Salalah is hosting first Tour of Salalah cycling event under the banner of Oman Cycling Association (OCA). The first and introductory race of tour will start on Tuesday, while the last race will take place on Friday.
The tour will have 110 to 150 participants from Oman and other GCC countries. All GCC countries except Kuwait are participating in the event, preparations for which are complete, according to the organisers. Out of 15 participating teams, 10 are from Oman while five from other GCC countries.
The members of the organising committee of the OCA held a technical meeting on Monday on the eve of the Tour of Salalah in which they discussed all the race related aspects, including timing, readiness of the venues, safety of the participants and requisite permissions that are necessary to conduct the races.
In their comments to the Observer, Ishaq Abdullah al Balushi and Saud Hamed al Rawahi, General Secretary and Head of Jury, respectively of the OCA, said cycling events were always important for the OCA, “but the current tour holds special importance, because after a long time the cyclists are getting opportunity to take part in an outdoor event. Due to Covid-19 pandemic we were not able to organise public events with full capacity... The participating teams are excited over Tour of Salalah.”
“The last race we did was in 2020 that too in an enclosure, under pandemic protocols of limited team members, so that there is no discontinuity in planned events,” Ishaq al Balushi said.
He gave an outline of the races and their venues. The participants in Tour of Salalah will cover a total of 322 kms in four races. The first is 6 kms, second 106 kms, third 101 kms, and fourth 109 kms. The start and end points for Monday’s first race are Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture and Entertainment to the Burj al Nahda.
The second race, to be held on Wednesday, is from Samharam Archeological Port to Mughsail Beach; third Al Baleed Archeological Park to Qairoon Hairiti (Thursday); while the start and end points for the last race is Taqah Castle to Al Saadah Sports Complex.
Commenting further on the challenges that Covid-19 has put in front of cyclists and the OCA, Al Balushi said, “We have challenge to keep the cyclists physically fit. If they are not practicing and not taking part in cycling events, they lose cycling stamina and ultimately their cycling mileage deteriorates.”
The challenge in front of the OCA is to keep the cyclists active. The Association has high hopes from the Tour of Salalah. “It will give the OCA an opportunity to spot new talents, identify new tracks and revatilise the energy of the Omani cyclists, who have achieved the level of semi-professionals for international participations,” said Hamed al Rawahi.
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