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Vital to have professionals, says Al Shafar

Osama Ahmed Al Shafar, the President of the UAE Cycling Federation, said that it was vital to have full-time professionals if the country was to unearth a top class rider who could rub shoulders with the world's best. The inaugural Abu Dhabi Tour begins on Thursday and runs until Sunday and the UAE National team will be mixing it up with some of the top riders from around the world.
The UAE team will be without captain Yousif Mirza, who is currently competing in the UCI Asia Tour in Thailand. Nevertheless, the team still have Ahmed Al Mansouri, who will captain the squad, apart from Mohammed Al Mansouri, Jaber Al Mansouri and Majid Al Baloushi. Mirza has already qualified for next summer's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He had won silver in Thailand back in February.
The UAE will have two representatives on the tour with the professional Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling team too taking part. When asked about how long it will take for the UAE to have riders compete on the world tour, Osama Ahmed Al Shafar said it was tough to say. "It is a very tough question," Osama Ahmed Al Shafar told the Khaleej Times.
"These top cyclists train for eight to 10 hours. Our cyclists work in the morning and then come and train after 3:30pm. So, it is tough for them and the only way we can match or reach that level is by having full-time professionals. We need cyclists who are ready to sit on the saddle all the time. The more you train, your level improves. But if you stop for 10 days, then you have to start from scratch. It is tougher than any other sport," he added.
Nevertheless, he termed the Abu Dhabi Tour as a good opportunity for the UAE riders to get some exposure and gauge where they stand.
"The UAE National Team and Skydive Dubai are taking part because we are the hosts. We want to improve the level of our riders and that can only happen if they are competing with riders who are professionals. So, this serves as a good opportunity for our boys," he said.
"Secondly, we have the Arab Championships coming up and we have the GCC championship. These boys will be going to that and competing in this Tour would do a world of good to their confidence," he added.
The UAE team, which trained in France prior to the Tour, will be without their top rider Mirza but Osama felt that the other riders will be in the Peleton. "We won't be having the services of Yousif Mirza as he is competing in Thailand. However, I would like to tell you that we will be having a strong team. You will not see them lagging behind, they will be with the Peloton. So, this is very much trying to get them into shape for the upcoming events," said Osama.
"I would like to thank the Abu Dhabi government for all their backing for the Abu Dhabi Tour. The Abu Dhabi Tour will definitely serve as a big boost for the cyclists and the sport as a whole in the UAE," he added.
james@khaleejtimes.com