Bike Abu Dhabi programme also launched.
Abu Dhabi has been officially designated as an UCI Bike City.
The news was revealed at a special ceremony at Hudayriyat Island cycling track in Abu Dhabi where High Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received the award from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
The Bike City title recognises a city’s commitment to the UCI’s Cycling for All strategy which aims to promote cycling as a healthy and more sustainable means of transport.
The first destination in Asia to receive the label from UCI, the capital of the UAE joins other cities around the planet like Paris (France), Bergen (Norway), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Glasgow (Scotland) in becoming a ‘Bike City’.
Speaking on the designation, H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the title reflects Abu Dhabi’s goal of turning the city into a haven for cyclists.
H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “Through visionary thinking, the emirate has developed state-of-the-art sports and community facilities that help enhance Abu Dhabi’s position as one of the world’s most livable cities.
“This exciting new chapter for the emirate will see Abu Dhabi achieve even greater heights in its work to drive sustainability across all areas of life, to advance dynamic urban development, and to create as many opportunities as possible for people to live healthy, active lives.”
The ceremony coincided with the launch of Bike Abu Dhabi, a new enabling platform to spearhead the emirate’s long-term cycling ambitions to become a leading global cycling hub.
This new programme will see significant cycling projects to be undertaken including an extension of the emirate’s 300km cycling network to more than 1,000km and a 3,500 capacity Velodrome Hudayriyat.
The event also saw Abu Dhabi announced as the host for the 2022 and 2024 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships and the 2028 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships as well as the creation of a new community cycling event called the Abu Dhabi Al Ain Classic.
This news follows hot on the heels of Abu Dhabi being confirmed as the host of the UAE Tour which will see the city host the opening and closing legs of the 2022 UCI World Tour racing calendar.
But you don’t need to wait until next year to hop on your bike and go for a cycle. Abu Dhabi has tons of areas where you can put rubber on track and Team Yalla have them all listed right here.
For all the sporting news in Abu Dhabi, visit Yalla – Abu Dhabi Life