Qatar eager to learn, improve at inaugural Tour of Al Zubarah

DOHA: Despite fielding two squads, Qatar are taking a realistic look at their chances at this week’s four-day Tour of Al Zubarah which is hosting strong teams from Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Doha Team and Lekhwiya Cycling Team will be the two home sides up against 12 other teams in the four-day event starting with the opening 3-km stage inside Lekhwiya Sports Club today.
“We know our riders have done well at recent races but this is a different event because some strong sides from Europe, UAE and Asia are here. It is not easy to dominate such teams,” Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Thani, President of Qatar Cycling Federation (QCF), said yesterday.
“It is an important event and we want our riders to learn and improve from this event,” Sheikh Khalid added. “We don’t want to look at success without reason. By competing against the strong riders, Qatari cyclists can learn,” he said.
“When you rub shoulders with the best, you automatically learn so much and improve. That’s what we want to do in the next four days,” Sheikh Khalid said at a pre-event news conference.
“We want to help our riders develop their skills and improve their overall fitness as we go along. This event is a good opportunity to do that,” Sheikh Khalid said.
“We are fielding two sides - Doha Team and Lekhwiya Cycling Team. All the riders with these teams are our own cyclists,” Magid Al Naimi, Secretary-General of QCF said.
Abdullah Afif, Ahmed Elbourdainy, Said Moosa and Hamad Afif will feature in the Doha Team.
Riders Diego Hossfeldt, Khalil Abduljanan, Abdelrehman Jerboua and Mohammed Afifi are in the Lekhwiya Cycling Team.
The event will be held under the patronage of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who is the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Qatar Museums Authority (QMA).
Al Naimi said the event will end on December 7. He said the Tour of Al Zubarah was finalised during UCI meetings attended by the President of QCF earlier this year.
“This would be a great event for the riders from our region. The more races our riders do, the better it will be for them,” Al Naimi said.
Zubarah also called Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined and deserted town located on the north western coast of the Qatar, about 105km from Doha.
QCF stages the hugely popular Tour of Qatar for men and women. 
Last week, Qatar riders took part in the Tour of Sharjah, winning one of the four stages. The Qatar squad also featured in the Arab Cycling Championship which was held in Bahrain last month, Al Naimi said.
Al Naimi said the Qatari riders trained in Italy for a period of months and took part in various races before the start of the new season.
Doha Team and Qatar national squad coach Branko Filip said: “Look, it is a tough event. I am sure my boys will do their best and learn. We have featured in many events in the region and have done well. The boys are fit and looking forward to making an impact.”
The overall prize bag for the four-day event is €10,468 Euros with €5,234 reserved for the winner in the general classification.
Today’s time trial will start at 2pm. THE PENINSULA