Four months after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Giro d’Italia organiser RCS Sport and the Dubai Sports Council in relation to the organisation of the 2014 Dubai Tour, that agreement has been made official today.
The event will take place between February 5th and 8th next year, with these dates to be finalised by the UCI when it makes the final calendar for 2014.
“We are proud and satisfied about the agreement reached with Dubai Sport Council to organise the Dubai Tour,” said Michele Aquarone of RCS Sport, the race director of the Giro d’Italia. “This important goal is in line with RCS Sport’s strategy focused on extending its activities towards new international markets.
“We recently announced the Giro d’Italia 2014 Grande Partenza from Ireland: two important signals for our national and international investors. I would like to thank the Dubai Sport Council for the faith they showed in us and for investing in cycling, a truly global sport.”
The early-season calendar will now have the addition of one more race, an event which will slot in before the Tours of Qatar and Oman. The latter two are organised by the French ASO organisation, the company which runs the Tour de France, and a major rival to RCS Sport.
A delegation from the Dubai Sport Council is currently at the Giro d’Italia in order to learn more in advance of the Dubai Tour; they are looking at the logistics of the race, as well as other elements such as the commercial aspect plus media coverage.
Saeed Hareb, the chairman of the higher committee of the Dubai Tour, hailed the agreement today. “The United Arab Emirates are renowned for the warmth with which we welcome sports stars from around the world, as well as the tourists and guests who come in their millions to enjoy our incomparable tourist attractions and hospitality.
“Today, as we enter the world of cycling in cooperation with our friends and partners at RCS Sport, we are proud to announce details of the Dubai International Cycling Tour or ‘Dubai Tour,’ which is destined to become Asia’s most prestigious cycling event”.
More details about the race will follow in the coming months. A test event was held in January with Alberto Contador (Team Saxo Tinkoff), world TT champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma Quick Step), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and 2012 Giro winner Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin Sharp) all taking part.
Their participation then doesn’t guarantee that they will ride the 2014 event, but is reflective of how seriously RCS Sport and the Dubai Tour organiser are taking things.