UAE Lands 14 Golds at the Arab Cycling Championship 2026

The UAE's cyclists turned the 2026 Arab Cycling Championship into a national showcase, riding away from Syria with 14 gold medals and a place at the top of the podium across the road races. For anyone who rides in the Emirates, the timing could not be better: the result lands just as the cooler season arrives and the roads fill up with weekend riders again. Here is what the team achieved, and how to use the next few months to build your own cycling.

In this article

1. UAE's medal haul at the Arab Cycling Championship
2. Why a medal haul matters if you ride in the Emirates
3. Build your cooler-season cycling base
4. Add strength work off the bike
5. Ride into the season with GymNation

UAE's medal haul at the Arab Cycling Championship

According to Al Khaleej, the UAE closed the Arab Cycling Championship in Syria with 14 golds, 8 silvers and 3 bronzes, a 25-medal haul that capped a dominant week on the road. The final day alone brought eight more medals, five of them gold, as the squad swept the road-race classifications.

The individual stories stood out. Abdullah Jassem was crowned Arab champion in the men's general classification, with teammate Youssef Amiri taking silver. On the women's side, UAE Team ADQ reports that Safiya Alsayegh and Zahra Hussain took gold in the team time trial and again in the road race, part of a run that put the UAE women on the top step on consecutive days. The championship also marked Syria's return as host for the first time in 14 years.

Why a medal haul matters if you ride in the Emirates

Elite results do not stay in the pro peloton. A strong national team raises the profile of the sport, fills the event calendar and pulls more riders onto the region's cycle tracks, from Al Qudra and Nad Al Sheba in Dubai to Al Hudayriat in Abu Dhabi. The cooler months, roughly October through March, are when the Emirates rides hardest, and a championship like this is the nudge many people need to set a goal of their own.

You do not need to race to train like the riders who do. The same principles that build a podium ride will make your weekend loop faster and more comfortable.

Build your cooler-season cycling base

The foundation of every strong cyclist is aerobic endurance, and the shoulder season is the time to build it. Keep most of your riding easy enough to hold a conversation, and let the volume, not the intensity, do the work early on. A simple way to structure the next few months:

• Ride three to four times a week, keeping most sessions at a steady, conversational pace
• Add one longer ride at the weekend and extend it gradually rather than in big jumps
• Save hard efforts for one short session a week, such as hill repeats or intervals
• Build hydration into every ride, since even the cooler UAE months stay warm by midday

Progress comes from consistency, not from a single heroic ride. Three steady weeks followed by an easier week is a pattern most riders can sustain right through the season.

Add strength work off the bike

Cyclists who only cycle leave speed and injury resistance on the table. A short, regular strength routine supports the big riding muscles, protects your lower back on long rides and helps you hold a strong position in the final kilometres. Two sessions a week is plenty:

• Squats and lunges for the quads and glutes that drive the pedal stroke
• Hinge movements such as deadlifts or hip thrusts for the posterior chain
• Core work, including planks and anti-rotation holds, for a stable position on the bike
• Light mobility for the hips and ankles to keep your pedalling smooth

Keep the weights manageable and the form clean. The goal is a body that supports your riding, not a personal best in the squat rack.

Ride into the season with GymNation

The Arab Cycling Championship is a reminder of how far the UAE's riders have come, and the cooler season is your window to close the gap on your own goals. Try GymNation with a free day pass, put the weights floor and the classes to work on the strength behind your riding, and make this the season your cycling steps up.

Sources:

alkhaleej.ae

uaeteamadq.com

albayan.ae

emaratalyoum.com

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.