Held on the 6th May for its inaugural edition, the Gran Fondo Kuwait was the setting for the second stage of the Gran Fondo World Tour (GFWT). Clocking a total of 50 km, riders completed seven hotly-fought laps on a closed 4-lane road circuit, which the organisers had selected to heighten participants’ safety.

From a field of 250 riders, the victors celebrated jubilantly after a crowded sprint finish in which Saad Talal Saadin from Bahrain took the top stop. In the women’s category, the win went to Renata Hoppove from the Czech Republic, who took home her share of the 7,000 USD total prize money allocated for the first 20 riders.

Kuwait GF 2016 2

Tapping into the nationwide craze for cycling, Kuwait has already been confirmed as a new edition for next year’s World Tour, having renewed their contract with GFWT. There are also rumours that there will be a new initiative to promote Kuwait as an international cycling destination with the creation of the Tour of Kuwait.

gran fondo world tour kuwait 2016

Now that Barcelona and Kuwait City have unleashed the riders’ speed and power, the GFWT will next touch down in Italy with Marcialonga, before heading to Norway’s Styrkeproven, followed by a stop in Golden, Colorado (USA) and Almaty in Kazakhstan as the final stage of the series.


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Words & Photos: GFWT