Tomorrow, the events of the Saudi Tour 2023 cycling race, organized by the Ministry of Sports in cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Cycling Federation, approved by the International Cycling Federation (UCI), will start in Al-Ula province. with 112 cyclists representing 16 countries competing over a total distance of 830 km in a race that will run for five days until February 3, 2023. The President of the Saudi Cycling Federation and Vice President of the Arab Cycling Federation, Professor Abdullah bin Ali Al Watlan explained that hosting the Saudi Tour in 2023 in the Kingdom is in line with the vision of 2030, which should be the main destination for sports tourists from all over the world.
He noted that the third hosting of the sporting event confirms the Kingdom’s ability to professionally manage and host major sporting events, as well as present an outstanding version in the world of cycling, stressing that the circumnavigation will witness the presence of the most outstanding cyclists in the world. world, and for the first time with the participation of the adult team of Saudi Arabia, noting that the race will be held in the province of Al-Ula twice in a row, due to its outstanding geographical position and picturesque nature.
For his part, Amr Al-Madani, Director General of the Royal Commission for the Province of Al-Ula, affirmed that achieving the growth of the Saudi tour has been parallel to the continued rise of Al-Ula and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a dynamic destination for global tourism, investment, development and economic diversification. which indicates that the participation of the best cyclists in Al-Ula is one of the most important regions. Being a historical and archaeological site in the Kingdom is a privilege that the Royal Commission for Al-Ula is proud of.
Seven international teams licensed by UCI WorldTeams participate in the Tour of Saudi Arabia, namely: Team Astana Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan), Team Bahrain Victorious (Bahrain), Team Cofidis (France), Team Movistar (Spain), Team Jaico Al-Ula (Australia), Team DSM (Netherlands), Team Emirates (UAE) and 6 UCI ProTeams: Team Banjul WP (Belgium), Team Euskaltel-Euskade (Spain), Team Human Powered Health (USA), Q36.5 Professional Team ( Switzerland), UNO-X Professional Team (Norway), Koratec Team (Italy), in addition to 3 teams invited to participate: The Saudi Cycling Federation Team (Saudi Arabia), Team Telengano Polygon (Malaysia) and Team JCL Ukyo (Japan) ).
The 2023 Saudi Tour includes five legs, as follows: First Leg: It will start on January 30th from Al Ula International Airport to Khyber, a distance of 180.5 km.
Second stage: Starts from the Winter Park to the rocks of the Log waterfall, 184 kilometers long.
Stage Three: It extends from the Mansheya train to Abu Rak and is 159.2 km long.
Stage 4: Starts from the Maraya Theater to Harrat Averid, 163.4 km long.
Fifth stage: from the old city of Al-Ula to the Maraya theater, 142.9 km long.
Notably, the Saudi Tour is one of the initiatives of the Quality of Life Programme, which aims to strengthen national efforts to improve and enhance the quality of life in the Kingdom, increase the participation of sports in society, and ensure the provision of an integrated sports and cultural experience for participants. races reflecting developments in the Kingdom.