Slovenia: The Qatar national team members have been training in Europe and competing in events at the UCI Continental level, helping them improve as they prepare for various competitions, including the 2022 Asian Games.

For seven weeks in July and August, Team Qatar developed their race craft in several local events in Slovenia, the most prestigious of which was a UCI accredited road race in Kranj.

“Although we came to Europe to train, we’ve also put a lot of emphasis on racing. We’ve already had a third weekend of competition, gaining much-needed experience for all, not just riders, as we’ve had a long break from proper international races,” said Qatar national team’s Polish coach Szymon Wasiak.

A week after Kranj, the team travelled to Vienna for the Austrian Cup Road Race. Bilal Alsaadi proved to be the strongest over the 172km circuit, finishing overall 38th.

The team then took part in the 122km Military World Championships in France, where Qatar competed against the world’s best army riders with Alsaadi placing 29th.

“We’re currently giving final touches to our participation in the World Time Trial Championships (September 19) in Belgium, where Fadhel Alkhater will represent Qatar. It’ll be the first time a Qatari rider is competing since the event in Doha in 2016,” said Wasiak.

“The rest of the team — Marwan Aljalham, Bilal Alsaadi, Abdullah Afif, Nayef Al Mesallam, and Ahmed Elbourdainy will all race in Oman at the four-stage Tour of Salalah, in mid-September,” he added.