Qatar cyclists ready for gruelling test at GCC Road Championships

The 19th edition of the GCC Road Cycling Championships kick off today with riders from all neighbouring countries battling home heroes over the next four days.

The GCC riders will compete in Cadet, Junior and Elite classes at a course laid out near Losail International Circuit.

The Cadets will complete a distance of 23kms while the Junior riders will battle over a distance of 34.5kms, Qatar Cycling Federation (QCF) officials said.

The Elite class riders will compete over a distance of 46kms. The starting time is 2:00pm.

The four-day event ends on Friday when the Cadets and Elite classes do separate events around Losail Circuit and Katara.

The Elite class will complete 101kms, the longest competition this week.

"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 Mohammad Al Kuwari, the QCF President, said last week.

"It's true that the 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.

"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.

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."