Gedraityte and Hamza from Dubai Police team fastest at second Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo

Over 1,000 amateur riders competed for one of the largest prize purses in cycling, a whopping 500,000 Euros (2 million AED) this weekend

Gedraityte and Hamza fastest at second Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo

The route this year was a flat 154km starting from Al Bahia in Abu Dhabi to the finish line at Al Ain Cycle Track.

In the finale a large group of around 100 riders ht the Al Ain Cycle Track for the sprint. Algerian Yacine Hamza (Dubai Police) beat Cornelis Vermeltfoort (Netherlands) and Azzam Al Abdulmunum (Saudi Arabia) in the final showdown and won $45,000 Euros (100,000 AED). They crossed crossed the finish line with a time of 3h 22m 1s.

Hamza shared his delight in finishing first place in the second edition of the Bike Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo race. “This would not have been possible without the cooperation of all my teammates and their support in getting me over the finish line at the end. This was truly a team effort from Dubai Pollice, with our strength in numbers and our training has led to achieving the positive result, and it’s an honour to achieve this alongside such a distinguished field of riders,” he said.

In the women’s race, Lithuanian Akvile Gedraityte (Dubai Police) outsprinted Olivija Baleisyte and Ebtissam Zayed and also won 45,000 Euros (100,000 AED) with a winning time of 3h 22m 2s.

Gedraityte looked back on her race experience: "I thought at the point where we turned right onto the road [E95], where it was a bit up and down, that everyone would suffer but it wasn't like that. So, then all I had to do was to keep a good position in the last 10km. I actually almost missed the sprint because I thought I had another 5km to go, but I went around and said 'ok'! All of the Dubai Police ladies were at the front and all of us can sprint so in the end it was all about my position and the feeling."

There was cash prizes to 20 places overall and 10 places in each sex/age category, plus the team prizes, lots of prize checks totaling 500,000 Euros.

truly a team effort from Dubai Pollice

The winners were crowned by His Excellency Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development; His Excellency Brigadier General Essam Abdullah Al Ali, Member of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Cycling Club; Khamis Al Khaili, representative of the Al Ain City Municipality; Suhail Sahid, representative of Burjeel Holding; Nidal Al Ashqar, representative of “Bin Hamouda,” and Fouad Darwish, representative. Palm Sports Company.

After the race, His Excellency Aref Hamad Al Awani said: "Today, we have seen an inspiring example of determination and sportsmanship from start to finish at Bike Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo, which has made the 2nd edition of this event a true success.

"Seeing such sporting excellence only reinforces our commitment to fostering the sport of cycling in the UAE, and we are proud to witness its growth year on year.

"I would personally like to congratulate not only all the winners from the different categories but also thank everyone for taking part. Whether it was your second time with us or your first, we hope to see you again next year for the 3rd edition of the Bike Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo taking place on 14th December 2024. Here's to more exciting editions and the continued development of cycling in our vibrant community."

Fabrizio D'Amico, Chief Operating Officer at RCS Sports and Events, spoke about today’s race, saying: “Congratulations to the 1,000+ enthusiastic participants who made this year's event a resounding success and congratulations to the winners for their outstanding performances.
In the spirit of sportsmanship, cyclists from diverse backgrounds and skill levels came together to make the Bike Abu Dhabi Granfondo second edition a memorable and thrilling experience. The overwhelming turnout underscores the growing passion for cycling in the community.
We look forward to welcome everyone again to another exciting edition of the Bike Abu Dhabi Granfondo on 14 December 2024.”

The event also celebrated age group and team categories, as well as the oldest male and oldest female to complete the course.

Overall Male

Position	Name	Prize Pot
1st	Yacine Hamza	AED 100,000
2nd	Cornelis Vermeltfoort	AED 50,000
3rd	Azzam Al Abdulmunim	AED 20,000
4th	Anton Popov	AED 8,000
5th	Daniele Ratto	AED 7,000
6th	Essaid Abelouache	AED 6,000
7th	Mahdi Nateghi	AED 5,000
8th	Mohcine El Kouraji	AED 4,000
9th	Ahmad Al Blooshi	AED 3,000
10th	Mazen Satheh	AED 2,000

Overall Female

Position	Name	Prize Pot
1st	Akvile Gedraityte	AED 100,000
2nd	Olivija Baleisyte	AED 50,000
3rd	Ebtissam Zayed	AED 20,000
4th	Makhabbat Umutzhanova	AED 8,000
5th	Rinata Sulltanova	AED 7,000
6th	Hapepa Eliwa	AED 6,000
7th	Tetiana Yashchenko	AED 5,000
8th	Lorraine Mullarkey	AED 4,000
9th	Katherine Sheridan	AED 3,000
10th	Selene Colombi	AED 2,000

Teams Category - Male

Position	Name	Prize Pot
1st	Dubai Police	AED 70,000
2nd	Abu Dhabi Cycling Club	AED 30,000
3rd	Shabab Al Ahli Dubai	AED 10,000

Teams Category - Female

Position	Name	Prize Pot
1st	Dubai Police	AED 70,000
2nd	Airwerks Racing Team	AED 30,000
3rd	Al Wathba Cycling Team	AED 10,000

Age Group Category Winners

Age Group	Male Winner	Female Winner	Prize Pot
18 – 34 years	Yacine Hamza	Akvile Gedraityte	AED 20,000
35 – 39 years	Cornelis Vermeltfoort	Lorraine Mullarkey	AED 20,000
40 – 44 years	Emil Pablo	Heather O’Brien	AED 20,000
45 – 49 years	Francisco Mancebo Perez	Anne Kha	AED 20,000
50 – 54 years	Robert Ryan	Melanie Bowman	AED 20,000
55 – 59 years	Giuseppe Gaeta	Catharina Saenger	AED 20,000
65 - 69 years	Nour Eddine Tchambaz	NA	AED 20,000
70 – 74 years	Gottfried Hinterholzer	NA	AED 20,000
75+ years	Herbert Lackner	NA	AED 20,000