The world’s hardest and most amazing mountain bicycle marathon is originating from the Italian Dolomites to the UAE capital from February 9 to 11, 2024
Hudayriyat Island, Abu Dhabi’s premier leisure and sports center established by Modonwill host the inaugural edition of HERO Abu DhabiThe world’s most difficult and most amazing mountain bicycle marathon is originating from the Italian Dolomites to the UAE capital from February 9 to 11, 2024.
The hosting of the distinguished worldwide sports occasion, arranged by Modon in cooperation with HERO Südtirol Dolomites, reinforces Abu Dhabi’s qualifications as a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Bike City.
Set to occur at Trail X, an advanced mountain cycling center, HERO Abu Dhabi will draw in expert bicyclists, novices, and bike lovers, who can indulge their shared enthusiasm for mountain cycling versus the picturesque background of Hudayriyat Island. The program will mark a substantial turning point with the addition of the XCO-Cross-Country Olympic and XCC-Short Track occasions– certifying races for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The tough XCO circuit covers 5.4 km with an elevation gain of 70 hm, while the XCC Short Tracks, created for high-speed action, covers 1.2 km with an elevation gain of 10 hm. Mountain cycling lovers of all ages can get involved in the Amateur Race and Kids’ Race, completing on the extremely exact same routes as prospective future Olympic medalists.
Aref Hamad Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, stressed the significance of Abu Dhabi hosting the upcoming international occasion, keeping in mind that it would be the very first of its kind in the Middle East, on Al Hudayriat Island, the perfect location for sports and home entertainment occasions.
Al Awani stated: “The Abu Dhabi Sports Council supports hosting and arranging the occasion, which witnesses the involvement of an elite group of worldwide bicyclists, out of our belief in its value and effect on affecting a healthy way of life, at a time when biking is seeing a significant boom in Abu Dhabi in specific and the UAE in basic.”
Amongst the taking part bicyclists is Peter Sagan, the three-time roadway biking champ, who stated: “this will be my very first year as an expert mountain cyclist. I’m interested to see how things will work out. I will not forecast anything, however I feel positive: I’m determined, I wish to have a good time and offer it my all. It’s expected to be an extremely technical race, so I’ll get here a couple of days before the race to train on the tracks.”
Considering that the very first edition of HERO Südtirol Dolomites that happened in Italy in 2010, the HERO series has actually grown from strength to strength and turn into one of the most popular mtb races worldwide. The occasion embodies the quintessence of mountain cycling, turning the word HERO into a byword for enthusiasm, commitment, and spectacular nature.
In 2022, the HERO Organising Committee signed up with Sports for Climate Action, a UN effort focused on combating the environment crisis by making sports occasions more sustainable. In line with this objective, all occasions in the series, consisting of HERO Abu Dhabi Hudayriyat Island, are carrying out proactive steps to decrease their CO2 emissions.
Hudayriyat Island is home to a large range of first-rate biking centers and facilities that deal with professional athletes of all levels. The location’s well-kept biking tracks in addition to Trail X, the only mtb path in Abu Dhabi that covers 15 km in length with 4 problem levels, make it a prime place for prominent global biking occasions.
In addition, Modon is presently establishing Velodrome Abu Dhabi, set to introduce in 2025, that will include the very first UCI Category 1 indoor biking track in the area. Hudayriyat Island will likewise host the 2028 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships occasion that intends to promote top-level competitors for elite and amateur bicyclists while globalizing the ‘Cycling for All’ effort.