In the United Arab Emirates, the car is king – driving a car (or getting driven in a taxi) is by far the easiest and most convenient way to get around the sprawling cityscapes of Abu Dhabi or Dubai. Despite that, there is a growing cycling scene beyond the WorldTour races, and Cyclingnews spoke about the experience of cycling in the UAE to local pro cyclist Safiya Al-Sayegh (UAE Team ADQ) as well as two expats living in Abu Dhabi.
“We have really good facilities here for people wanting to join cycling; the whole experience really motivates you to get into the sport. It all goes back to excellent leadership, supporting all types of sports and supporting cycling. After COVID-19, it’s actually really grown,” Al-Sayegh says.
In 2021, Abu Dhabi received the UCI’s “Bike City” label and was awarded the 2022 and 2024 Urban Cycling World Championships and the 2028 Gran Fondo World Championships, with the 2028 Road World Championships and 2029 Track World Championships awarded in 2023.
For the latter, there are plans for a velodrome with a capacity of 3,500 spectators. Construction hasn’t even started yet, but the facility is projected to open in 2025. On top of the velodrome (literally so), there will be an outdoor cycling track on the roof, accessible by a 600-metre ramp winding around the building.
The network of bike paths in Abu Dhabi is expected to be more than doubled in length in the coming decade, including a fully segregated “Abu Dhabi Loop” of 109 kilometres.
Public bike share schemes also exist, though it’s unclear just how much these share bikes are actually used given the ever-present car traffic and the long distances within the sprawling city of Abu Dhabi – unlike Al-Ain, the Emirati city that feels the most to still be on a human scale, where people are using bikes to get around.
All in all, cycling in the UAE isn’t so much everyday cycling as a mode of transport as it is cycling as a sport. This is not all that surprising in a country where the mean daily minimum temperatures are between 25°C and 30°C for half the year.
There are several car-free cycling tracks in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al-Ain and elsewhere for cyclists to ride and train on. One of them is on Al-Hudayriyat Island, just west of Abu Dhabi’s main island. Its 28 kilometres encircle the future site of the velodrome and was the venue of the men’s UAE Tour stage 2 time trial.
The area also features the clubhouse of Abu Dhabi Cycling Club – the fanciest…
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