Over 2000 cyclists at the 12th edition of UCI Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge rolled through the closed streets of Dubai early Saturday morning, with many trying to earn a starting slot at the 2022 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
The World Championship qualifier covered 94.8 dead-flat kilometers, culminating in a sprint victory for 38 year-old Simon Henley from Great Britain in 2:10:10, while Ebtissam Zayed from Egypt also sprinted to victory a few seconds later in 2:10:37 to win the women’s race. Each rider received a very nice 10,000 AED (8500 euros) 1st place prize.
Finishing just a wheel’s length behind Henley was both Edgardo Tunay from the Philippinian’s and local rider Abdulrahman Salem from UAE. Italian teammates Carmela Cipriani and Aurora Mantovani, took second and third place in the women’s race, both with a time of 2:10:37.
To cap off a remarkable DUBAI BIG 5 Series competition (5 events), it was Gregory Simpson and Babita Khatri who took home the wins with strong results in the UCI Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, with Simpson crossing the finishing line in 2:10:38 to earn first place in the overall men’s championship and Khatri completing the 94.8km course in 2:34:39 as the overall women’s champion.
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 amateur cycling events, attracting cyclists from all over the world. As a key qualifying race in the UCI Gran Fondo World Series season, riders finishing within the top 20% of of their gender/age category earn a starting slot at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Trento, Italy on 18 September 2022.
PHOTOS: Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge
GRAN FONDO DAILY NEWS 