Dubai: Some of the greatest cycling champions in the world have been confirmed on the official entry list for the inaugural Dubai Tour 2014 to be held next month.
The list of 16 teams confirmed for the race includes reigning Road World Champion Alberto Rui Costa, the 2013 Giro d’Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali, British king of sprints Mark Cavendish along with young emerging rival Marcel Kittel.
Each participating team is composed of eight riders, and of the 16 teams that have been invited for the inaugural edition, 11 are UCI pro teams.
These will be joined by three teams classified in the UCI Asia Tour 2013, along with the UAE national squad and the Dubai Sky Dive Dubai team.
“Since this is an invitation-only race, we have made sure we have some of the best names in the world of cycling,” Saeed Hareb, chairman, organising committee, Dubai Tour 2014, told Gulf News on Wednesday.
Generating interest
“Over the past few years, cycling has received a lot of attention with the Dubai Sports Council working closely with the UAE Cycling Association in raising the profile of the sport along with the setting up of special cycle tracks in Dubai. This, in turn, has generated a lot of interest among the local cycling community that has been growing steadily.”
The opening stage will be a 10km Individual Time Trial (ITT) known as ‘The Downtown Stage’ and will be held within the new city.
The second stage — known as ‘The Sports Stage’ will be 122km long and run through the area with some of the most important sports buildings in Dubai, including the Hippodrome, the Hamdan Complex, the Al Qudra cycling path, Dubai Autodrome and Emirates Golf Club.
The third stage — called ‘The Nature Stage’ — will be the longest covering 162 kms and will go outside through the desert to finish in Hatta.
The fourth and final stage, called ‘The Old Dubai Stage’, will cover 124 kms and cross the old part of the city, giving riders and spectators glimpses of the iconic Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa along the way.
The inaugural edition of the Dubai Tour will take in most of the landmarks in the emirate when it is staged here over four stages from February 5 to 8.
