The captain of the national team of the UAE in cycling, Ahmed Al-Mansoori, stated that his goal remains to participate in the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Now the team has enough time to prepare, including signing a contract with Canadian trainer Richard Ullsom.
Al-Mansoori shared his achievements, especially mentioning participation in the Asian Games, where he often carried the flag of his country during the opening ceremony, as well as being the first in the history of UAE to win gold in Islamic games and the first gold in Asian games in cycling.
He also noted that the responsibility for the national team performance lies with him after the departure of Youssef Mirza, but Mirza always stays in contact and supports the team and the athletes.
Al-Mansoori started cycling 22 years ago, and currently he serves as the captain of the national team. He pointed out that to achieve success in cycling, a lot has to be sacrificed - including time, efforts, money, and time spent away from family.
Al-Mansoori became the first Emirati athlete to win gold in Islamic solidarity games in Turkey in 2022. He expressed hope to participate in the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Currently, he is competing in world championships in road and track cycling, and tomorrow he is expecting a race for the general classification in Asia.
Speaking about the expenses, he emphasized that cycling is a very expensive sport, requiring significant financial investments in equipment, maintenance, and travel for competitions. He also emphasized that prepping a bicycle for competitions costs approximately 6000 dirhams just for maintenance and vitamins.
