Qatari riders 'ready' for home challenge

Qatar riders can spring a surprise against formidable regional opponents at next week's GCC Road Cycling Championship, Qatar Cycling Federation (QCF) President said yesterday.
Dr Mohammad Al Kuwari, the QCF President, said the March 13-17 road race is a major event on the home cycling calendar. More than 150 riders from across the region will feature in the championship.
"Our riders have been preparing well for this event. They had an extensive summer training camp in Europe last year. After that they featured in numerous events at the regional and Asian level in the winter. I would say our riders are full of confidence," Dr Al Kuwari said.
"It's true that team from the UAE is strong. They have good riders but at the same time I would say Qatari cyclists are in very good form," he said. "We are confident they would do well," Dr Al Kuwari said.
Dr Al Kuwari said the 19th edition of the regional competition will kick off next Monday.
"There will be a technical inspection on Monday with the actual races starting on Tuesday," he said.
"The Team Trial is on Tuesday in the Youth, U-23 and Elite classes. It will be a busy time for our riders the next three days," he said.
"On Wednesday we will have the Individual Time Trial in all three classes. The road competition will be held on Thursday, again in all the three classes," the QCF President said while giving details on the event schedule.
"Friday is reserved for the biggest contest of the event - when the Elite Class will compete against each other on the 17th of March," Dr Al Kuwari said.
"We will be competing in all the classes. It is a very important tournament. We are pleased to be in this position as we give our riders the chance to compete against the best in the region.
"At the same time, QCF also gets the chance to stage a quality event and take the message on cycling and healthy living all over the country and the region," he said.
Dr Al Kuwari said Q-Auto, the official Volkswagen dealer in Qatar, are the official sponsors of the event "We are happy to have our sponsors - Q-Auto, the official Volkswagen dealer in Qatar - backing the championship," Dr Al Kuwari said. "We thank them for their support," he said.
"This is a championship for the amateurs and the professionals to compete side-by-side. We are thrilled to be part of this championship.
We are honored to be supporting this championship," Ahmed Shariefi.
General Manager Q Auto, said: "We are pleased to be a part of such a top-class event and to support Qatar’s great sport ambitions," he added.
The two parties also joined hands when Qatar staged the UCI World Road Championship in October last year.
Jamal Al Kuwari, Secretary General of QCF, said: "This is an event we have been preparing for quite a while. Our riders have trained well and feel confident. We expect them to do well with positive results."