TDIC extends Abu Dhabi adventure challenge support destination master developer backs two contenders

The reigning championship team, from New Zealand, has won TDIC's support and has been renamed Team Desert Islands, reflecting the adventure nature of the company's flagship Desert Islands destination in Abu Dhabi's western province. Sir Bani Yas Island, the former Royal nature reserve which is at the core of the Desert Islands proposition and which recently opened to international tourism, will also this year host a leg of the race, which runs from December 12-17 and which will see the 37 international teams from 22 countries mountain-bike over a 52.5 kilometre island trail.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase this exceptional tourism product to the ADAC's huge international following," said Lee Tabler, CEO, TDIC. "Participants and the viewers who follow their progress online and on TV will see the sheer diversity of Sir Bani Yas Island's landscape - from salt domes, to the Arabian Wildlife Park reserve - and will immediately associate it with adventure travel. They will see a face of Arabia that they would probably never imagine or immediately associate with this part of the world."

TDIC is also, for the second year running, backing Team TDIC - a quartet of UAE residents led by Iraqi national caption Fatima Barakat and comprising Steve Coutard, Gregory Antunes and Francois Lhote.

Although last year Team TDIC ended the race trailing towards the end of the score board, Barakat is confident that this time around the foursome will improve their finish line standing.

"We gained a better understanding of what each member needed to improve on individually to strengthen the team as a whole and we have been working on each of these areas. Although the field is bigger this year - up to 37 teams from the 26 last year, we are confident of putting in an improved performance and attaining a better result this time around,"

said Barakat.

The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge is an initiative of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority in which endurance races tackle a variety of athletic pursuits with the aim of winning a share of a $236,000 prize purse.