Category: UAE 🇦🇪

I had designed a route to get to Hatta Bike Hub i proposed to camp there 2 nights. I am tired and definately needed a rest day. I had breakfast and coffee and only had ½ a litre of water. 🤦

The route took me down to the Oman border. Now I’m innocent (naive, stupid, take your pick) there is a track by the border and i was happily trundling along making good time. I saw a jeep in front going very slow and as i was beside the guy opened the window and told me i could not ride there. I knew this would be a routing disaster. But it did dawn on me that the border track was not the place to be.

I sat down and redesigned my route. Yep a massive disaster a big loop through the mountains 100kms rather than the 50kms. A few seconds contemplating this disasted and i set off.

The new route took me back along the road i had just been on. Then back along some of the route i did yesterday

Luckily it took me to a shop where i loaded up (unnecessarily as it transpired) with food, fruit and water.

The route was tough and did entail a good deal of walking. But it was so beautiful I hardly had a time to moan to myself. So many canyons i would go back just for that route today. (Grrrrr there is something else i wanted to put in here and i forgot )

I hit tarmac and started pounding out some fast kms. I came out of a canyon and did nearly a u turn into the next. But as i neared the top ii saw a sign saying road closed. Now that would be a disaster. 😲. I got to spot where the road was closed off and looked. It didn’t look too bad but i cyled up to a car and Hamed got out ond offered me a lift saying it was too tough for a bike to do because of a landslide. But he offered to give me a lift. The bike safely in we drove through the tunnel. It was an easy ride with a bit of rough road he should have seen what i had done before. But i was deeply grateful to get through the tunnel. I would not have been able to take another route disaster

I was feeling good and the kms were clicking down fast. Throughout the day there had been overcast skys and drops of rain. Then it started to pelt down. An Emeratie guy stopped his car snd offered me a lift. He was such a nice guy speaking good English. Of course i accepted. We popped into his family farm. Then he took me to Hatta and my campsites.

The call to prayer just prior to sunrise, lound and strong shook me from my sleep. Closer than i thought. But definately the perfect time. I had cooked my porridge and drunk my coffee and pedalling softly bu the tine the sun was fully up.

Pushing, lifting, kicking, grinding, shouting, then crying. My ankles are swolen and bashed by rocks and my pedal. Once again alternating pushing and riding, I repeatedly was desperate to ride so I could give my legs a rest.

And hot the sun blazing down all day. (Better than snow though 🤣)

I stopped at a small resturant for rice, chicken gravy and yoghurt. Great for mid day specisl. The only problem is that i do feel lethargic strait after.

I took a wrong turn and had to carry the bike again and pushing so a cruel end to this lovely route.

I slept like a log last night. And as i woke i felt a dampness from condensation inside the tent. The rent walls were mildly wet. Mildly or completely wet it makes no difference. If it touches the sand it will be atuck to and look like sand paper. This is inevitably what happened. Plus nearly everything i own.

But i succeeded in having breakfast and coffee. And was riding by 7.10. Now i say riding but what i mean is push, drag, pull. This became the order of the day, and it is draining, every muscle is used. Post breakfast i must have walked 3 or 4 kms. I realy could have stopped then i was so tired.

But in the desert there was a camal race track. It had sand for the track and round the outside tarmac then around that another sand track. The inside track were race camals running (no riders) then on the tarmac the camals owners/trainers going at full pelt in suvs following ther camal. Then on the outside of the tarmac were trainers/owners traveling at walking pace, following bunches of camals on the outter sand. The inside lot were going anticlockwise and the outside clockwise. It was mayhem.

Finally i got away from the camal track but there were groups of camals walking everywhere. I got to a coffee shop, Itsmair from north west Pakistan talked great English to me druing my break.

There were only a couple of road sections today. Sometines on the sand i cycled 2 or 3 meters then walked this repeated itself constantly. Gotta tell you i was getting a little grumpy.

Now I’m sure you are saying, some of those areas look like hard pack surely you could cycle. I can assure you most were not.

I had a chicken tika in a bun for lunch it was pretty disappointing. But i did glug copious amounts of water.

The route turned to a track upping and downing. It was hard work. But for different reasons this time. I checked my distance 1pm and only 40kms completed that’s slow going. I knew there was a lake area and i thought of camping there for the night. But it was all locked up. So I rode on.

It was a resl tough day today. The walking really took it out of me. I could possibly do with a hotel soon. Just to wash and relax.

But the alarm still went at 06.20 and by light i was on my way having had breakfast and coffee. Of course 20kms later I was drinking my second coffee.

Quickly i was directed along a path. Every path is half sandy and soon my relatively narrow (70 x 40c) tires slewed to one side and i ground to a hault. I pushed and pulled and a combination of both, its slow going and i knew it was a marker as to what was to come.

All along the route there were groups of camals being walked (i saw nothing faster) and many stables marked my route. I suppose this is camal racing territory. There were ranches marked all along my route.

Then away from the built up areas and into the desert wilderness.

Luckily today there were many more shops/restaurants and towns allowing me to drink snd eat substantially more.

I had a bit of a siesta after lunch but when the wind blows sand is kicked up and attaches itself to every part of me.

My shoes were rubbing on my heel and putting a compede plaster seemed to save any more pain, it dropped off at the end of the day.

I finished my first route and started a circuit that Merce and Ramon sent me. Its all off road and rough, nothing wrong with that of course. I just have to work a bit harder.

In the end i looked up and saw a road of soft sand and i thought, thats me done for the day. 🥵

Its been a tough day not much elevation just sand and lots of it. It definately slows you down a lot.