Reflecting on the year that “changed my whole life”, Yousif Mirza believes he has proved he belongs on the biggest stage and is determined to reach cycling’s top level.
The UAE Team Emirates rider finished second behind Dimension Data’s Mark Cavendish at the inaugural Abu Dhabi to Al Ain Classic in a time of 4:31:49.
The 29-year-old finished inches behind sprint king Cavendish and was joined on the podium by Italian teammate Roberto Ferrari, who finished third, with fellow UAE Team Emirates rider Manuele Mori also close behind in a field of 200.
Mirza became the first Emirati to ride for a UCI WorldTour team in 2017, a campaign in which he gained relative success. He won the UAE National Road Championship for a fourth straight year and also claimed victory in the individual time trial.
He finished 13th in the General Classification at February’s Dubai Tour, while outside the UAE he finished second in the road race at the Asian Cycling Championships in Bahrain, was 14th at June’s Hammer Sportzone Limburg in the Netherlands and finished 18th on the opening stage of the Colorado Classic in August.
“I am happy with my 2017 season, sure. And I have more to do,” said Mirza, who feels he acclimatised to the higher echelon of cycling as the season wore on.
“It is my first year as a professional. At the start of the season I was a little bit scared, I didn’t know how to deal with the situation but this year will be my second and it will be different, for sure. I will do my best to reach the top level in cycling.
“I now have one year in the team. It is one year that has changed my whole life. You have to do a lot of things, not just training and racing, it is the professional level, but it has been a good experience for me and I try my best, always.”
🇦🇪 @yousifmirza : to ride in a professional event like this on home soil was a real treat and it was very encouraging to see such a buzz around my sport in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Thanks all for your support !
Happy national day 🇦🇪❤️ 46.”
2/2 #UAETeamEmirates pic.twitter.com/8s2h3ixthT
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamUAEAbuDhabi) December 3, 2017
Mirza will start his 2018 season in Argentina before heading home to compete at the Dubai Tour from February 6-10 and the Abu Dhabi Tour from February 21-25.
With the Abu Dhabi Tour having attained WorldTour status from the UCI this year, the Dubai Tour growing in popularity and the inaugural staging of the Abu Dhabi to Al Ain Classic being held on the same day the UAE celebrated its 46th National Day, Mirza is excited to be playing a part in a boom time for cycling in the country.
“It is a good experience, I am proud to represent my team on National Day,” said the man who joined UAE Team Emirates after his former side Al Nasr Pro Cycling Team–Dubai disbanded at the end of 2016.
“We are tired after a long season, but we have to do this. We have an opportunity on the team because the race is in our country. It’s National Day and I wore No46 on my jersey. It is a proud day for me, especially being an Emirati.
“There was no chance I was missing it. Even with a broken leg I would have wanted to ride. It’s the first time they have held the race and I think next year it will be a UCI event. They had anti-doping control and invited pro riders. It was really nice for the first year.
“The Abu Dhabi Tour is now a WorldTour race so it’s more important. And we would be proud to add one more event in our country. You can see cycling improving year by year, even day by day. It is a sport growing very fast.”
The race, the first of its kind in Abu Dhabi, was hosted by Abu Dhabi Cycling Club and under the patronage of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
The race started on the Corniche and ended in the Garden City 175km later, and Mirza congratulated 32-year-old Cavendish, a winner of 30 individual Tour de France stages, on victory.
“Mark was really quick at the finish. We had a really great race with each other. He is always fast and I congratulate him on first place,” said Mirza.
“We were second and third so it was good. Mark and all the riders were happy on these roads. It was good weather, we were lucky as when we were driving back from Al Ain it was raining.
“It was quite windy and on the flat that can affect the outcome of the race. The quality was really high and all the top professionals finished in the main group.”
