Ahmed Al Mansoori is continuing the legacy laid down by Yousif Mirza

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  • Onwards and upwards: Ahmed Al Mansoori.

    For a long time, the name Yousif Mirza has been almost single-handedly carrying the sport of cycling in the UAE.

    But over the past couple of years, a new face has started to emerge, following in Mirza’s footsteps and joining him in the UAE Cycling Federation’s quest for glory on the Asian stage.

    That new face belongs to Ahmed Al Mansoori – a 24-year-old who admits he has been inspired by his countryman’s success and is looking to capitalise on the boost cycling has been receiving lately, to achieve his dreams.

    Initially a handball player, Al Mansoori got introduced to cycling 11 years ago but his parents were not too keen on it, worrying about the dangers of going out on two wheels on the roads of the Emirates.

    Three years ago, he joined Al Nasr Club, and it coincided with new leadership coming into the Federation, looking to breathe new life into the sport.

    At Nasr, Al Mansoori joined forces with Mirza, who has been showing him the ropes and is helping him reach new heights in the world of cycling.

    “I’ve been experiencing a lot of progress, especially in the past two years. The increase in level has been unbelievable but it’s never enough. I’m hoping for a lot more,” Al Mansoori told Sport360°, speaking from Algeria where he was part of a UAE team that topped the medals table at the recent Arab Championships.

    “I’ve been improving since I joined Al Nasr Club three years ago. I saw a real change in myself and I owe a lot of it to Yousif Mirza. He started teaching me a lot, how to train, why do this or that, to get better.

    “And through that, I saw myself drastically improving and now I feel I’m following in his footsteps. I’m much more serious about the sport at the moment.”

    He says he dreams of winning a medal at the Asian Championships and it is that goal that has been spurring him on.

    Earlier in the year, both Al Mansoori and Mirza qualified to the world championships by placing fourth in the Madison event at the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan. Mirza was also fourth in the points race.

    At the Asian Games in Incheon last month, Al Mansoori teamed up with Yousif and his brother Badr Mirza, and Majid Al Balooshi, to make it through qualifying in the Team Pursuit on the track. The quartet then went on to beat Iran for the first time and set a new Arab record in the process. They placed seventh in the final standings.

    “Considering the wide gap in facilities and support, compared to other Asian countries who receive a lot more, I felt that our level at the Asian Games was quite close to the best cyclists on the continent,” says Al Mansoori.

    “We’re not far off. The difference is that for them, cycling is their job, it’s how they make money. They have sponsors, the best bikes, the best equipment and gear, everything.

    “But for myself, with the bare minimum, I’ve killed myself trying to reach their level and I realise I’m not too far away from them.”

    Al Mansoori has a full-time job with the government but says they’ve been cooperative, allowing him to take time off for training and competitions.

    One of such competitions was the Dubai Tour last February, the UAE’s very first professional tour which brought the world’s very best teams and cyclists including the likes of Mark Cavendish and Vincenzo Nibali to the streets of the northern emirate.

    “It was a great experience. Considering how much I like sprint, seeing top sprinters like Mark Cavendish and Marcel Kittel was just too good to be true,” Al Mansoori recalls.

    “As I’m trying to improve my time trial, watching Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara up close was a brilliant learning experience for me.

    “It’s indescribable, I really didn’t want the Dubai Tour to be over, unfortunately it passed too quickly.”

    Does he see himself winning a stage at the Dubai Tour in the future, he added: “Nothing is impossible, I feel that our team can be competitive but it’s not easy. Competing against world champions who have had years of preparation, they have an advantage over us.”

    Asked what his team needs in order to help him get that Asian medal, he says: “Cycling in general needs exposure. Competition is key. We need to travel to all the Asian tours so we increase our level. We sometimes limit ourselves to the local league which is never as strong. We try to travel more and more but we need to do more. The more we compete against our Asian rivals, the bigger chance we’ll get to beat them.”

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