Yousif Mirza: The UAE's fastest man on two wheels

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  • National idol: Mirza is the inspiration to so many young cyclists in the UAE.

    It’s summertime in the UAE and the temperature is hovering around 40 degrees but a group of nine young cyclists are still whizzing through the roads of Sharjah, taking part in their daily practice.

    They’re the UAE Cycling Federation girls’ team (below) and when they’re asked about the source of their inspiration that drives them to cycle every day in such gruelling conditions, they unanimously say: Yousif Mirza.

    Mirza is the UAE national champion and as cycling continues to gain popularity across the country, the 25-year-old has quickly become the face of the sport in the Emirates.

    Just last month, he became the first Emirati cyclist to secure an individual sponsorship deal when he was approached by the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer, Giant.

    He was ranked as high as No2 in the UCI Asia Tour Rankings and last year pulled off a stunning victory in the Tour of Zubarah in Qatar – a 2.2 classification race that included some high quality European and Asian teams – winning both the general and points classification jerseys.

    Earlier this season, Mirza lined up as part of the UAE Cycling Federation team for the inaugural Dubai Tour, and in the second stage, was ranked in the top 25, crossing the finish line ahead of the likes of Tour de France champion Vicenzo Nibali.

    He considers it an invaluable experience – one that put him up against the world’s elite cyclists and taught him a lot about how things are done at that level in the sport, but he still considers triumph in Qatar last year to be his proudest moment.

    “My win in Qatar is the most special to me. Winning two jerseys like that. Even the people there were really surprised, saying ‘how can an Arab cyclist beat out European teams like that?’” Mirza told Sport360° at the Zayed Velodrome in Sharjah this week, where he trains with the national team.

    “It was a continental race on the UCI calendar, and I added 40 points to my ranking because of it. If you accumulate 200 points you get to qualify for the Olympics, which is now my main goal next year – to qualify for Rio 2016.

    "If I get the necessary points, it’s not just me who qualifies, I get to book two more seats for the UAE in Rio. So that’s my dream at the moment.”

    Mirza initially got into cycling at the age of 11, thanks to his brother Badr, who is four years his senior.

    Like many youngsters, he preferred football but once he got himself on two wheels, he fell in love with the sport.

    He joined the UAE national team in 2007 and had his first international competition representing the country in the GCC Championships that year in Saudi Arabia.

    “I managed to prove myself on the local level, then the regional level and now I’m hoping to carve myself a place in Asia, it’s the only medal that we are still missing here in UAE cycling,” said Mirza. “We’re heading to France for a 40-day camp to prepare for the Asian Games in Korea in September and God willing we can get on the podium there.”

    The UAE Cycling Federation was founded in 1974 but the sport experienced somewhat of a revolution when a new board took over in 2012.

    Mirza says cycling has been getting unprecedented support mainly thanks to the many Sheikhs who have taken up the sport themselves and have therefore taken an interest in boosting it.

    He still finds himself unable to rely solely on cycling to make a living and says not devoting himself entirely to the sport has been a major problem for him.

    “I’m dedicated to this sport but still I’m forced to have a day job – I work for the Ministry of Interior at the Abu Dhabi airport, which sometimes brings up some problems because I’m not able to fully be devoted to the sport the way that I want to,” he explains.

    “But these are my country’s laws and I can’t do anything about it. That’s probably the main reason we are behind the rest of the world in sport, even in football.

    "Yes, we are professionals but it’s not pure professionalism like other European teams. In Europe, cycling is their job, but here, cycling is considered more our hobby than our profession.”

    He admits though that getting the Giant sponsorship deal has been a much welcome boost and he hopes it can open the door for more support directed to his team-mates and fellow cyclists. 

    “This is the first kind of sponsorship for a UAE cyclist in the country and I insisted to accept their offer because I believe it will make other companies notice my fellow cyclists and athletes who deserve this kind of attention. There’s a lot of talent in the country and the upcoming generation can do a lot more than I’m doing. So they need support,” he adds.

    Indeed, corporations are starting to put their money behind cycling in the UAE and the country got its first professional team in the form of SkyDive Dubai Pro Team, which includes a mix of European, North African and Emirati cyclists.

    Mirza says he’s disappointed though that the only professional team in the country is supporting foreign cyclists more than locals, especially other Arab athletes who he considers national team’s direct competition. He has other reservations about the SkyDive Dubai Pro Team. 

    “Creating a pro team is a good move but I feel there are countless steps in between that needed to be taken. They skipped steps, like for example first dominating the Asian Tour, winning medals consistently in Asia before thinking about the pro level and the world championship level. In my opinion, you can’t build a house without proper foundation,” says Mirza.

    “SkyDive Dubai Pro team is an excellent step for UAE sport but what I don’t support is that the team solely recruits cyclists from Al Ahli Club. You wonder why I don’t compete for SkyDive Dubai? It’s because I am officially an Al Nasr Club cyclist. I don’t understand this rule, it’s not good for our national cyclists. It’s a wrong move if you ask me.

    “Look at Omega-Pharma, one of the strongest teams in the world, they have cyclists from all over.

    “But still, the existence of the SkyDive Dubai is good because it can drive large corporations in the UAE to follow in their footsteps and create their own pro cycling teams.

    “I’m hopeful more pro teams will be formed here soon. I hear Etihad are thinking of sponsoring a team so that’s a big motivation for me, to make sure I stay in shape and at a high level so I can maybe join a team like that.”

    FACTFILE

    Born: October 8, 1988
    UCI Asia Tour Ranking: 14
    Best result: Winner of Tour of Zubarah 2013 (Both General and Points Classification)
    Short-term goal: Get on the podium at the Asian Games in South Korea this year
    Long-term goal: Qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics
    Idol: Alberto Contador

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