Soufiane Haddi crowned Sharjah Tour champion

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  • Well done: Skydive Dubai team members were on song during the Sharjah Tour.

    Soufiane Haddi claimed his first ever general classification victory for Skydive Dubai at an international tour by triumphing in the Sharjah Tour on Tuesday.

    The Moroccan rider, who held on to the yellow jersey throughout the November 28-December 1 event, won three of the four stages in the northern emirate.

    Skydive Dubai, the UAE’s first professional cycling team, completed a clean sweep of the GC podium as Haddi finished with a six-second advantage over his Italian team-mate Andrea Palini, who won Tuesday’s fourth and final stage, with Spaniard Francisco Mancebo a further 19 seconds behind. 

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    Fourth place also went to the Emirati outfit with Tunisian Rafaa Chtioui finishing the tour 43 seconds off the lead.

    “I’m really happy with this win especially as it’s my very first yellow jersey victory,” an elated Haddi told Sport360.

    “So of course I’m delighted and all my friends and team-mates are really happy for me as well. 

    “I feel that I can do more now, I can win more races, bigger races. That’s the overall sensation at the moment.

    “The whole team is really excited about this win. It was one of our biggest objectives of the year because it is considered a home race for us.

    "We all live and train here, and Skydive Dubai is gaining lots of popularity here in the UAE, so it’s very special for us to win this race and we hope to keep doing that for years to come.”

    The Sharjah Tour is a 2.2 race on the UCI’s Asia Tour. It featured nine national sides and eight professional teams. 

    Skydive Dubai’s Palini triumphed in the fourth stage on Tuesday which saw the riders traverse 190km from Qasmiyeh University to Al Madam Club. 

    Palini ended up with the tour’s green jersey with 66 points, two more than Haddi, who admits defending his yellow jersey throughout the event was a very challenging experience. 

    Unstoppable: Soufiane Haddi held the yellow jersey throughout the whole race.

    “I kept the jersey throughout the whole race but I have to say it was quite nerve-wracking,” said the 24-year-old Haddi. “Cycling is tough, not like other sports. 

    “There are many things that can prevent you from defending your jersey, you could crash, you could fall… 

    “So I was a bit worried but thanks to the hard work put in by my team-mates, we managed to keep the jersey and I won in the end,” said the 24-year-old. 

    “The last stage was the toughest for me. 

    “It was windy and very hot and the distance was quite long. And the climbs made it harder too. 

    “The competition was stiff and everyone was going for it. And my team-mates were already exhausted from working so hard in the first three stages. 

    “So naturally the last stage was the toughest but we made it in the end.”

    Skydive Dubai will close out 2015 by participating in Jelajah, Malaysia, from December 9-13.

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