Tour de France begins

Manama : The Bahrain Merida Cycling Team is all set to make its debut at the 104th edition of Tour de France 2017 which gets underway today with an individual time trial in Dusseldorf, Germany and concludes in the Centre of Paris on 23 July.

This is the world’s most prestigious cycling race that sees the participation of elite participants from all over the globe. Representing the Bahrain Merida Cycling Team in the Tour are Janez Brajkovič, Ondrej Cink, Yukiya Arashiro, Tsgabu Grmay, Ion Izagirre, Sonny Colbrelli, Borut Božič, Javier Moreno and Grega Bole. 

On this occasion, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of Bahrain Olympic Committee (BCO) said: “The Bahrain Merida Cycling Team is looking forward to making its debut in the 104th edition of the Tour de France which is considered the world’s most famous and at the same time, the most challenging cycling contest over the next three weeks. It’s a great honour to have the Bahrain Merida Cycling Team among the participating teams that aim not just to showcases great performances but also to compete for top places”. 

HH continued: “We aspire to represent the Kingdom of Bahrain distinctly, and we look very much for a successful participation and technical competence to prove to all we are in constant steps towards development and achievement. Our debut won’t be easy for our cyclists, and we will try hard to benefit from our first participation and form a comprehensive idea about the Tour and its course as well as the challenges cyclists face during the race. However, our aspirations to achieve a positive result are clear, and they are a source of motivation for us in the upcoming races. We have a line-up of the world’s finest cyclists who have great experience in this sport and count on them to achieve great results, and we wish them all success in their efforts”. 

Shaikh Nasser said it is a great opportunity to achieve the vision of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to promote the image of the Kingdom of Bahrain as cycling is among the most prestigious sports across the globe with a high number of people involved worldwide.