Ariane Luthi, the UCI Marathon world ranking leader No. 1, edged her Swiss compatriot and reigning world champion Ramona Forchini to win the Hero Dubai Hatta Elite Women’s 60km Race on Friday, while Martin Stosek of the Czech Republic took the men’s Elite 60km crown.
Supported by Dubai Sports Council, the Dubai Hatta, which had attracted more than 700 participants from over 40 countries, took place at the Hatta MTB Trail Centre, offering participants an opportunity to compete in an exclusive location, with the two routes for the race winding their way across sandy dunes and rocky tracks.
The ‘long’ 6km route for the UCI Marathon Race offers and elevation gain of 1,600hm, while the shorter 18km race, (three loops of a 6km circuit) offers a 270hm elevation gain.
Stosek, the leader of the UCI Marathon world rankings and a bronze medallist at lasts year’s Marathon World Championship, took top spot men’s race, clocking 2;03.07. Peeter Pruus of Estonia finished 23 seconds behind, while Andreas Seewald of Germany was third with a time of 2:06:38.
In the women’s race, Luthi finished 59 seconds ahead of Forchini with a time of 2:40:47, while Lithuanian Katazina Sosnawas third in 2:46:12.
The Dubai Hatta is part of the Hero Series and the only UCI mountain bike race in the Arabian Peninsula and the second edition of the race has further boosted Dubai’s rising profile as a venue for international cycling.
The race, billed as the ‘Desert Fascination’, supports the Government of Dubai’s strategic plans to develop Hatta and enhance its appeal as a world-class tourist and sports destination.
