Cycling in Dubai

This post is particularly special as finally after much nagging and coercing, Johan is making his bloging debut on Dubai Days!  


He has written about a subject close to his and many others (not mine) hearts, cycling.


So, without further ado I shall step aside and make way for his tour de force of circumvolution. 


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Coming to Dubai I was concerned I may have to give up one of my major hobbies - road cycling. 

Every weekend back in the UK, I'd head out with a group of friends road biking around Windsor & Berkshire. 

It's a great place to road bike, out in the country side, passing small villages and being able to stop for some much needed respite at the pub. 

Sure, I had heard that there was an active community of road biking enthusiasts in Dubai, but couldn't imagine myself getting into it in the same way. 

I prepared myself for he fact that cycling as I knew it, would have to be left back in Europe. 

That said I wasn't going to give up completely, I'd have to give cycling in Dubai a try, as even bad cycling is better than no cycling at all. 

So, packing for a new life in Dubai included - 15 kilo of Cervelo bicycle and equipment.

For two months my bike was parked in a corner in our apartment, unused, gathering dust and getting sadder each day. So on my 60th day in Dubai I took it out for its first ride. 

It has to be said, taking the first ride along the leaves of the Palm Jumeriah is quite a good start to cycling in Dubai.

Encouraged by this positive first experience, I started to explore options for group road cycling in Dubai. 

As it turns out, cycling is quite a big sport in Dubai. There are two major cycling groups both run by volunteers and fellow cyclists. 

Dubai Roadsters gather at 6:00 a.m. on Friday by Limetree Cafe in Jumeirah. 

Another group, Cycle Safe Dubai, meet on Um Suqeim Road beyond Dubai Bypass road at 6:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. For reasons of proximity I have done most my rides with the Cycle Safe Dubai  group.

Image:  Cycle Safe Dubai

Now I  have asked myself several times - what on earth I am doing, getting up at 5:00 a.m. on a weekend, I must be crazy, my wife certainly thinks so. 

But when you drive through Dubai at that hour in the morning, on traffic free, 8 lane roads, seeing the sunrise between the skyscrapers it makes a little more sense. 

Getting further out of the city as you approach the meeting point you're met by around 100 cyclists waiting to set off, which is a remarkable sight in itself. 

I have done about 8 rides with Cycle Safe Dubai since I started in February. 

Image: Cycle Safe Dubai

It's now July and the weather is becoming to hot to bear, it was 40 C °  when I came back last weekend. 

A 2 hour ride easily sucks up 3 litre's of water so you have to be quite creative where to store all your water bottles. In this heat you must keep hydrated. 

As one would imagine, cycling around Dubai does not involve any hills, it's flat asphalt roads surrounded by miles long sand-dunes. 

So, its all about speed. 

Plus, it has consistently been hard wind when I've been out, and with the wind on my back I've been averaging 55km/h along the last 6.5km stretch before reaching the parking lot.

With the help of GPS tracking app Strava you are able to compare your time along that stretch with fellow cyclists, which gives you that extra boost you need after 2 hours out in the sun. 

Strava app - Palm route

All in all though, cycling in Dubai can't be compared to riding up the Alps, the green UK countryside, or along vast rural cycling-paths in Sweden. 

However, it has it's own unique quality, cruising through the desert landscape, at times speeding past camels indifferently chewing dry branches, is quite a spectacular experience. 

So to anyone considering moving here;  
don't leave your bike behind!