An Arab Cycling Spring

The richest Arab states continue to promote top-level cycling in their countries. Their approach deserves study and is worth emulating, because developing top-level cycling helps raise a country’s prestige and profile, with all the consequences that follow.

Already by tradition, three Arab tours are held one after another in February: in Dubai, Qatar and Oman.

This time I’ll focus your attention on the tours of Qatar and Oman, because the elite of the world peloton took part in these races.

Big teams see the Arab tours in the context of preparing for the season, but good organization, a climate acceptable for this time of year and high funding create extra motivation — and indeed, among this year’s winners we find the outstanding stars of cycling.

 

The lion’s share of the eleven stages of both tours went to the great Norwegians; here is the full picture:

 

Vincenzo Nibali (Italy): Tour of Oman general classification and 1 stage;

Mark Cavendish (Great Britain): Tour of Qatar general classification and 1 stage;

Alexander Kristoff (Norway): 5 wins (3 Qatar / 2 Oman);

Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway): 3 wins (1 Qatar / 2 Oman);

Bob Jungels (Luxembourg): 1 stage at the Tour of Oman;

To sum up this short report, I’ll say that we witnessed interesting sprint finishes and a serious mountain battle, which we had truly missed since last season. Presumably the competition in the Arab cycling spring will keep growing!

 

 

 

 

Featured image: Yuzuru SUNADA/www.yuzurusunada.com

Inside post thumbnail image: Yuzuru SUNADA/www.yuzurusunada.com

 

Special thanks to the Japanese photographer Yuzuru SUNADA for permission to use his works in our publications.

 

 

 

Translated from Georgian with the assistance of Claude (Anthropic), reviewed by the Velorbola editors.