A total of 360 riders qualify for world cycling event in Aalborg, Denmark at the end of August

DUBAI: Maksim Orekhov and Olivija Baleisyte topped the standings in the men’s and women’s elite class as a total of 360 riders earned qualification for the UCI World Series Qualifier at the end of the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge.

The Dubai leg of the Gran Fondo UCI World Series Qualifier was held last Sunday and it was Orekhov and Baleisyte fighting it out till the very end while crossing the finish line in a time of 2 hours and 18 seconds and 2:00.21, respectively.

More than 2,700 cyclists registered for various challenges held in partnership with the Dubai Sports Council with the main event being the one containing 280 elite riders that saw Orekhov and the Dubai Police duo of Yacine Hamza and Francesco Lamon fight till the very end to finish within a second of each other.

Close on their heels of the men’s elite riders was Baleisyte as the Lithuanian rider crossed the line in a time of 2:00.21 to clinch the ladies crown ahead of Akvile Gedraityte and Maddison Black. The two elite winners bagged AED 10,000 each at the end of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualifier. The second and third place finishers received AED 5,000 and AED 3,000 each.

Almir Mujic and Lorraine Mullarkey took the first places in the Aster Pharmacy BIG 5 Yellow Jersey competition standings, while Gerry Van Den Eynde and Helle Bachofen Van Echt emerged champions in the Aster Pharmacy BIG Blue 5 Jersey contest.

Participants in the race competed in eleven age categories for men and women and a total of 61 male and female riders have qualified from the 19-34 years category, and another 58 riders in the 35-39 years category. Another 74 riders made it through to the Aalborg competition in the 40-44 years category, and another 61 riders in the 45-49 years category.

In the 55-59 years category, 30 participants will travel to Denmark and will be joined by another 17 in the 60-64 years category. The 65-69 years category saw six participants turn home with qualifying times, and the 70-74 years category will have five riders.

More than 2,700 cyclists registered for the 14th edition of this annual event that had a start at Expo City Dubai while passing through the Global Village and Jumeirah Lake Towers before heading home back to Expo City Dubai.

As per competition rules, the top-25 per cent of participants from each category qualified to compete in the finals of the 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championship to be held in Aalborg, Denmark from August 29 to September 1.

Held in partnership with the Dubai Sports Council, Spinneys and Dubai 92, the Spinneys 92 Cycle Challenge covering a distance of 94.1 kms is one of the Middle East’s premium sporting races regularly attracting thousands of riders from across the globe.

The 2024 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, a key qualifying race in the 2024 Gran Fondo World Series season, witnessed some of the best elite riders in action on the streets of Dubai. Cyclists of all ages took part in the InstaShop Junior Rides and the TotalEnergies Outride for the 2024 event.

This year proved to be a record of sorts as all four build-up rides witnessed an overall total of more than 6,500 participants in all age groups, indicating an increase of 106 per cent compared to last year.