The Ride of Champions, a mass cycling event for fans during the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016, proved to be an unforgettable celebration of cycling.
A record number of 950 riders, belonging to 72 different nationalities and residing in 38 countries, took part in the event yesterday morning. The Ride was the biggest-ever turnout of local and international cyclists for an event organised in Qatar. The riders passed through different parts of The Pearl-Qatar before ending in a looped course, the exact place where the elite women and men’s races would finish.
A number of VIPs took part in the event, including French Secretary of State for Sport Thierry Braillard, the French ambassador to Qatar Eric Chevalier, Belgian ambassador Christophe Payot, Dutch ambassador Dr Bahia Tahzib-Lie, UCI President Brian Cookson and UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 Local Organising Committee Chairman Sheikh Khalid bin Ali al-Thani.
Among cyclists, Belgian legend Eddy Merckx and Kazakhstan’s 2012 London Olympic Games gold medallist Alexandre Vinokourov were the prominent names in attendance.
Braillard was all praise for the Ride of Champions. “As you know, the French love cycling. So I am really happy to have been a small part of this event. Cycling is a healthy pastime and we will try to help popularise it more in Qatar,” he said.
Belgian ambassador Payot was excited to support the Ride of Champions event. “I came to the Ride of Champions to personally support the initiative. The large turnout of participants proves that cycling is a very popular sport here. It was a perfect way to showcase the sport in the country and help it grow further in the region,” he said.
French ambassador Chevalier rode a bicycle with a French flag proudly attached, and enjoyed every moment of his Ride of Champions experience.
“I took two rounds of the circuit and it was quite an exhilarating experience. Such events bring the sport closer to the public. I am confident that cycling will continue to prosper in Qatar in the coming days,” he opined.
Dutch ambassador Dr Bahia Tahzib-Lie participated in the Ride of Champions along with several other embassy staff members. She said she enjoyed the day. “You know, cycling is part of the Dutch DNA. So when I was first invited to the Ride of Champions, I immediately agreed to be a part of it. Several colleagues from the Dutch Embassy also joined me. It was a great experience for all of us,” she said.
Sheikh Khalid was delighted with the overall successful event. “The UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 is the biggest cycling competition to be held in the Middle East. We wanted a mass event of equal proportions to commemorate the occasion. I am so happy that almost 1,000 riders responded to our call to action. It speaks volumes about our cycling culture,” he said.
Some enthusiasts, like Saudi Arabian Omar al-Inizi, cycled all the way from their home country to Doha to be a part of the experience. Others, like Australian Andrew Balfe, flew in from Dubai to attend the event. Vinokourov, who caught people’s eyes by riding a golden colour bicycle, was also thrilled to be a part of the action. “I arrived at 5am and less than two hours later I was at the starting line of the Ride of Champions, along with almost 1,000 riders. Physically, it was really hard for me. But I was pleased to see so much enthusiasm for my sport in Qatar. It was a perfect event,” said the former Olympic gold medallist.
While each rider got a Ride of Champions jersey, those who rode the full course at least once were also awarded medals.