Has Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Saudi Arabia? Cycling, too. With the Saudi Tour, the ultra-conservative kingdom is betting, like other Gulf countries, on the bicycle to diversify its economy and cleanse its image with colossal means.
Organized this week in the Al-Ula region, a spectacular setting of canyons and rocky roads in the northwest of the country, the Saudi Tour opens the trilogy of stage races in the Gulf, which will continue in February with the Tour of Oman and the UAE Tour in the United Arab Emirates.
Around Al-Ula, in a region with a surface area similar to that of Belgium, there are archaeological sites classified as UNESCO world heritage, such as Hegra, the “Saudi Petra”, dromedaries, a lot of sand and very little public.
The list of runners in this third level race is also modest, with, as gondola heads, the Dutch sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, winner of five stages of the Tour de France, and German veteran John Degenkolb, winner of Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo, exhibited like demigods in all presentations.
On Monday, in the first stage, inevitably won by Groenewegen, There were only a few dozen people, including some women, crowded around the finish line drawn at the Khaybar oasis.
The essential is elsewhere: the race is part of a global strategy, shared by several neighboring states, which, under the often critical eye of the West, made sport a vector of “soft power” and diversification of their economy based on fossil fuels.
– High-end tourism –
This materializes in the signing of soccer stars such as Cristiano Ronaldoinvesting in equipment and organizing major events such as the World Cup in Qatar, perhaps waiting for the Olympic Games to arrive one day.
Cycling is no less. In addition to racing, three of the eighteen World Tour teams have a Gulf country as sponsor most important: the powerful Team UAE of Tadej Pogacar, double winner of the Tour, Bahrain-Victorious, and… Al-Ula, which has increased its investment to the height of seven million dollars per year to become a co-sponsor of the Australian team Jayco (formerly BikeExchange).
“This is part of our strategy to make Al-Ula the capital of cycling in Saudi Arabia. and even in the Middle East,” Philip Jones, who works for the Royal Commission for Al-Ula (RCU), created in 2017, told AFP.
When the oil monarchy opened its borders to foreign visitors For only four years, the idea is to develop high-end tourism in Al Ula, strategically located on the old incense route, “especially not large real estate, we want sustainable and responsible tourism,” insists Jones.
In this region of rich archaeological heritage still largely unexploredthe RCU expects to soon propose stays for cyclists during the high season, between October and March, before the sweltering heat of summer.
This project is part of the pharaonic development plan “Vision 2030” launched by Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman, which plans to invest between 50,000 and 100,000 million dollars throughout the country.
– 650 drones –
All means are good to give vision to the country, like in the opening ceremony, which summoned on Sunday to about 650 drones on top of the emblematic rock Elephant Rock. An amazing show, worthy of a planetary event, when the Saudi Tour is still a rather confidential race.
While human rights defenders denounce “sports washing”, This excess of means also causes some tensions within the peloton.
“World cycling is asking for more and more investments with finances coming from the Emirates or Saudi Arabia. You have to find resources to meet the needs,” notes the general manager of the French team AG2R-Citroën Vincent Lavenu.
The cyclists are stone guests, like John Degenkolb, who belongs to the Dutch team DSM. “We are part of a system and it is not obvious to reject the proposals. Cyclists take advantage of them but I think the region here too,” the German told AFP.
Groenewegen also retains the “amazing landscapes” and “the enthusiasm of the boys” when they were able to touch his bicycle during a visit to the old part of Alula.
The organizers of Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) They say they want to “continue developing cycling in the region” and are already considering the creation of a women’s Saudi Tour, when the Emirates Tour is already proposing it this year.
