Winners of the HERO Dubai Hatta pose with the officials during the presentation ceremony.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

 Ariane Luthi, the current UCI Marathon world ranking leader, edged her Swiss compatriot and reigning World Champion Ramona Forchini to win the HERO Dubai Hatta Elite Women’s 60km Race on Friday, while Martin Stosek of the Czech Republic took the men’s Elite 60km crown.

Supported by Dubai Sports Council, the HERO Dubai Hatta, which had attracted more than 700 participants from over 40 countries, took place at the Hatta MTB Trail Centre, offering participants an opportunity to compete in an exclusive location, with the two routes for the race winding their way across sandy dunes and rocky tracks.

The ‘long’ 6km route for the UCI Marathon Race offers and elevation gain of 1,600hm, while the shorter 18km race, (three loops of a 6km circuit) offers a 270hm elevation gain.

Stosek, the current leader of the UCI Marathon world ranking and a bronze medallist at lasts year’s UCI MTB Marathon World Championship, took top spot in the Elite Men’s 60km race, clocking two hours, three minutes and seven seconds. Peeter Pruus of Estonia finished 23 seconds behind in 2:03:30, while Andreas Seewald of Germany, winner of the 2021 BMW HERO Sudtirol Dolomites, was third with a time of 2:06:38.

In the Elite Women’s 60km, Luthi finished 59 seconds ahead of her World Champion compatriot with a time of 2:40:47. Forchini took the flag in 2:41:46, while Lithuanian Katazina Sosna, winner of the 2021 BMW HERO Südtirol Dolomites and runners-up in Hatta in 2020, came third in 2:46:12.

 A high-octane sport event, HERO Dubai Hatta is part of the HERO Series and the only Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) mountain bike race in the Arabian Peninsula. It is one of five international cycling competitions hosted by Dubai annually, and the exciting second edition of the race has further boosted Dubai’s rising profile as a venue for international cycling and mountain bike races.

The race, billed as the “Desert Fascination”, supports the Government of Dubai’s strategic plans to develop Hatta and enhance its appeal as a world-class tourist and sports destination.

It is aligned with the Hatta development plans of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who recently approved new projects which aim to support development in Hatta and enhance its position as one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the country and internationally.

It is also aligned with the directives of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, to transform Dubai into a bicycle-friendly city and strengthen its position as the world’s most preferred venue for international sporting events.

Dubai Sports Council is keen to organise international events in Hatta to increase awareness of the area’s natural beauty, biodiversity and picturesque mountain environment as well as encourage the culture of sports.