SALALAH: The shining team of the second stage of the Tour of Salalah was UAE national team, which bagged three out of four coveted jackets of the race.
Jaber al Mansoori of the UAE national team stood first to claim the Omantel Blue jersey, while Ahmed al Mansoori of the same team stood second. He bagged two jerseys – Port of Salalah Green jersey and Bank Muscat Silver jersey.
Jalal al Saeedi of the Qatar national team came third to get the OQ White jersey.
The cyclists covered a distance of 106-km from the Samharam Archeological Port to Mughsail Beach.
Oman-based British rider Paul Willcox managed to finish fifth in the race for Cycle KOM, one spot better than his sixth place finish in the first stage.
The second stage was challenging for the participating cyclists. The trail in this race had a combination of plain, mountain, and wind. The weather also turned hot and humid, which put the cyclists on a real test.
In his comments to Observer, Jaber al Mansoori admitted Salalah is a good destination for cycling provided some facelift is done on the tracks to make them cyclist-friendly.
“I enjoyed cycling amid greenery and natural mountain setting. I hope to come again for some major event in Salalah,” he said.
Ishaq Abdullah al Balushi, General Secretary of the Oman Cycling Association, the event organiser, expressed satisfaction over the successful management of two days of the event with the help of authorities like Royal Oman Police (ROP), Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Dhofar Municipality and cycling volunteers.
GOOD SUPPORT
Commenting selection of Salalah for the event, Ishaq al Balushi said, “Our cyclists desperately needed some outdoor event, and we thought nothing can be better than Salalah to get a feel of Khareef and promote the destination among prospective tourists.”
Salem al Mansoori, Oman’s Capital team manager, is also happy over the venue, which gave the cyclists from the region an opportunity to visit Salalah and take part in a regional cycling competition.
“After four years, the cyclists from the GCC countries are taking part in a cycling event together. We as cyclists call for more such events to keep the cyclists physically fit and spread awareness for cycling among common people. I was happy to see many locals wearing sports gear and coming out with their cycles to welcome the Tour of Salalah cyclists,” said Al Mansoori.
Such events, according to Al Mansoori, give local talents an opportunity to reach to the right people to show interest and emerge successful sports persons.
Since there are many avid cyclists worldwide, they keep track of cycling events, which ultimately popularises the destination among tourists.
Two more stages of the tour are due on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, the 101-km race will begin from Al Baleed Archeological Site and conclude at Qairoon Hairiti.
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