DUBAI 5 February 2018: For Dubai Tour 2018, Dubai Police will press more than 500 personnel and 250 vehicles into service to ensure the safety of the riders and the public, and the smooth flow of traffic.
The cycling world turns its attention to Dubai this week with some of the world’s top sprinters among the 112 cyclists challenging for the 2018 Dubai Tour honours and the right to hold aloft the “Circle of Stars” trophy on Saturday – after five days and 851 kilometres of grueling action.
Organised by Dubai Sports Council in partnership with RCS Sports and Events DMCC, the Dubai Tour gets underway on February 6 with 112 cyclists from 16 teams riding through six of the UAE’s seven emirates, across five days, five stages and 851km of varying terrain.
Here is a lowdown on the five stages
Day 1: The Nakheel Stage
The 167km Nakheel Stage will be the first stage of the race and will take place on Tuesday, the 6th of February.
Traffic management will start on King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street from 10:50am, with the riders leaving Skydive Dubai at 11:10am, in a convoy for the Dubai Police Academy on Umm Suqeim Street, which will be the 0Km mark. Traffic management and rerouting will be in place on Al Khail Road (E44) towards Hessa Street and on to Dubai Sports City, Studio City and Al Qudra Cycle Track (Al Marmoom Reserve) until 13:00. The race will then lead participants to Emirates Road (E611) and through the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports Complex and Global Village where traffic calming will be in place intermittently until 14:00. Businesses should note that between 14:00 and 15:00, traffic management will move south through to exit D57 on Emirates Road and continue past the EXPO 2020 site, Jafza Free Zone and Jebel Ali Port. The final leg will bring the race onto Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) from Yalayis Street, turning right into Jumeriah Lake Towers, Jumeriah Islands and Hessa Street where traffic management will be in place from 13.45. Finally, the race will move through the Palm Jumeriah Gateway before ultimately finishing at Atlantis The Palm at 15:30.
Day 2: The Ras Al Khaimah Stage
The second 190km stage of the Dubai Tour 2018 will take place on Wednesday, the 7th of February
The Ras Al Khaimah Stage will start once again at Skydive Dubai at 10:30 with a convoy down King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street to the 0KM mark, which will again be at Dubai Police Academy on Umm Suqeim Street. Traffic management and rerouting will be in place from the starting point from 10:00 and will move along Al Khail Road (E44), Design District and Oud Metha Road until 11:30. The race will then proceed north through Ras Al Khor Road, entering Emirates Road towards Sharjah and Ajman until 12:30. Turning into Ajman from Exit 84, riders will continue through Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street before proceeding north via Etihad Road to Umm Al Quwain by 13.30. The participants will continue north to Ras Al Khaimah from Bab al Bar along Ittihad Street (E11). Motorists should take an alternative route if possible to avoid disruption as traffic management will be in place on the E11 from 14:00 to 15:20. The competitors will find the finish line at Al Qawasim Corniche Road in Ras Al Khaimah by 15:30.
Day 3: The Dubai Silicon Oasis Stage
The Dubai Silicon Oasis Stage will take place on Thursday, the 8th of February and will take cyclists 183km across Dubai and Fujairah.
The riders will begin at 11:00 with a convoy down King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street from Skydive Dubai, with the 0KM marker at Dubai Police Academy on Umm Suqeim Street. Traffic management and rerouting will be in place from the start line from 10.50 through Al Khail Road (E44) to Ras Al Khor Road and Dubai-Al Ain Road (E66) until 12:00. Traffic management will move through Academic City Road and Silicon Oasis before moving to Al Awir-Al Habab Road between 12.00 and 12:30. Riders will then turn onto the Al Awir-Al Habab Road to exit via Nazwa to Al Faya. At 13:15 riders will exit to Sharjah-Kalba road towards Hatta until 14:00 when they will turn again at exit 47, Nazwa. Exit 47 will bring the race onto the E84, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Rd towards Fujairah which will undergo rerouting until 14:30 before heading south through Fujairah Al Hayl. The racers will turn once again onto the Sharjah-Kalba Road and towards Corniche Road, before heading towards the finish line from the back of Fujairah airport, turning left on the Fujairah-Kalba roundabout and on past the Towar Fujairah International Marine club. The finish line will stand at Corniche Road in Fujairah at 15:30.
Day 4: The Dubai Municipality Stage
Day 4 will see cyclists take on a 172km route where they will discover the steep ramps of Hatta Dam on Friday, the 9th of February.
Traffic management will be in place from 10:30 with the riders beginning at 10.45 with a convoy down King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street from Skydive Dubai to the 0 KM mark at Dubai Police Academy on Umm Suqeim Street. Traffic management and rerouting will be in place through Al Khail Road (E44) and towards Ras Al Khor Road and Al Awir-Al Habab Road before reaching Lahbab at 12:30. The cyclists will continue on the Dubai-Hatta Road (E44), before turning onto the E55 north towards Al Maliha until 14:30. From there, the race will move into the hilly stage as it heads south on the Sharjah-Kalba Road, before ultimately turning at Al Munay to head into the last stretch towards Hatta Hill Park until 15:30. The finish line will be at Hatta Dam at 15:30.
Day 5: The Meraas Stage
Cyclists will have to battle it out in the final 132km stage of the Dubai Tour on Saturday, the 10th of February.
Traffic management will be in place from 11:45 with the final stage beginning at noon with a convoy down King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street from Skydive Dubai towards the 0 KM mark at Dubai Police Academy on Umm Suqeim Street. Traffic management and rerouting will be in place along Al Quoz until 13:00 as the race moves through Al Asayel Street and onto Al Waha Street. The cyclists will then move to Al Meydan Road, through Al Meydan Racecourse and on towards Mushrif Park by 13:30 via Ras Al Khor Road and Nad Al Hamar Road. Traffic management and rerouting will continue as the race proceeds past Al Warqa before turning into Mushrif Park. The race will then exit the park onto Al Khawaneej Road before moving through Al Mizhar and onto Tunis Road, Al Nahda Road, Damascus Street and Baghdad Street and through Al Mamzar Beach Park until 14:30. Following that stretch, cyclists will move towards old Dubai as they pass along Al Khaleej Street in Deira before entering Baniyas Road and crossing Al Maktoum Bridge by 14:30. Traffic management will then be in place as the race moves through Bur Dubai and towards Port Rashid, Al Ghubaiba Road before re-entering onto Jumeirah Road by the Union Flag. The competition will continue south through Jumeirah Street past La Mer and Kite Beach before turning at Burj Al Arab. Cyclists will continue towards Umm Al Sheif Road before making a sprint finish north on Al Wasl Road and Al Safa Street. The finish line will stand at City Walk Dubai at 15:30.
Details of the traffic management for the five-day Dubai Tour, which begins on Tuesday, were revealed at a press conference on Sunday at the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), with Saeed Hareb, the Secretary General of DSC, in attendance along with Brigadier General Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei, Director General of Traffic Department at Dubai Police, Adel Al Marzouqi, Director of Right of Way, Traffic & Roads Agency at RTA, Huraiz Bin Huraiz, Race Director of Dubai Tour, and other top Dubai Police and RTA officials.
Al Mazrouei said that, for the first time, Dubai Police will co-ordinate the passage of the Tour through all six emirates, in co-operation with the local police. He also revealed that more than 500 personnel and 250 vehicles of Dubai Police will be on duty to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and safety of everyone.