CYCLING

Dubai Tour from A to Z

By Dubai Tour

Dubai Tour 2016 ended in style yesterday. Let's relive it through this year's "Dubai Alphabet":

A for Automobiles: 92 cars were provided by the official partner Audi Al Nabooda, out of a total of 168 vehicles involved in the race

B for Blue Jersey: the General Classification jersey, sponsored by Commercial Bank of Dubai, was worn by three different riders: Marcel Kittel (Etixx - Quick Step), Elia Viviani (Team Sky) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek - Segafredo)

C for Circle of Stars: the exclusive circular trophy, designed by Pininfarina, was won by Marcel Kittel (Etixx - Quick Step). He's in exalted company – Taylor Phinney and Mark Cavendish won in 2014 and 2015, respectively

D for Dubai Sports Channel: the host broadcaster provided full live coverage of each and every stage on both Dubai Sports Channel 1 (in English) and Dubai Sports Channel 2 (in Arabic), with race, pre-race and post-race shows totalling 21 hours 


Photo © ANSA - PERI / DAL ZENNARO

E for Emirates: 4 Emirate States were involved in the 2016 Dubai Tour: Dubai, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah

F for Followers: 53,426 on Facebook, 8,758 on Twitter and 6,410 on Instagram by the end of stage 4

G for Growth: up 4% on Facebook, 7% on Twitter and an incredible 58% increase in global television coverage compared with the 2015 edition by the start of stage 4

H for Hotels: 2,970 accommodations were provided by the organization

I for Intermediate Sprint Classification: The UAE Flag Jersey, sponsored by Dubai Health Authority, was won by Marcin Bialoblocki (One Pro Cycling) and worn by Soufiane Haddi (Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club)

J for Journalists: 180 members of the media attended the Dubai Tour, comprising 138 journalists and 42 photographers, and representing 82 international and national media outlets.
 
K for Kilometres: the race's length came in at 665km


Photo © ANSA - PERI / DAL ZENNARO

L for Lunch: over 1,000 lunches were served during the Dubai Tour

M for Maradona: the legendary footballer took part in the opening ceremony and the final stage 

N for News: more than 500 daily articles, across numerous international media, discussed the Dubai Tour according to our monitoring system

O for Organization: officials at the Dubai Tour numbered 216

P for Points: the Points Classification was won by Marcel Kittel. Three riders wore the Red Jersey sponsored by Emirates: the German of Etixx - Quick Step, Elia Viviani and Giacomo Nizzolo

Q for Quote: the Lobato declaration after the Hatta Stage is definitely our favourite: "I put my thumb in my mouth at the finishing line to dedicate this victory to my son. I also dedicate it to Adriano Malori, wishing him a prompt recovery"

R for Riders: 127 at the start, 120 at the finish

S for Speed: 44.971km/h average speed. The first stage was the fastest ever – 48.20km/h!

T for TV: 177 countries televised coverage of the 2016 Dubai Tour – that's 65 more than in 2015


Photo © ANSA - PERI / DAL ZENNARO

U for UNESCO: the traditional stick dance Al-Razfa, performed every day at the start and finish, was inscribed in 2015 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

V for Village: four days of activities dedicated to fans at the Dubai Tour Fan Village at DIMC (Dubai International Marina Club), including the presence of BikeTrial World Champion and multiple Guinness World Record holder Vittorio Brumotti

W for Water: 20,000 water bottles hydrated the entire staff, including riders

X for XL: the biggest size required for the official Dubai Tour Jersey by Castelli

Y for Young: the White Jersey, sponsored by RTA (Road and Traffic Authority), was worn by one rider, Soufiane Haddi (Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club)

Z for “Zero”: like the raindrops and the clouds at the Dubai Tour. Every day saw clear sky, an average of 20°C and moderate wind. In short, the perfect weather for riding.

See you in 2017.