PHIL AMBA MTB XCO RACE part 2

By Joey Aguilar/Doha GULF TIMES Only 36 of the 100 cyclists completed the Philippine Ambassador's Mountan Bike Cross Country Olympic (MTB-XCO) event in Duhail yesterday, one of the most challenging trails in many of the races held in Qatar. Ondrej Bloudek from Czech Republic won the overall champions title and the X-Pats category after completing the 30-km race with a time of 1:19:05.2s Jiri Vystyjin, also from Czech Republic took the second place, while Indonesian Andrei Pesurnay came third. Compatriot Eulogy Van Dyk won the women's section in 1:37:24.3s defeating Anna Wyrobek and Kristina Mikusikova. For the All-Filipino category, Alexis Alagos dominated the race with a time of 1:31:27.8s against Jayson Baculao and Jan Brizuela. About 60 Filipinos took part in the bike competition which was graced by Qatar Cycling Federation's technical director Andre Filip. Many of the participants said the race was a test of their endurance and tact where only about two thirds made it to the finish line. Founder of Qatar Chain Reaction and Qatar Extreme Sports Farhan al-Sayed said the bike competitions have become popular in the country attracting both nationals and expatriates. A number of races such as individual time trials were organised in the past months both in Lusail and Duhail including 'a bike for cause' which benefitted victims of super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Philippine ambassador Crescente Relacion and al-Sayed distributed the prizes. He is expecting more cyclists and enthusiasts from different expatriate communities will be joining the race in the future. The Philippine embassy, including the United Filipino Organisations in Qatar, had been fully supporting similar sports events organised by various expatriate groups. Ultimate Concept, the sponsor of the event, has also thanked and recognised cyclists, volunteers and organisers on the occasion.