2024 UCI Mobility & Bike City Forum: First keynote speaker, conference themes and event sites revealed

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce the first keynote speaker, the main conference themes and official event locations for the 2024 UCI Mobility and Bike City Forum, which will take place in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) on 18-19 December 2024.

Hosted in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the conference on the first day will feature a keynote speech from Safiya Al Sayegh, the first Emirati woman cyclist to turn professional. Member of the UCI Women’s WorldTeam UAE Team ADQ, Safiya is an inspiration to many other female athletes, both in the UAE and worldwide, as she juggles university graphic design studies with a vigorous training schedule. In 2023, Safiya became the first Arab female cyclist to participate in a UCI Women’s WorldTour race, and in 2024, she also became the first Emirati woman to qualify for the Olympic Games. She competed in the Paris 2024 road race. During the Forum’s opening keynote, Safiya will share her personal story and explain how both she and UAE Team ADQ strive to encourage more women, in particular in the Middle East, to take up cycling.

The sixth edition of the Forum will feature four main themes:

1.         Riders as champions for change

2.         Cycling cities around the world

3.         Cycling towards a sustainable future

4.         Strategies to grow cycle tourism.

For each theme, a diverse panel of experts will share practical insights into initiatives, strategies and partnerships implemented around the world by cycling stakeholders. More information regarding expert speakers, as well additional programme details, will continue to be published by the UCI in the coming weeks.

Finally, the UCI and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council are delighted to announce the two venues which will welcome Forum delegates in December. The first-day conference will take place at the Bab Al Qasr Hotel (which will also serve as the official Forum hotel), located next to the world-famous Abu Dhabi Corniche and its 9km Corniche Cycle Track. Its proximity to the competition venue for the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships, taking place from 17 to 21 December, will allow delegates to walk or cycle to the event during their stay.

The second day of the Forum, featuring several interactive workshops and bike tours, will be hosted at the Abu Dhabi Cycling Club headquarters on Al Hudayriyat Island.  Hudayriyat Island is home to a wide range of world-class cycling facilities (including for road cycling, mountain bike, BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle) that cater to both competitive athletes and recreational riders of all levels. The network of tracks stretches through a recreational park and along the edges of green spaces, all of which will be featured during the bike tours on 19 December. As of 2025, a velodrome will be added to the offer on Hudayriyat Island.

To pre-register for the 2024 UCI Mobility & Bike City Forum in Abu Dhabi, interested delegates are asked to complete the following online form. The final registration page will be published by the UCI by early October, along with the final agenda.