حول الإمارات بالدراجة: يوليو 2013

Yousuf Mirza and Khalid Saif top in cycle race

Sagman and Novwall ride away with honours in other categories at Nad Al Sheba Ramadan Championships

Staff Report
Published: 16:09 July 27, 2013

Image Credit: Courtesy Nad Al Sheba
Yousuf Mirza, Khalid Saif, Canada’s Michael Sagman and Victoria Novwall took top honours in the 70-kilometre cycle race held under the auspices of the Nad Al Sheba Ramadan Championships late on Friday.

Dubai: Yousuf Mirza, Khalid Saif, Canada’s Michael Sagman and Victoria Novwall took top honours in the 70-kilometre cycle race held under the auspices of the Nad Al Sheba Ramadan Championships here late on Friday.

Witnessed by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council, and Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Mirza, Saif, Sagman and Novwall rode to the podium in the event in their respective categories.

Representing SkyDive Dubai, Mirza came first in the race for UAE cyclists, Saif was the best cyclist in the race for UAE amateurs, Canada’s Sagman won the race for UAE residents and Novwall claimed the top prize among the women.

Mirza was followed by the Al Nasr Club duo of Mansour Ali and Ahmad Yousuf in the UAE nationals’ race, while Saif was followed to the podium by Shaikh Hasher Al Maktoum and Mohammad Faraj in the race for UAE amateurs.

In the race for UAE residents, Sagman was followed by Rahmani Mansour of Algeria in second, while Scotland’s Michael Mira came in third.

In the women’s competition, South African Novwall was pursued by Deidra Casey of Ireland and Andree Clement of Canada.

Michael H. Corbin, US Ambassador to the UAE, also participated in the race that was held with a start and finish at the Nad Al Sheba Club late on Friday. A keen cyclist himself, Corbin said after the race that such initiatives need support from all sections of society as they promote community building and well-being among residents.

There was a total of Dh950,000 in prize money for all winners, with the top three earning Dh40,000, Dh30,000 and Dh20,000 respectively. In his capacity as the patron of the annual championships, Shaikh Hamdan ordered a special prize for the UAE national girls’ squad.

Held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan, the annual championships have a prize fund of Dh7 million, with month-long competitions in futsal, padel tennis and volleyball. This year, there were one-off activities included with a 10km road run, the 70km cycle race and an exhibition futsal match with Brazilian legend Falcao as chief guest.

Source: http://gulfnews.com/sport/other-sports/yousuf-mirza-and-khalid-saif-top-in-cycle-race-1.1213871

UAE cyclists test phone health monitors on 2,100km ride

ABU DHABI // Four UAE cyclists will join an international pack on a 2,100-kilometre European tour that will test smartphone technology designed to help manage diabetes.

The four Etisalat workers will provide blood-sugar readings on the 13-day tour from Brussels to Barcelona, which is also being staged to raise awareness of the disease.

Faisal Alreyaysa, 29, an Emirati working at Etisalat’s carrier and wholesale services in Dubai, will be tackling the final and hardest leg of the journey with his cycling partner – through the Pyrenees mountains.

For Mr Alreyaysa, the cause is personal.

“A lot of people are suffering from diabetes,” he said. “The majority of my family who are aged more than 40 are suffering from diabetes.”

Up to 36 riders in the mHealth Grand Tour will be taking part in a live clinical study on the effects of days of exercise on blood- glucose levels in people with Type 1 diabetes, and in non-sufferers.

The event is being run by the global mobile trade association GSMA and the International Diabetes Federation.

The volunteers will wear glucose monitors that are attached to the skin and transmit data.

As they cycle, a bio-harness will take their heart rates and a small computer will record cycling statistics such as speed.

The data will be transmitted to the riders’ smartphones, allowing them to track their health and performance, and to a web portal where it will be available for analysis by a team at Newcastle University, in northern England.

“Gathering and transmitting healthcare data wirelessly demonstrates that mobile-phone technology can be used in the remote diagnosis, treatment and long-term monitoring of this debilitating disease in hospitals all over the world,” said Ahmad Julfar, chief executive of Etisalat Group.

Mr Alreyaysa and the three other UAE riders were chosen from more than 500 applicants from Etisalat’s 15 international operations including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tanzania and Sudan.

They will be joined by five other Etisalat workers from abroad.

At the start of this month, 35 gathered in the UAE and underwent physical and psychological tests before the final team was selected. The chosen riders will each do a different leg of the route.

Sara Coppo, senior manager for Etisalat Group Commercial living in Dubai, will cycle through France, with another cyclist covering about 550km in three days.

Mrs Coppo, 43, from Italy, said she wanted to represent her company in a good cause and set an example to her children, aged 2 and 6.

“It’s an opportunity to teach them that if you want to do something, you just need to make a big effort to get it and you can get anything you want,” she said.

Abdul Aziz Al Sawaleh, Etisalat Group chief human resources officer, led recruitment of volunteers from across its operations.

“In participating in this cycle ride, our staff are standing up and showing that they, too, want to contribute to the global fight against diabetes,” Mr Al Sawaleh said.

“Not only are they raising awareness in their communities and pursuing more active lifestyles, they are making a tangible contribution to developing real solutions to the disease.”

Jeanine Vos, the GSMA’s executive director of mHealth and education, explained how mobile technology could help in monitoring a diabetic person’s condition.

“Vital stats could be sent across a network and then shared with relevant people, whether that’s their doctor, whether that’s their carer, or maybe shared back to themselves so they can track information over time,” Ms Vos said.

Among its other benefits, the system allows doctors to send advice back to their patient, and an alert can be set up to tell a diabetic that their blood-glucose levels have dropped.

The tour starts on September 5.

ecleland@thenational.ae

Source: http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/health/uae-cyclists-test-phone-health-monitors-on-2-100km-ride

Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge on December 12

Sports Correspondent

Published Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The 2013 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge was announced with over 2,000 amateur cyclists expected for the Annual Challenge on December 13 around the iconic streets of Dubai.

Part of 'Dubai pulse', the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge is the largest amateur cycling challenge in the Middle East, doubling in size each year.

Started in 2010 with the support of the Dubai Sports Council, the Challenge promotes fitness for all in Dubai and now attracts cyclists of all abilities from all over the world keen to test themselves over 92 km around the famous landmarks and iconic buildings of Dubai.

“The success and growth of the Challenge in Dubai is due to the support of Spinneys, Dubai 92 and the Sports Council all promoting health and fitness amongst the community of Dubai," said Stewart Howison, race director.

A spokesperson for Spinneys , Jannie Holtzhausen said: "We are pleased to renew our commitment over a longer term for the Spinneys Dubai 92 cycle challenge, for it reflects our commitment to promoting health and fitness in Dubai to all residents here."

Dr Ahmad Sa'ad Al Sharif, Dubai Sports Council (DSC) General Secretary said: “This challenge reflects the increase in popularity of cycling in the city and the support of the Authorities that has seen over 100 km of dedicated cycling tracks being built around the City. The challenge receives the full support of the Dubai Police and the RTA.”

Preparations for the challenge start in September with the running of build up rides to test the cyclists over increasing distances leading up to the Challenge. Dates for these have already been approved with the first build up ride taking place on September 6. Registration for all cyclists will start on August 1.

For more information, www.cyclechallenge.ae or email info@cyclechallenge.ae or phone 3210008

Source: http://www.emirates247.com/sports/local/spinneys-dubai-92-cycle-challenge-on-december-12-2013-07-24-1.515315