THE FIRST DUBAI TOUR IS NOW UNDERWAY @dubaitour

Time trial to the world's tallest building and back



Dutchman Tom Veelers get the first Dubai underway. Photo Credit Ansa.


Good morning from Stage One of the inaugural Dubai Tour 2014, a four-day international stage race covering 416.9 km. The event opens the 2014 UCI Asia Tour calendar and features many of the world's finest international cyclists.
Today's first stage, the 'Downtown Stage,' is an individual time trial over a flat, 10.150 km course, out-and-back between the Dubai Tour Start Village at the Dubai World Trade Centre, and the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
The stage began at 13.15 when Tom Veelers became the first rider ever to compete in the Dubai Tour. He was the first of the 127 riders on the official start list.
The start was rescheduled to begin at 13.15 for technical reasons. Please add 10 minutes to the published starting times which are downloadable from the link below.

WEATHER
Mostly cloudy, 22 degrees Celsius, humidity 73%m, wind 23 km/h.

RACE ROUTE
World Trade Centre - ITT (10.150 km (confirmed))
A short individual time trial along wide, well-surfaced boulevards. Split time is taken mid-race, where a U-turn indicates the halfway mark; the course then goes back along the same roads.

FINAL KILOMETRES
The last 3 kilometers are more or less straight, the notable exception being a U-turn just 150 meters before the finish line. The home stretch is on 7 m-wide, asphalted roadway.
Stage start: World Trade Centre, Dubai
Route inspection: 12.00 - 13.00
First rider departs: 13.05 (108 Tom Veelers)
Last rider departs: 15.11 (Tony Martin (OPQ)
Last rider finishes: about 15.30 (3.30 PM)
Split times taken at km 4.8 (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid blvd - U-turn)

AROUND THE RACE:

DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTER (DWTC) (km 0)
A business complex with one 39-storey tower and eight exhibition halls (comprising the Dubai International Convention Centre). The tower is 149 metres (489 feet) tall. One of the first major landmarks of Dubai - when built in 1979, it was the tallest in the UAE and the first high rise on Sheikh Zayed Road - it is still featured on the 100 dirham banknote. With 1 million square feet of covered exhibition space, the DWTC welcomes 1.2 million visitors a year.

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE (DIFC) (km 2 and 8)
A federal financial free zone occupying approx. 110 acres. It has its own legal system and courts, distinct from those of the wider UAE. The DIFC provides a platform for business and financial institutions to access and integrate the region's emerging markets. Contains the stock exchange, NASDAQ Dubai, which opened in September 2005.

DUBAI MALL (km 3 and 7)
One of the world's largest shopping malls, with 1,200 shops in 1,124,000 m2 (13 million sq foot). More than 65 million visitors in 2012, retaining its reputation as the world’s most-visited shopping and leisure destination. Contains an ice rink for 2,000 skaters, and an aquarium of over 33,000 marine animals, in the Guinness Book of Records for the world's largest viewing panel.

BURJ KHALIFA (km 5)
At 829.8m (2,722ft), the world's tallest building. Construction began 2004, opened 4 January 2010. Design incorporates regional elements, such as the spiral minaret. Made of aluminium, stainless steel and 26,000 glass panels designed to withstand Dubai’s extreme summer temperatures. Exterior temperature at the top is thought to be 6°C / 11°f cooler than at its foot. Observation deck on the 124th floor, with augmented reality telescopes. The Dubai Fountain, the world’s largest choreographed fountain system, lies at the foot of the Burj Khalifa. The Dubai fountain is illuminated by 6,600 lights and 25 coloured projectors. Its jets spray 83,000 litres (22,000 gallons) of water up to 152.4m (500ft) into the air, in a display synchronised to music from the traditional, classical and contemporary canon.

TELEVISION
The first Dubai Tour will be shown in 102 territories worldwide via the following broadcasters, who will be providing live coverage, race highlights and news reports: Dubai Sports Channel, the host broadcaster, will also provide live race coverage in the UAE, and the Middle East more generally, on Channel 1 and Channel HD with analysis and supplementary programming.
In addition, the race will also be shown on Eurosport International and Eurosport Asia Pacific; Rai Sport 2 in Italy; Universal Sports Network in the US; J Sport in Japan; FOX Australia (highlights); HySports Channel in China (highlights); and Sony TV in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan (highlights).