Dubai: Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, the newest Dubai event on the international cycling calendar, is set for a spectacular debut as a UCI Gran Fondo World Series event on Saturday with more than 2,500 cyclists expected at the starting line in Dubai Sports City.
Held in partnership with Dubai Sports Council, the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge is one of the Middle East’s premium sporting races, regularly attracting thousands of riders from all over the world. The 12th edition of the competition, which is now a part of the 2022 UCI Gran Fondo World Series, will see men and women in the Elite category compete for a lucrative prize-pot of Dh36,000, which will be shared by the top three.
International events
Dubai is one of the premier cycling destinations in the world, hosting five international competitions every year and more than 32 local and community events, including three events exclusively for ladies. The Emirate also boasts 36 dedicated cycling tracks and paths, running a total distance of 554km, and by 2026, a further 287km of dedicated cycling tracks and paths will be added.
Just this week and the next alone, Dubai will host, besides Gran Fondo Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, the Expo 2020 Dubai Stage (Feb 25) of the 2022 UAE Tour, which is the only WorldTour race in the Middle East and feature seventeen UCI WorldTeams and three UCI ProTeams; the Al Salam Cycling Championship (Feb 17) in Al Qudra, Seih Al Salaam; Spinneys Dubai 92 Junior Cycle Challenge (Feb 18) at Dubai International Stadium; and the GBI Emirates Cycling 2022 (Feb 18-23) on the Al Qudra Cycling Tracks.
The 180km Expo 2020 Dubai Stage will see 140 cyclists paddle through Dubai, starting from Expo 2020 Dubai and touching locations like Dubai Sports City, Silicon Oasis Meydan Racecourse, Palm Jumeirah and the Jumeirah Islands, before sprinting for the finish in Expo 2020 Dubai. The race will showcase some of Dubai’s biggest landmarks like Ain Dubai and Museum of the Future.
The 92km course for the Gran Fondo Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, meanwhile, weaves across the city after being flagged off from Dubai Sports City, and riders can look forward to passing several popular landmarks, including the iconic Expo 2020 Dubai and the much-beloved Global Village sites.
This year’s event has seen record sign-ups, with hundreds set to attend the Prime Medical Center Junior Rides on Friday, February 18, as young cyclists from 2–12 years old test their skills on their bicycles at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai Sports City.
The 2022 Spinneys Dubai Cycle Challenge features something for all the family, as the newly revealed Live Well Outride, a shorter 40km course will allow new members of Dubai’s diverse and passionate cycling community to join in the weekend’s activities.
Community race
Commenting on the Live Well Outride and new Learn to Ride programme, Stewart Howison, Race Director, said: “The Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge is a community race at its core, and we’re pleased to officially reveal our Live Well Outride as part of this year’s challenge. This, as well as our new, free to enter Learn to Ride clinic is something we have been looking forward to for some time as we welcome an excited group of new faces into our nation-wide cycling community here in the United Arab Emirates.
“The Learn to Ride programme and Live Well Outride race means there really is something for everyone in this year’s Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, and we cannot wait to see all the cyclists take to the streets of Dubai with their family and friends – be it for competition or fun.”
