Adnan Hamdan
Al-Khor, Qatar- Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation flagged off
this year’s campaign with an experimental bicycle race in near the Al-Thakhira
Youth Center, here on Friday.
The event, that saw 162 men and
women cyclists battle it out for classification, is a pre-step for the actual
start of the league, where the rankings of riders are determined for the next
stages of the league.
The 61-km race, divided into two
consecutive laps, first passed through the city and then headed to the main Ras
Laffan road. Later it the riders cycled along the sea shore and then and returned
from the internal road to reach the finish line.
In the category ‘A’, Majid Shokari
claimed the top honours with a time of 1:38:47 and an average speed of 37 km/
hour. He was followed by Abdullah Al-Jaidi, who trailed the leader by 18
seconds. James Moffatt finished third with a 21 seconds behind Shokari.
In the same category ‘A’ women, the
female rider Julie Melville finished with a time of 1:53:50 same as her fellow
rider Sophie Clark.