PESHAWAR: Promising cyclist Najeebullah won the third and final leg en route to claiming the Tour de Galiyat title on Sunday.
Najeeb, of Wapda, held off a close challenge by Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) duo of Habibullah and Naimatullah to complete a dangerous uphill 32km ride from Abbottabad to Nathiagali, which was introduced by the Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF) back 2006, in an hour, 30 minutes and 17seconds.
Overall, Najeeb clocked 10 hours, 11 minutes and 14seconds with Habib Ullah second in 10 hours, 15 minutes and 4 seconds with Naimat third on 10 hours 15 minutes and 41 seconds.
Najeeb finished second to Mohammad Rizwan in the first-leg of the race — a 178km journey from Peshawar to Islamabad.
He ended third in the second leg, a 144km trek from Islamabad-Abbottabad, behind winner and Wapda team-mate Nisar Ahmed — who finished third in the first leg — and second-placed Muhamad Wazir of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).
But Najeeb rose to the occasion when it mattered most to seal the title in a gruelling race, which saw only 50 cyclists out of 80 finish.
Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2017
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