|
Members of the Qatar national cycling team have bagged the top three positions at the Qatar Road Race Championship held in Lusail recently. |
Abdallah Afif won in the 80-km Class A category followed by his colleague, Moosa Said. Mohamed Afif, another national team member, won the third place.
Farhan al-Sayed, founder of Qatar Chain Reaction, which organised the race, said the participation of national cycling team members has raised the standard of the sport. This, he added, also inspired other cyclists to excel and work harder to beat their own records.
“This event proved that cycling is one of the most popular sports in the country,” said al-Sayed, who led the awards ceremony.
The Road Race Championship was the first QCR event in 2014 and saw the participation of around 100 cyclists from various groups and expatriate communities in Qatar.
Jun Brizuela won in the Class B category of the men’s event while Wajiha al-Hussaini won the women’s event. Fabian Escomel bagged the first place in the Masters men’s category while Caroline van Aartrijk won the women’s event.
Other winners included Nestor Pagaragan, first place finisher for the Weekend Warrior (two laps) followed by Housam Abdoulaal and John Loyd Dela Cruz.
Al-Sayed, son of Salem al-Sayed – the first cycling champion in the country, said national team coaches Branco Filip, Abdul Aziz and Andre Filip also graced the competition.
He also thanked HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for “his keen interest and support for sports in Qatar and in the international arena”.
Al-Sayed, also the founder of Qatar Extreme Sports (QES), has sponsored numerous cycling and skateboarding events, including individual time trial in Mesaieed and a series of races in Dukhan and Duhail.
“I want to promote biking and skateboarding among residents, an advocacy of my late father which I want to continue,” he stressed. QES has also held BMX and skateboarding events in the past years.
He also wants to promote a healthy lifestyle through sports among Qataris and expatriates.
