All photos by Ray Toh
The UCI Road World Championships made history yesterday by opening its tournament for the first time in the Middle East.
More than 1,600 cyclists from around the world are in town for the 89th edition of the event, which kicked off with opening ceremonies last night at Education City.
حفل الافتتاح الرسمي لبطولة العالم للدراجات الهوائية على الطرق #الدوحة2016 #قطر_عاصمة_الرياضة #UCIDoha2016 pic.twitter.com/JE9YcQuEKp
— Team Qatar 🇶🇦 (@qatar_olympic) October 8, 2016
The championships run through Oct. 16. It includes a grueling 257.5km men’s elite race, starting at the Aspire Zone and heading through Education City.
Four other races will take place across Qatar – including the women’s and men’s team time trials today, Oct. 9. All start in Lusail City and finish on the Pearl.
Spectators can head down to watch all the races in person, or they can be viewed live online on UCI’s YouTube channel.
Road closures
As athletes cycle across Qatar, several road closures will be in place around town.
The biggest ones will be at the Pearl-Qatar, and organizers have yet to announce how other venues like the Aspire Zone and Qatar Foundation will be affected later on this week.
Today, Oct. 9, the road from Lusail and from Katara signal going toward the Pearl will be closed from 1:30pm until 5pm.
The road from West Bay to Katara will also be closed, and those driving on the Al Khor Coastal Road will be facing diversions too.
There will be temporary traffic closures and diversions on first day @UCIDoha2016 from 1:30 pm to 5 pm as attached. #QATraffic #MoI_Qatar pic.twitter.com/mIpgIf8Nau
— Ministry of Interior (@MOI_QatarEn) October 8, 2016
To stay updated on the latest closures, check the MOI’s Twitter feed or follow the hashtag #QATraffic.
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