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It’s surprising to see 100 lycra-clad men, bicycles leaning against the SUVs, clicking around a car park in cleats on Jumeirah Beach Road at 5am on a Friday.
What’s even more surprising is that I am here to see it, but I go to these things so you don’t have to, and also so that you can find out about them and go yourself. Such is the selflessness of a sports journalist.
I’m not so selfless, however, that I actually brought my bike along to this meeting of Dubai Roadsters; for one thing I don’t own one in Dubai and for another, well, it’s vitally important that I sit in the air-conditioned support vehicle for the duration of the 120km ride so that I can take notes.
It’s so early that the sun, like me, has not even woken up yet and the participants make final preparations for the off, tinkering with inner-tubes and water bottles, and funny clippy shoes that make them sound like tap dancers and click onto their bike pedals (toe caps are things of the past).
Most of the cyclists are men, but I do spot a few women here and there. It’s hard to tell though because everyone is wearing insect-esque cycle helmets and little rubber outfits that lend sameness to everyone.
But as we set off along Al Wasl Road the first watery light penetrates the early morning and it’s possible to see the bright plumage of their dri-fit, tight-fit, sweat-wicking, bottom-padding cycling shorts and tops, which add all-important visibility as well as individuality.
And it’s quite a sight for those out and about early enough to see it.
The snake-like column of cyclists is so long that it can’t make it through one change of the traffic lights at Safa Park as it makes its way to Nad Al Sheba.
Like a giant conga line we pick up more riders as we go until we boast around 130 by the time we get to the first stopping point under a giant road sign near Academic City.
At this point the riders split off into separate groups.
Everyone gulps down water – it may be early but it’s still the desert – and then the 70km ride heads off in one direction while the 100km and 120km people go the other way.
The 70s will finish an hour earlier, but the 100s and 120s normally complete their course at around the same time, such is the speed of the more experienced riders.
As the hour hand creeps round, so the mercury climbs and the cyclists must take on fluids to keep hydrated. The support vehicles, which are driven by regular cyclists who volunteer to help out, carry water which can be handed to riders en route.
A happy rider
All this is organised by the perennially smiling Wolfgang Hohmann, a 37-year-old lifelong cycling enthusiast, who brought his family – wife Gaby and daughter Anne Sophie, to Dubai from Germany 10 years ago.
Four years after he came to the UAE he opened Wolfi’s Bike Shop on Shaikh Zayed Road and has provided a centre of operations for cyclists in the country ever since.
“These rides have been going before we came here,” he said. “There was always a small group who would go out together.
My brother, Lothar, came here 15 years ago and he got involved in cycling and then we started wondering how it would be to have a bike shop here.”
Dubai Roadsters is a very inclusive group. Anyone who has the right equipment can join, there are many different nationalities including locals as well as expats but there are some restrictions in terms of experience when it comes to the Friday ride.
People who could cycle 70km in their sleep may find the dry, dusty roads and intense heat of Dubai a challenge.
Free rides for all
“The rides are free,” said Hohmann. “The only thing is that you have to be of a certain standard to come on the Friday morning rides. Even for the 70km ride.
“But we also have evening rides on Sunday and Tuesday on a loop around Nad Al Sheba which are more suitable for beginners when we would do much shorter distances and then people can work their way up to the Friday-morning ride.”
Hohmann says that safety comes in numbers for the riders and stragglers can be more at risk not just from traffic but also from dehydration.
Many cyclists in the 120km and 100km groups are accomplished triathletes, ironman athletes and road riders while the oldest rider is 65 and the youngest, 10.
A few riders registered for and completed the open stages in the recent Tour de France and Dubai Roadsters are proof that high-intensity sport is viable even in such hot temperatures – if you can get up early.
According to Hohmann, one of the hardest things to organise are the support drivers. Most committed cyclists who get up at 4.40am on a Friday really want to be riding rather than driving, but the vehicles at the front and back of each group are essential for safety.
There is an issue of a lack of education among some drivers as to how to drive around cyclists and there is also the age-old problem of four wheels failing to notice two wheels, even when they are in groups of about 30.
The support cars, kitted out with warning signs, provide an extra level of safety which becomes very important towards the end of the long ride which takes in the busy Ras Al Khor Industrial Estate.
The riders try to stick to quieter roads as much as possible but it is the nature of Dubai that there are some stages on wide highways.
Even in the early Friday morning there are huge, rumbling lorries on the roads and while most are careful around the cyclists, some do come perilously close to the side of the peloton.
About two-thirds of the way through the 120km ride, we stop at a small petrol station somewhere near Al Khawaneej.
The 100s and 120s arrive at around the same time and the small shop does sterling trade as thirsty, sweaty cyclists raid the fridges for re-hydration drinks and some neck espressos that are stiff with sugar.
And as we start off again it becomes apparent why the support vehicles are so important. An unprecedented amount of punctures occur, splitting the 120km group into two parts as some stop to help. Despite mending punctures at the speed of light, we still end up back at the starting point a good 30 minutes behind.
But as the weary yet elated cyclists settle down for banana milkshakes and breakfast at the Lime Tree Cafe, it’s clear to see that what keeps so many coming back week after week is the sense of achievement that you can bask in afterwards.
Hohmann is evangelical about cycling.
“It’s a social sport here,” he says, having just held a Tour de France party at his shop. “We talk while we cycle and it helps to motivate you if there are other cyclists with you. It’s a great sport for fitness and it keeps you healthy.”
If you feel motivated to get on your bike, your best bet would be to get in touch with Hohmann. Email wolfi@wbs.ae, or visit www.dubairoadsters.com.
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