Dubai Tour 2017: Team UAE Abu Dhabi’s Yousif Mirza ‘proud’ to be part of the pack

The peloton is on the way during the second stage of the Dubai Tour 2017 cycling race over 188km from the Dubai International Marine Club to Ras Al Khaimah, February 1, 2017. Claudio Peri / EPA

RAS AL KHAIMAH // Yousif Mirza was a proud man on Wednesday after leading the 120-strong peloton, as a member of the breakaway group, into his hometown of Ras Al Khaimah on Stage 2 of the Dubai Tour.

Mirza, the Team UAE Abu Dhabi member who represented his country at the Rio Olympics last year, moved into the lead along with Mark Christian (Aqua Blue), Simone Andreetta (Bardiani-CSF), Jean-Pierre Drucker (BMC) and Peter Williams (One Pro Cycling) in the opening 20 kilometres of the 188km Ras Al Khaimah Stage, and the pack stayed in the clear until the final 11kms of the race.

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“I’m happy I spent the whole stage in the main breakaway,” Mirza said.

“It’s an honour for me to have exploited the opportunity, which had been given to me by the team’s sports director, to try to join the breakaway. We rode fast and we succeeded in obtaining a good gap on the peloton and we led the race until 10km to go.

“This stage meant a lot for me: leading a stage in my hometown, wearing the National champion jersey and racing for the Team UAE Abu Dhabi is something special.”

Mirza, 28, picked up six points on the day, finishing second to Drucker in the two Intermediate Sprints of Stage 2, and the Emirati is eighth on the Marcel Kittel-headed General Classification, 16 seconds behind the leader and defending champion.

“Only one regret: I would have loved to win at least one of the two intermediate sprints of the stage,” Mirza said.

“However, Drucker is a very fast rider and so I obtained two second places.

“If I’ll receive again the role of breakaway hunter from my sports director, I’ll try to attack again in the next stages.”

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