UAE cycling aficionado Shahriar Khojasteh believes the popularity of the sport in the UAE has been “skyrocketing” in recent years and he only sees that interest continuing to grow.

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The CEO of Dubai Desert Extreme (DDE), whose chain of Ride Bike shops are an official partner of the 2015 Dubai Tour, has described the event as the cycling equivalent of long-standing marquee events in the UAE’s sporting calendar like the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and HSBC Golf Championships.

One of the outfits DDE sponsor is Team Giant-Alpecin and Khojasteh was speaking after some of their riders attended an event at the Sheikh Zayed Road branch of Ride Bike yesterday.

“Having the Dubai Tour here exposes the sport to the wider public and it is truly amazing to have such a prestigious event here,” said Khojasteh.

“Cycling has been skyrocketing in the years we’ve been involved. Popularity and participation have increased significantly, and I predict that will continue. 

“This part of the world is really starting to take the sport seriously.” Khojaste added: “You have the HSBC Golf Championships and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships here already, and I think the Dubai Tour is the cycling equivalent.”

Khojaste believes the tour is a great way of developing interest in cycling in the UAE, not just as a sport, but as a way of leading a more active lifestyle. 

He also thinks the UAE will see more cyclists on the country’s roads in the future and is promoting cycling as a healthier, cheaper and more environmentally friendly method of getting to work.

“The weather here is amazing and, for nine months of the year, you could potentially come into work on your bike, which is great for the environment and for your health and well being too. There are so many advantages.”

After three stage wins for Giant-Alpecin at last year’s event, Khojasteh is hoping for more of the same this week.

“We’re hopeful that with riders like Luka (Mezgec) and Roy (Curvers), for whom the stages suit perfectly, we will have another great performance this year.”