A track in the desert of Dubai attracts bike lovers
Every weekend in Dubai, cyclists wake up early to head to Al Qudra Racecourse, where they ply their favorite pastime on an 80-kilometre track in the middle of the desert, leaving behind highways and skyscrapers. Even in the summer, when temperatures rise sharply, Al Qudra, about 50 kilometers from the city center, seems to be crowded before the sun sets, with hundreds - if not thousands - of bike enthusiasts.
For many of them, the car-free landscape is a necessary transformative opportunity to get away from their city lifestyle for a while and connect with nature, perhaps even spotting the Arabian Oryx.
Despite the heat that reaches 40 degrees Celsius on most days of the year, and the very high humidity in the desert Gulf country, cycling is becoming increasingly popular in the UAE. Team Emirates rider Taday Bogachar has won the last two editions of the Tour de France, the world's most famous race. New cycling infrastructure is visible in the capital, Abu Dhabi, as well as in Dubai, where the second annual Dubai Cycling Challenge takes place on the city's main highway on Friday.
It's Like Meditation
Asma Al Janahi, a 28-year-old Emirati triathlete who loves to cycle, describes Al Qudra as her favorite place in Dubai, explaining that riding on the track is like meditating.
"You get away from the city, you go to visit Mother Nature, this beautiful desert," Al Janahi, sports coordinator at NYU Abu Dhabi, told AFP, adding that she felt "connected with this place and with the bike."
The UAE is constantly developing the infrastructure for cyclists to encourage the practice of the hobby, in line with the global boom in this sport.
According to Youssef Mirza, the only Emirati professional cyclist, the sport is "evolving, its wheel spinning as fast as the wheel of a bicycle."
"Yes, year after year, we see a remarkable development. Of course, the government did not fail to establish special tracks" for this sport, he explained.
Bigger, better
Long-time UAE resident Louise Adamson says the country's cycling culture has changed "drastically" over the years.
She explained that
in 2005, Adamson helped launch an annual 220-kilometre cycling challenge that stretches from Sharjah on the UAE's west coast to Fujairah on the east coast.
She said that only 36 people registered to participate in that year, but today the numbers reach hundreds of people, so that the organizers sometimes have to refuse more participants.
Michael Lindqvist, a 27-year-old Dubai-based Swedish woman, says she sees “endless possibilities” as there are many bike paths currently under construction.
Escaped from the corporate world of everyday life in Dubai, Lindqvist follows her passion and launches her own brand of cycling and triathlon equipment, 'Wild'.
"A lot of triathletes and professional cyclists come here to train, because it's a safe, fast, flat place, good for training in hot weather," she told AFP, referring to the UAE.
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