The Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge marked its 14th edition at a fresh venue, Expo City Dubai, attracting an impressive record-breaking number of participants — over 2,700 cyclists registered for the various challenges, held in partnership with the Dubai Sports Council.
Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge
The streets of Dubai buzzed with the energy of thousands of cyclists over the weekend, culminating in exciting cycling, family fun, and an incredible atmosphere.
The 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualifier saw over 280 elite riders take to the course spanning 94.1 kilometers across the city. Throughout the ride, cyclists took in the traffic-free sites of Dubai, passing by the iconic Global Village, the bustling DMCC/Jumeirah Lake Towers, and the communities of Springs, Meadows and more, before heading home to Expo City Dubai for the Spinneys Eat Well Live Well Village.
Top prize
In the elite category, male athlete Maksim Orekhov and female athlete Olivija Baleišytė were fastest across the finish line with respective times of 2:00:18 and 2:00:21, taking top spot in the standings and earning Dhs10,000 each from the lucrative Dhs36,000 prize pot.
Maksim was followed closely by Yacine Hamza and Franceso Lamon both securing podium positions with finishing times of 2:00:18 and 2:00:19 respectively. Similarly, Akvilė Gedraitytė and Maddison Black took second and third place with close margins, finishing with times of 2:00:22 and 2:00:22 respectively.
To cap off a remarkable Aster Pharmacy BIG 5 competition, in the Yellow Jersey Category it was Almir Mujic and Lorraine Mullarkey who took home the wins in the grand finale, with Almir crossing the finishing line in 2:00:27 and Lorraine completing the 94.1km course in 2:00:59. The Aster Pharmacy BIG 5 Vets Category saw Gerry Van Den Eynde and Helle Bachofen Von Echt emerge as the male and female winners with incredible times of 2:00:48 and 2:14:58 respectively.
InstaShop Junior Rides
The local classic saw record participation from cyclists in all ages and stages of life, with young enthusiasts taking to the track in the InstaShop Junior Rides on Saturday, February 24 to kick off the 2024 event in style. This year saw over 650 little ones take part in the InstaShop Junior Rides. An exciting inclusion for the 2024 challenge also saw the return of the TotalEnergies Outride, with riders taking on the 35km course cycling out and back from Expo City Dubai on Saturday morning in the family friendly race.
The redesigned Spinneys Eat Well Live Well race village at Al Forsan Park, offered a lively ambiance for cyclists and guests to enjoy the post-challenge festivities. Whether top finishers gearing up for the 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championship in Denmark, or locals completing their longest ride to date, everyone found a reason to celebrate at the Spinneys Eat Well Live Well race village.
Stewart Howison, Race Director of the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge said: “The 14th edition of the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge has been truly remarkable, we have achieved so much this year with a record-breaking number of over 6,500 participants across the series. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the RTA, Dubai Police, and the Dubai Sports Council for their steadfast support over the past 14 years. Thank you all for being a part of this fantastic journey and we cannot wait to see you again for the 2025 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge.”
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 sporting races, regularly attracting thousands of riders from all over the world. The 2024 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, a key qualifying race in the 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Series season, saw elite cyclists take to the streets of Dubai, with the top 25% of riders earning their spot in the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Aalborg, Denmark.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
