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Fans of UAE Team Emirates should feel proud, says Mirza

Dubai - The UAE squad will compete in the Tour of Oman from February 13 to 18

UAE national champion Yousif Mirza said that their supporters and fans should feel proud about the UAE Team Emirates after the team came up with a decent performance during the Dubai Tour.
UAE Team Emirates' lead rider Alexander Kristoff had a good debut with the team by finishing ninth in the General Classification. Although the Norwegian didn't get a win, he strung together consistently good results across the five Stages of the Tour.
After finishing fourth in the opening Nakheel Stage, Kristoff had two seventh place finishes in the Ras Al Khaimah Stage and Dubai Silicon Oasis Stage respectively.
Kristoff was fourth in the Dubai Municipality Stage on Friday and if not for being caught up in a crash at the end of the Meraas Stage, he would've finished higher.
"Our supporters and fans should feel proud about the team and the performance at this year's Dubai Tour," said Mirza.
"We approached each Stage with the right attitude and, despite not getting the win, I feel we honoured our home race. After competing in Argentina and here in Dubai, I have really noticed the improvement in riding from the team.
"The quality of riding and our morale is very high and that means we'll fight during the season to achieve top results," added the Emirati.
Meanwhile, after a strong performance here, Kristoff was looking ahead to the Tour of Oman.
"I approached the final right handed bend in a great position ready to make my move, but unfortunately the riders in front of me crashed. I managed to avoid them, but I was forced to stop which meant I missed out on the sprint," Kristoff described the crash.
"We'll now look to the next races in Oman and the UAE where we hope to achieve better results and showcase our talent to the fans. Their support has been amazing," he added.
UAE Team Emirates will compete in the Tour of Oman from February 13 to 18 and the Abu Dhabi Tour from February 21 to 25.
james@khaleejtimes.com