More than 300 women and children joined the first ladies only cycling day, ‘Women on Wheels’ on Thursday. Organised by the Qatar Cyclists Center, the women only sports day took place at the Losail Circuit Sports Club, one of the event’s main partners. The early evening event involved cycling, walking and running activities with a special attention to promoting cycling for women and children. Commenting on the event, the Director of the Qatar Cyclists Center, Dr Abdulaziz al-Khuwari said: “This is the first of a series of annual events to be hosted in Qatar and I am happy to say that the outcome of this year’s event was a very positive one.” 


Winners of the Criterium race.

“Women on Wheels was organised especially for the women as we consider this a very important step towards encouraging women to get out more and engage in cycling and other sports activities, and we look forward to organising similar events in the coming years.”
Commentating from his perspective, the Chairman of Losail Circuit Sports Club, the main event partner Saud al-Attiyah added: “The cyclist community in Qatar has grown exponentially in the past years and there was the need to provide them with a safe and friendly venue to practice this sport. One of our main objectives is to make the most of this international world-class sports facility accessible to the benefit of the whole society in Qatar.
“We have been opening the circuit every Wednesday for walking, running and cycling sessions and are now happy to have hosted the Women on Wheels event which has seen great success with such a large turnout of participants.”
One of the event’s highlight was the children’s bicycle skill sessions which were offered to female children between the ages of 7-14 male children up to the age of nine. Under the supervision of professional cycling coaches, an area was set up so that children can navigate around a course, highlighting to children that it’s not just about riding a bike, there are technical skills that need to be learned, like cornering, jumping, ducking, etc.
Once the children were finished with their sessions, they could enter the Kids Zone Area, which was set up to keep the keep the children occupied in a fun-filled atmosphere. The event ended with a competitive race or criterium where the top three podium winners were Isora Sosa Caballero from Spain taking first place, Julie Melville from Australia placing second and Marie Marvillet from France coming in third place. The criterium demonstrated to the attendees that cycling can be fun as well as competitive and exciting.
The event was made possible by the support of event partners including Al Rayyan Water which supplied water to participants throughout the event, Tawaf Cycling Academy, offering a children’s bike skill sessions, Al Shaqab Volunteer Program, whose volunteers provided event assistance on the day, and Carbon Wheels Bike Shop, which offered bike mechanic support services. Also present were Dado Spa, nutritionist Nour Alkuwari, representatives from the UCI Doha 2016 team promoting the UCI 2016 Road World Cycling Championships that will take place on 16 October 2016, TriClub Doha who supplied the timing system for the Criterium event, and Qatar Olympic Committee who graciously provided 20 additional bikes for testing on the day.