always been to have a united passion,” said Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council. adding that the instructions had come from the UAE leadership.
“Our leadership is of the view that we should utilise the success that we have got from these two Tours. It was time to elevate it to another level by having a unified UAE Tour,” added Al Awani, who went on to add that the first step will be to change the name on the UCI World Tour.
“Being a seven-day, seven-stage Tour will allow us to pass through all the emirates. This is our aim and we hope that all the emirates participate in it. The distance will vary from stage to stage, but in seven emirates we have more places to cover which is great,” revealed Al Awani, who also confirmed that UCI is very much in the loop about the change of plans.
“The only thing which is under discussion is how to fit the race in the best agenda. We usually submit two dates with priority one and two. And it is on reasonable days of the year when we have very attractive climate which is February. We will like to keep the same. In February which dates it will be run, UCI will take a call on it.”
Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, was of the view that timing of the announcement couldn’t have been more perfect as it has come in the Year of Zayed. “It’s also a good time to announce this project in the Year of Zayed. Shaikh Zayed [Bin Sultan Al Nahyan] is our founding father and he taught us to work as a team and today we are applying what he taught us,” said Hareb.
“It’s not less or more where the budget is concerned, but more impact in terms of the value of the event on the media coverage. The Dubai and Abu Dhabi Tours both were successful, now the UAE Tour is stronger,” said Hareb adding, “The objective is for TV viewers to see the entire country from the beachside, sand dunes to the mountains. We are hosting the Expo 2020 and we will cross those areas for the viewers.”
Al Awani asserted that cycling teams will welcome the move and the Tour will not lose its sheen.
“There shouldn’t be any impact on the cycling teams coming to the UAE because they will continue to stay with Velon to have the success what we had before. They are the ones who manage most of the teams. For sure we will continue to have our race attraction for sprinters, climbers and time trial specialists. Our aim is have teams locally and work more to have continental teams,” said Al Awani, who revealed that only paperwork is remaining with the UCI.
