Riders from 40 countries to compete in HERO Dubai Hatta
- 21 Jan 2021
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
With just less than two months to go until March 5, 2021 and the kickoff of the HERO Dubai Hatta, the event is bound to be an exciting one.
The HERO World Series international circuit’s first stage cements its international profile right off the bat boasting more than 400 athletes from 40 countries.
Javad Khoramifar, XDubai’s General Manager and a HERO World Series partner in terms of organisation the race, says: “We are so proud to see athletes coming from so many different countries. They are united by one big passion, which makes the goal nearly easier to reach – after all, their passion is the only way of winning the incredibly difficult race they are all facing.”
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The 2021 HERO Dubai Hatta was organised together with XDubai and is the only mountain bike race featured on the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) international calendar on the Arabian Peninsula. The starting line will feature athletes from all over the world, united by their love for mountain biking. Colombia will surely stand out, for the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon Champion, Hector Leonardo Paez, Team Giant LIV Polimedical, has confirmed he will take part.
Two time world champion Hector Leonardo Paez has confirmed participation for the event.
Holding the title of World Champion for the second time in a row, Paez has also got six HERO Sudtirol Dolomites wins under the belt – and took home the 2020 HERO Dubai Hatta trophy, to boot! But there are also other Elite athletes who cannot wait to test their mettle in the dessert, including Peeter Pruus (Estonia) and Katazina Sosna (Lithuania).
Both are part of the Torpado-Sudtirol MTB Pro Team and placed second in the 2020 HERO Dubai Hatta. Keep an eye out for them: they are surely planning to go one step up on the podium. The routes set against the picturesque backdrop of Dubai’s dessert Athletes registered for the HERO Dubai Hatta will test their skills on two routes: one boasts 60 km and 1,600 hm, while the other features 30 km and 800 hm.
Both routes were developed in the Hatta Wadi Hub, a dedicated outdoor sport centre, set against the backdrop of the charming location of Hatta’s natural reserve. Dubai becomes more and more bike-friendly HERO Dubai Hatta is not only an event for la crème de la crème of international mountain biking.
In fact, it is an event for everyone who enjoys MTB. Dubai is becoming ever more bike friendly, using the means of transport as a tool to promote physical wellbeing and crowning it the protagonist of sustainability mobility. Proof of this is the large cycling movement operating in and around the big city – among them, the UAE MTB Jumeirah and its numerous members, boasting more than 20 associated clubs, stands out, making Dubai ever more bike-friendly.
These biking events are supported and promoted by the UCI and the Dubai Sport Council, which also happens to be a 2021 Hero Dubai Hatta partner. The event’s aim is to promote the culture and passion for cycling in all its shapes and forms: from mountain biking on Hatta’s routes, employing the bike in a conscious way as an alternative means of transport on the capital’s roads and streets, and a way to live a healthier life.