Abu Dhabi: The second UAE International Cycling Cup kicks off at the Abu Dhabi Corniche on January 23 under the patronage of Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC).

Cyclists from 19 countries are participating in the event.

This was disclosed on Sunday in a press conference attended by Shaikh Faisal Bin Humaid Al Qasimi, president of the UAE Cycling Federation and the chairman of the organising committee, Mohammad Ebrahim Al Mahmoud, secretary-general of the ADSC and other officials.

The 125-kilometre race will feature competitors from Bahrain, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, Libya, Morocco, Turkey, Thailand, Nigeria, Austria, Armenia, France, South Africa, Holland, Germany, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and the UAE.

The participants in both the singles and teams events are expected to be 114 with each team represented by six cyclists.

Addressing the conference, Shaikh Faisal thanked Shaikh Hazza for his patronage and said: "We, in the organising committee, were keen to select the best players and teams to take part in the event which we are organising for the second successive year.

"We have selected the best 18 teams from Europe, Asia and Africa in addition to our team. This will provide our team with good preparation for the Asian Cycling Championship which we will host in Sharjah in April."