When the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 kicks off on October 9, it will be a proud moment for Qatar, the tournament’s first-ever Middle Eastern host. But for national team coach Tareq Esmaili, October 12 is an even more significant date, as it will mark the completion of a dream that has been several years in the making.
The experienced former Qatar international, who is currently preparing the team at a camp in Italy, spoke about the dream.
“On 12 October, Ahmed Elbourdainy will step forward to compete in the Elite men’s individual Time Trial race. I’ve wanted to coach the national team for as long as I can remember. So it will be a realisation of that dream for me. It’s even more satisfying that I get to do it in front of home fans,” he said.
“We’ll field three cyclists at the 2016 Road Worlds. In addition to Elbourdainy, Farhan Farzi and Jassim Al Jabri will participate in the Junior Individual Time Trial. Their focus will be on improving their personal best times and putting up a good show among Asian competitors.”
Esmaili said Elbourdainy could put up a decent show in Doha. “He competed in the last two UCI Road World Championships (Ponferrada, Spain, 2014 and Richmond, USA, 2015) and the experience will stand him in good stead in Doha. He’s relatively young and has improved much in recent years. I’m confident he’ll be able to manage the pressure of competing at home.”
Cycling enjoys great popularity around the world, and, in Qatar, it started sprouting wings in the early 2000s. Esmaili, one of Qatar’s first-ever international cyclists, fondly recalled the early days.
“The Qatar Cycling Federation was established in 2001 and they formally launched a team in late 2002. I won the inaugural Qatar Armed Forces Cycling Championship that year. Qatar’s first coach, Czech Svato Buchta, approached me and said he wanted me in the national team. I readily agreed.
“I remember our team’s first training camp. It was in Bern, Switzerland, in June 2003. It was a totally new experience for us. I watched and learned from my fellow European riders. They helped instil in me a deep love for the sport,” he said.
And now, more than a decade later, his transformation from cyclist to coach is almost complete. So which role does he find more challenging? The response was immediate.
“Being a coach is infinitely more difficult. When I was riding, I just had to train, remain healthy and be ready for race days. After taking over the coaching reins, I’m now responsible for my riders’ lifestyle, nutrition, and training analysis. It’s a tough job, but one which I’m immensely enjoying,” said Esmaili.
The Qatar team has been training hard for the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016, attending summer training camps in three European countries — Slovenia, Croatia and Italy — and will return home on October 1 to finalise preparations on home soil.
“We’ll come back and start a period of acclimatisation. I’m hoping we’ll make good use of the home advantage and adapt to the situation faster. After the World Championships, we’ll also take part in several Gulf, Arab and Asian competitions,” said the coach.
Esmaili said the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 would help popularise the sport not only in the country, but the entire Middle East.
“One always sees a surge in interest when a major tournament comes to your region. The Road Worlds in Doha will highlight the sport better than ever before. Hopefully, a second generation of Qatari cyclists will rise up to the challenge,” he signed off.