With just a week to go, Qatar is gearing up for one of the most important road cycling competitions in the world. In its first-time ever appearance in the Middle East, the 2016 UCI Road World Championships will bring more than a thousand cyclists and many thousands of fans to Doha, and more than 500 million television viewers around the world.
The UCI Road World Championships will be held between October 9 and 16 among some of the most iconic locations in the country, including Lusail, AspireZone, Qatar Foundation, and The Pearl-Qatar.
The UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 are yet another key event for Qatar’s vision to become a global sporting destination.
HE Sheikh Khalid bin Ali al-Thani, chairman of the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 Organising Committee, spoke about the importance of the UCI Road World Championships to Qatar and its venues.
“The UCI Road World Championships is an iconic event in the sport of road cycling, having a mass following around the world. We proudly host this event in Qatar, the first time it has ever been in the Middle East. We are inviting the people of Qatar to come and enjoy the world’s best cyclists and to support our national vision of being a world-class sports city.
“In about one week, there will be a large contingent of the world’s best cyclists competing against the backdrop of many of Qatar’s most iconic points of interest. We thank all of our venues for their gracious support and hope residents will join us in celebrating this great event.”
“Measures have been taken to cater residents of The Pearl-Qatar, through a range of concessions such as privileged access to the races’ spectator viewing decks, fan zone at The Pearl-Qatar and dedicated residents’ hub at Doha Exhibition Center.”
The UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 will take place over eight days, with all roads leading to The Pearl-Qatar, giving the world a glimpse of Qatar’s most glamorous destination.
Maps of the venues are available on the official website: www.dohacycling2016.com.  Being a part of the race comes at no cost, and there will be a dedicated fan zone, including for The Pearl-Qatar residents.
Due to the nature of the sport, the chosen routes will necessitate alterations to traffic flow that will result in temporary road closures during race times. The Organising Committee is working closely with the Ministry of Interior and Lekhwiya to provide the right balance of cyclist safety and road access.
Furthermore, the UCI Road World Championships have established a dedicated web page to alert the public of pending closures.
The page also provides useful information such as a hotline, the dedicated hashtag for all traffic-related news, and information for residents of The Pearl-Qatar, who will have access to on-island golf cart services and water taxi shuttles.
The first traffic alternations will take place at The Pearl-Qatar from the night of Monday, 3rd October until the 20th October. These will not be closures. The only closures will occur during race days at designated times found at: www.dohacycling2016.com/traffic. Any updates to traffic will also be announced on the hashtag: #QATraffic.
Qatar residents are encouraged to utilise the hashtag to stay abreast of the latest news on traffic alterations and parking options.
The dedicated web page will also outline schedules and pick-up/drop-off locations for shuttle buses, water taxis, and on-island golf carts.