The second running of the UAE Tour Mubadala Educational Project will have enraptured approximately 4,000 children across the nation – double 2019’s tally – and introduced them to the numerous health benefits cycling brings ahead of this month’s race.
The 2020 UAE Tour – the one and only UCI World Tour race in the Middle East – organised by the Dubai Sports Council and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, in partnership with RCS Sport, is scheduled from February 23-29.
Fans across the Emirates will be inspired by an elite field headlined by four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome’s return at Team Ineos from June’s career-threatening crash, Movistar’s 2018 UCI Road World Champion Alejandro Valverde and two-times UCI Time Trial World Champion Rohan Dennis of Ineos.
A total of 18 UCI WorldTour teams and two UCI ProTeams have committed their best riders to the race.
The UAE Tour Mubadala Educational Project accompanying the 2020 edition will run right up to the days immediately before the race starts. The project spans the UAE, with more children benefiting than ever before.
Last year’s inaugural scheme, to accompany the first UAE Tour, witnessed around 2,000 students in 10 schools involved around the Emirates. This year the ambition was to double the scale, to involve around 4,000 students in 23 schools.
The UAE Tour Educational Project introduces children aged eight-12 years to cycling as a part of a healthy lifestyle and educates them on how to stay safe on the road. It is designed as a first step in developing an interest in cycling at a young age, with the inspirational UAE Tour creating a connection for the youth of tomorrow.
The UAE Tour Mubadala Educational Project builds on the initiatives introduced in the Dubai Tour and Abu Dhabi Tour over the years prior to the first UAE Tour in 2019. It includes an hour-long workshop focusing on familiarising students with the history of the bicycle, the benefits of cycling and road safety.
Last year’s workshop was followed by a popular creative art session, and for 2020 this element is replaced with a new interactive activity – the Puzzle Concept.
It involves creating a large puzzle, with an average of 50-100 pieces each representing the schools in the project.
Each school is assigned a professional cycling team – by raffle – and the captain of the team will sign the puzzle board for the appointed school as a memento of the occasion, in appreciation of the students’ collaboration.
The puzzle boards will be displayed at the opening ceremony at the Westin Hotel, Dubai on February 22.
The 2020 UAE Tour begins in Dubai on Sunday with a 148km route from The Pointe to Dubai Silicon Oasis, before finishing at Abu Dhabi Breakwater on February 29.
Alongside the likes of Froome, Valverde and Dennis will be renowned riders such as Italian road champion Davide Formolo, Adam Yates (who finished fourth at the 2016 Tour de France) and 2016 Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner Wout Poels.
These competitors will be joined by some of the best sprinters in the world. This will include; UAE Team Emirates’ Fernando Gaviria – winner of five stages at the Giro, two at the Tour and winner of Stage 2 of last year’s UAE Tour; stage winner in all three Grand Tours and winner of Stage 4 of 2019 UAE Tour atop Hatta Dam, Caleb Ewan; Dylan Groenewegen (four-times stage at the Tour de France) and Mark Cavendish, with 30 stages at the Tour de France, 15 at the Giro d’Italia, the 2011 Road World Champion and winner of two stages and the General Classification at the 2015 Dubai Tour.
