Ooredoo Ride of Champions draws 1,500

The 2019 Ooredoo Ride of Champions has once again “proved to be a huge success”, as 1,500 “champions” of all ages and nationalities took part in its third edition on Friday, the organisers said.

The annual event is organised by Qatar Cyclists with support from the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Qatar Cycling Federation.

Cycling enthusiasts from all over Qatar, including public figures and top diplomats, gathered in the ceremonial court and the adjacent green spine at Qatar Foundation to celebrate their favourite sport, breaking the previous record of 1,100 participants, set during the 2017 edition, a press statement noted.

The event encourages members of the community to practise sport and lead healthy lifestyles by taking part in one of six cycling rides that cater to all ages and levels of experience, before celebrating as champions on the podium at the end of each of them. They also get to enjoy a number of entertainment shows and have the chance to win prizes from the event’s partners and supporters.

The ceremonial court was covered with the red, orange and maroon colours of the official jerseys worn by the participants who started to arrive to the area in the early hours of the day to get ready for the three big road rides. The official supporter of the event, Rasen Sports, provided free maintenance services to all participants at its booth, in addition to rental service for bicycles, which was also available at Qatar Cyclists’ booth, as the organisers aimed to attract the greatest number of participants to try cycling even if they never owned a bike.

The first ride kicked off at 6.30am as the mostly-experienced cyclists went on a 137.5km ride. Ten minutes later, it was time for the 78km ride, which was more convenient for less-experienced cyclists. The third ride, with a 48km route, was the perfect choice for cyclists who wanted to take their first steps into a more serious approach to road cycling.

The route highlighted the beauty of both Qatar Foundation and Qatar’s fantastic vistas of desert, showcasing the country’s sports tourism potential to earn the support of the Qatar National Tourism Council.

All rides were led by official cars from the Ooreedo Ride of Champions official partner, Alfardan Group, and escorted by Traffic Police motorbikes.

Light rain and strong winds did not affect the number of participants in the three big rides, which exceeded all expectations, with more than 1,000 cyclists taking part in them. The Traffic Police were commended by the event organisers, as they put in great efforts to ensure the safety of the riders.

From 8am, all eyes were on the Green Spine which hosted events for kids. The first of them saw the participation of 14 youngsters and their close friends, representing the Best Buddies Qatar initiative. Qatar Cyclists provided bicycles for all the children taking part in this ride. The second was a 1km ride, open for kids aged 3-8 years old, and it saw a big turnout as registration was still open during the event, and Ooredoo, title partner of the Ride of Champions, gave away more than 70 bicycles for the kids taking part in the ride to provide them with an unforgettable experience. Next, it was time for the Family Ride, the most popular ride of the event, as it gives all family members an opportunity to take a 5.8km tour together inside the premises of Qatar Foundation on bicycles.

Adib Mansour, an Indonesian expatriate who participated in the family ride alongside his wife and two kids, said: “We really enjoyed the Ride of Champions today, the organisation was perfect. It was our first time in this ride, but the kids already eagerly await next year’s edition. They had a lot of fun.”

This year, many companies supported the event and raised the awareness of both their employees and the members of the community to the great benefits of practising sports.

Qatar Stock Exchange, official partner of the Ride of Champions, organised a unique challenge for its listed companies to encourage them to promote sports and healthy lifestyles among their employees.

Meanwhile, Dolphin Energy, official partner of the Ride of Champions, encouraged its employees and their family members to take part in all the rides of the event. With riders crossing the finish line of all the rides, it was time for celebration at the ceremonial court with their family and friends, as they received their participation medals and enjoyed the light snacks provided by the organisers, or one of the healthy choices available at the Torba Farmers Market. Rayyan Water provided more than 11,000 bottles of water at several points in the ceremonial court and along the different routes of the rides. The day ended with some lucky participants receiving prizes from the event’s official partners and supporters; Turkish Airlines, Alfardan Group, Rasen Sports and Garmin Lingawi. Manar Khalifa al-Muraikhi, director of PR and Corporate Communications at Ooredoo, said: “Once again the Ride of Champions proved to be a great success, and one of which we are very proud.”

Dr Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, president of Qatar Cyclists Centre, noted: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude for each and every one who made the 2019 Ooredoo Ride of Champions a huge success. We were honoured today to meet more than 1,500 ‘champions’.” Ali al-Kuwari, managing director of the Ooredoo Ride of Champions, added: “We have big plans to further develop the Ride of Champions in the near future. We aim to get a UCI Gran Fondo status for the road rides, while for the family ride, our goal is to have more than 3,000 participants and make it the biggest community cycling event in the region.”

Machaille al-Naimi, president of Community Development, Qatar Foundation, said: “It’s an honour to have partnered with Qatar Cyclists to host the 2019 edition of the Ooredoo Ride of Champions.”

Sara Fahad Alfardan, Communications and PR manager of Alfardan Group, said: “The Ride of Champions is a one-of-a-kind event and we are glad to have partnered for the noble cause.”

Fahad al-Suwaidi, Public Relations manager of Qatar Stock Exchange, said: “Our partnership with the Ride of Champions this year makes us absolutely proud, it’s an amazing event that helps to develop our community.”

Dr Mohamed Jaham al-Kuwari, Qatar Cycling Federation president, noted: “We would like to thank Qatar Cyclists for their huge efforts to promote cycling in Qatar, and of course for this amazing event which introduce a lot of people to the benefits of riding a bicycle and also gives us an indication of the popularity of this sport in the country.”

Mehmet Zingal, general manager of Turkish Airlines in Qatar, added: “It is a great event that brings all people together.”

شهدت جولة أوريدو للأبطال، التي ينظمها سنوياً مركز دراجي قطر بدعم من وزارة الثقافة والرياضة، نجاحاً مبهراً في نسختها الثالثة التي أقيمت أمس الأول الجمعة، بمشاركة حوالي 1500 متسابق ومتسابقة من مختلف الأعمار والجنسيات. واحتفى محبو الدراجات الهوائية في قطر برياضتهم المفضلة بحضور عدد من كبار الشخصيات، وسط أجواء رائعة في ساحة الاحتفالات والمنطقة الخضراء بمؤسسة قطر للتربية والعلوم وتنمية المجتمع، ليتحطم بذلك الرقم القياسي السابق لعدد المشاركين، الذي كان قد بلغ 1100 مشارك في نسخة 2017.