Last August, Moroccan rider Anass Ait El Abdia was at the start line of the Vuelta a Espana alongside his UAE Team Emirates team-mates in Nimes, France, ready to write a new chapter for Arabs in the world of professional cycling.
El Abdia, and Team Dimension Data’s Youcef Reguigui of Algeria, were the only two Arab riders in the peloton, and are the first cyclists from the region to take part in a Grand Tour in modern times.
It was a huge opportunity for the 24-year-old El Abdia and a reward for his encouraging results in his debut season with the Emirati outfit.
But his Vuelta experience ended on Stage 2 as he crashed out of the race, and broke his collarbone in the process.
A devastating blow to what should have been a breakthrough moment for El Abdia, but six months later he looks back on it with a positive perspective.
“Crashing is part of the sport. As a pro, I had a job to do but I wasn’t lucky enough to do it,” El Abdia told Sport360 on the sidelines of the Dubai Tour.
“But I took a lot from that experience, crashing out, going through an emotional roller coaster like that… I got through it and now I know better about when to take a risk and when to take the safe route.
“I broke my clavicle and had surgery after that. It was the third time I broke that bone. I had to end my season early which was disappointing because I was in good form.
“But the team stuck by me, and supported me and they told me ‘we know you can get through this’ and keep going.”
Like Reguigui, El Abdia trained at the Centre Mondial du Cyclisme in Switzerland and used it as a springboard to launch his professional career.
El Abdia took crashing out in last year’s Vuelta in his stride.
The Moroccan spent three years there and got his first contract with a UCI WorldTour outfit last year when UAE Team Emirates came knocking on his door.
“It’s difficult to go pro as an Arab cyclist but it all comes down to discipline, a lot of training and hard work, and that worked out for me and I thank this team to give me the opportunity. I will give it my all,” he added.
“I learnt a lot from the Centre Mondial, eating the right food, being professional, and with time it becomes part of your DNA.”
El Abdia won the Tour of Morocco last season and placed sixth in the Youth Classification at the Tour de Romandie.
As a climber, he is riding the Dubai Tour in support of their star sprinter, European champion Alexander Kristoff. With his Vuelta crash and injury well behind him, he’s looking forward to a strong sophomore season with UAE Team Emirates.
“The Dubai Tour is like our home race. And even though I’m a climber, not a sprinter, I’m here to support my team-mates and it prepares me well for the European races. It’s also nice to be part of this and perhaps inspire some young Emirati riders here to take up the sport,” he said.
“My goal this year is to win one of the small tours in Europe and do well in the stages in the big tours. Hopefully I could take part in another Grand Tour this season, I have no preference as to which one, riding the Giro or the Tour or the Vuelta would be huge either way.”
