Thousands of cyclists take over Dubai streets for annual challenge

The 2022 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge filled the streets of Dubai on Saturday, culminating in exciting cycling, family fun, and incredible atmosphere.

Over 2,000 riders participated across the 12th edition of the community favourite ride, held in partnership with Dubai Sports Council. 

The UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualifier saw over 80 elite riders take to the course spanning 94.8 km across the city.

Throughout the ride, cyclists took in the iconic sites of Dubai, passing by the world’s greatest show at Expo 2020 and Global Village before heading home to Dubai Sports City and the Spinneys’ Eat Well Live Well Village. 

In the elite category, Great Britain’s Simon Henley and Egypt’s Ebtissam Zayed were fastest across the finish line with respective times of 2:10:10.86 and 2:10:37.06, taking top spot in the standings and earning 10,000 AED each from the lucrative 36,000 AED prize pot, provided in partnership with the challenge’s official fuel partner, Emarat. 

Henley was followed closely by Phillipines’ Edgardo Tunay and UAE’s Abdulrahman Salem both securing a pole standing with finishing times of 2:10:11.82 and 2:10:11.83.

Similarly, female elite both hailing from Italy, Carmela Cipriani and Aurora Mantovani, took second and third place with close margins, finishing in 2:10:37.13 and 2:10:37.23.

Meanwhile, the Under 23 Elite category saw 22-year-old Emirati, Lian Aucamp top the ranking in the men’s category with a time of 2:10:40.09, and 19-year-old Mantovani placing first in the women’s ranking.

To cap off a remarkable DUBAI BIG 5 competition, it was Gregory Simpson and Babita Khatri who took home the wins in the grand finale, with Simpson crossing the finishing line in 2:10:38.48 to earn first place in the men’s championship and Khatri completing the 94.8km course in 2:34:39.71 as the female champion. 

The local classic saw record participation from cyclists in all ages and stages of life, with young enthusiasts taking to the track in the Prime Medical Center Junior Rides on Friday 18th February to kick off the 2022 event in style.

An exciting inclusion for the 2022 challenge also saw the introduction of the 40km course, with riders in The Live Well Outride cycling around Expo 2020 on Saturday morning in the family friendly race. 

The new-look Eat Well Live Well athlete village provided a fun-filled atmosphere as cyclists took in the post-challenge celebrations.

Whether a champion, a top finisher heading to the UCI Gran Fondo World Championship in September, or a finisher who’s just completed their longest ride to date, everyone had a reason to celebrate crossing the finishing line. 

The 2022 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge, a key qualifying race in the 2022 UCI Gran Fondo World Series season, saw the top 20% of riders earn their spot in the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Italy in September 2022.