Dubai cements its reputation as a top cycling destination with Saturday’s Gran Fondo Spinneys Cycle Challenge

Dubai cements its reputation as a top cycling destination with Saturday’s Gran Fondo Spinneys Cycle Challenge. More than 2,000 cyclists participated in the Challenge, which is one of five international cycling competitions in Dubai

Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, the newest Dubai event on the international cycling calendar, is set for a spectacular debut as a UCI Gran Fondo World Series event on Saturday with more than 2,500 cyclists expected at the starting line in Dubai Sports City.

Held in partnership with Dubai Sports Council, the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge is one of the Middle East’s premium sporting races, regularly attracting thousands of riders from all over the world. The 12th edition of the competition, which is now a part of the 2022 UCI Gran Fondo World Series, will see men and women in the Elite category compete for a lucrative prize-pot of AED 36,000, which will be shared by the top three.

Dubai is one of the premier cycling destinations in the world, hosting five international competitions every year and more than 32 local and community events, including three events exclusively for ladies. The Emirate also boasts 36 dedicated cycling tracks and paths, running a total distance of 554km, and by 2026, a further 287km of dedicated cycling tracks and paths will be added.

Just this week and the next alone, Dubai will host, besides Gran Fondo Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, the Expo 2020 Dubai Stage (Feb 25) of the 2022 UAE Tour, which is the only WorldTour race in the Middle East and feature seventeen UCI WorldTeams and three UCI ProTeams; the Al Salam Cycling Championship (Feb 17) in Al Qudra, Seih Al Salaam; Spinneys Dubai 92 Junior Cycle Challenge (Feb 18) at Dubai International Stadium; and the GBI Emirates Cycling 2022 (Feb 18-23) on the Al Qudra Cycling Tracks.

The 180km Expo 2020 Dubai Stage will see 140 cyclists paddle through Dubai, starting from Expo 2020 Dubai and touching locations like Dubai Sports City, Silicon Oasis Meydan Racecourse, Palm Jumeirah and the Jumeirah Islands, before sprinting for the finish in Expo 2020 Dubai. The race will showcase some of Dubai’s biggest landmarks like Ain Dubai and Museum of the Future.

The 92km course for the Gran Fondo Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, meanwhile, weaved across the city after being flagged off from Dubai Sports City, and riders can look forward to passing several popular landmarks, including the iconic Expo 2020 Dubai and the much-beloved Global Village sites.

This year’s event has saw record sign-ups, with hundreds set to attend the Prime Medical Center Junior Rides on Friday, February 18, as young cyclists from 2–12 years old test their skills on their bicycles at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai Sports City.

The 2022 Spinneys Dubai Cycle Challenge featured something for all the family, as the newly revealed Live Well Outride, a shorter 40km course will allow new members of Dubai’s diverse and passionate cycling community to join in the weekend’s activities.

Commenting on the Live Well Outride and new Learn to Ride programme, Stewart Howison, Race Director, said: “The Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge is a community race at its core, and we’re pleased to officially reveal our Live Well Outride as part of this year’s challenge. This, as well as our new, free to enter Learn to Ride clinic is something we have been looking forward to for some time as we welcome an excited group of new faces into our nation-wide cycling community here in the United Arab Emirates.

“The Learn to Ride programme and Live Well Outride race means there really is something for everyone in this year’s Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, and we cannot wait to see all the cyclists take to the streets of Dubai with their family and friends – be it for competition or fun.”

2022 Gran Fondo Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge Results

The 2022 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge filled the streets of Dubai on Saturday, culminating in exciting cycling, family fun, and incredible atmosphere. Over 2,000 cyclists participated across the 12th edition of the community favourite ride, held in partnership with Dubai Sports Council.

The UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualifier saw over 80 elite riders take to the course spanning 94.8 kilometers across the city. Throughout the ride, cyclists took in the iconic sites of Dubai, passing by the world’s greatest show at Expo 2020 and Global Village before heading home to Dubai Sports City and the Spinneys’ Eat Well Live Well Village.

In the elite category, Great Britain’s Simon Henley and Egypt’s Ebtissam Zayed were fastest across the finish line with respective times of 2:10:10.86 and 2:10:37.06, taking top spot in the standings and earning 10,000 AED each from the lucrative 36,000 AED prize pot, provided in partnership with the challenge’s official fuel partner, Emarat.

Henley was followed closely by Phillipines’ Edgardo Tunay and UAE’s Abdulrahman Salem both securing a pole standing with finishing times of 2:10:11.82 and 2:10:11.83. Similarly, female elite both hailing from Italy, Carmela Cipriani and Aurora Mantovani, took second and third place with close margins, finishing in 2:10:37.13 and 2:10:37.23.

Meanwhile, the Under 23 Elite category saw 22-year-old Emirati, Lian Aucamp top the ranking in the men’s category with a time of 2:10:40.09, and 19-year-old Mantovani placing first in the women’s ranking.

To cap off a remarkable DUBAI BIG 5 competition, it was Gregory Simpson and Babita Khatri who took home the wins in the grand finale, with Simpson crossing the finishing line in 2:10:38.48 to earn first place in the men’s championship and Khatri completing the 94.8km course in 2:34:39.71 as the female champion.

The local classic saw record participation from cyclists in all ages and stages of life, with young enthusiasts taking to the track in the Prime Medical Center Junior Rides on Friday 18th February to kick off the 2022 event in style. An exciting inclusion for the 2022 challenge also saw the introduction of the 40km course, with riders in The Live Well Outride cycling around Expo 2020 on Saturday morning in the family friendly race.

The new-look Eat Well Live Well athlete village provided a fun-filled atmosphere as cyclists took in the post-challenge celebrations. Whether a champion, a top finisher heading to the UCI Gran Fondo World Championship in September, or a finisher who’s just completed their longest ride to date, everyone had a reason to celebrate crossing the finishing line.

Held in partnership with Dubai Sports Council, Spinneys and Dubai 92, the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge is one of the Middle East’s premium sporting races, regularly attracting thousands of riders from all over the world. The 2022 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, a key qualifying race in the 2022 UCI Gran Fondo World Series season, saw Elite cyclists take to the streets of Dubai, with the top 20% of riders earning their spot in the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Italy in September 2022.

Click here for the full 2022 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge results: results.hopasports.com/event/spinneys-dubai-92-cycle-challenge-2022-main-event