A year ago Bader Mirza was having surgery on a broken collarbone and watched the inaugural Dubai Tour from the confines of his hospital bed.
– #Quiz360: WIN dinner for 2 at Towers Rotana, Dubai
Today, he is leading the UAE National Team in the second edition of the four-stage pro cycling race and crossing the finish line with the same time as the top riders in Wednesday’s bunch sprint that concluded the opening day.
“Stage one was pretty fast and windy, but thankfully we managed to finish with the same time as the sprinters at the front,” Mirza told Sport360.
“For us, this is a great experience competing with such quality riders and we feel we’re making continuous progress.”
The 31-year-old is thrilled to be lining up for the Dubai showpiece, following his successful recovery from last year’s surgery.
“I still can’t believe I’m competing in this race. I couldn’t be happier," said Mirza.
"Especially compared to where I was a year ago. It’s not my first time competing alongside such pros, I took part in the Tour of Qatar twice before, but it definitely has a different taste when you’re competing on home soil."
Bader is the elder brother of Yousif Mirza, the UAE’s leading cyclist who was forced to miss this week’s Dubai Tour due to his participation in the Asian Championships in Thailand.
Although Yousif isn’t here, he made sure to share some valuable tips from his experience guiding the team in the first edition of the Dubai Tour, to help his sibling.
“Yousif chose to take part in Thailand because it’s a qualifying event for the Rio Olympics. It’s disappointing of course because it’s a real shame that both the Dubai Tour and the Asian Championships coincided,” said Mirza.
“We always give each other advice. Since he took part in the first edition, he shared lots of tips on how to tackle this race. I followed his advice and thankfully I finished with the leaders.
“My goal is to do the best I can and give a solid performance in comparison to the top riders.”
