Abu Dhabi: After a successful UCI Cycling Gala last year, the second edition will also be staged in Abu Dhabi, hosted by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
This end-of-season celebration of the year’s greatest achievements in professional cycling will take place on October 18, two days before the Abu Dhabi Tour takes off on October 20-23.
Prizes will be awarded to athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout the season in, among others, the UCI WorldTour, the UCI Women’s WorldTour, the three Grand Tours and, of course, the UCI Road World Championships. The UCI Cycling Gala will be the official debut of the newly-crowned UCI Road World Champion, who will have earned the title just two days earlier, on October 16.
The event will be produced by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in collaboration with RCS Sport, in the presence of the biggest names in professional men’s and women’s road cycling, UCI Management Committee members, representatives of national federations, international media and all the riders who will take part in the Abu Dhabi Tour.
Arif Al Awani, General Secretary, Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), said: “We are honoured to host the champions in their long ride to Abu Dhabi. With three main cycling events in the same week, the Abu Dhabi Tour will be in the spotlight of the entire sports world.”
UCI President Brian Cookson said: “I am pleased that the UCI Cycling Gala returns to Abu Dhabi and I am thankful to the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the United Arab Emirates Cycling Federation for their support. Just days after the UCI Road World Championships in Doha, Qatar, and on the eve of the Abu Dhabi Tour, we could not have found a better moment to celebrate the very best of men and women’s road cycling in 2016.”
