A Couple of Days Ride Outta…….

Broken front derailleur, was a real pain, and it did throw me off my mental rhythm a bit. The back tyre is nearly bald, but they have had to work hard, I’ll get another pair of these, Zipp G40.

The tent poles are sticking and in need of some lubrication. One of the mesh attachement point on the tent is seriously, possibly terminally, ripped. There are now multiple holes in bottom of the tent. It is with great regret i will probably have to replace this possibly with a Zpacks Duplex.

The small rack that supports my seat pack broke and is still welded together fine 🤞but it is with great regret that i will probably have to replace this, but they still make an upgraged model.

My Atticus Shorts lycra dying fast. The Thermarest mat is squashed and needs replacing. My cooker is not screwing onto the gas cannister, replacement needed.

The Reilly Gradient frame is spectacular.

The Stayer All Road wheels are spectacular

The Zipp G40 tyres have been great.

The new Di2 GRX has been a dream to use…… of course except for the broken front derailleur. I use an XT 28/38 mountain bike crank (26/40 would probably be perfect)

I was in UAE/Oman for 31 days and i rode on 25 of those.

I covered 2392 kms so 95.7 kms/day. It is interesting (well to me) that i say to people i do an average of 100kms a day. But to actually hit that average you really do have to have so few lesser days.

I gootta say Ramadan changed the perspective of the trip a fair bit as well. 🤷‍♂️ just another hurdle.

I met Nicola at Tom’s house at the beginning and then again 6 days later in Hatta. I said to him then that the trip had been so good to that point i could go home the next day and be happy. So the next 20 days really were a bonus top and they were fantastic as well.

An adventure trip for me is having to work for the pleasure, i suppose classic type 2 fun. I do like a bit of suffering. I do like it when things go wrong and i have to make an effort to fix/organise things. Of course it’s a bit of a hassel. I am going to say the wanky phrase that Brett will berate me for which is, Adventure begins when certainty ends. When the outcome is already a foregone conclusion its hardly worth doing.

To cycle 900 kilometers through a flat featureless desert in the middle of ramadan in the blazing sun. Some people may question the joy in this 🤔 (yep Brett again) But when i booked the trip that was in my mind. And the whole thing played out exactly as i desired. I was stretched physically and mentally. And that can only be good.

Porridge and coffee as the sun slowly rises over the dunes. And as i cycled out from my camp spot the same guy was guiding a camel and its calf back to its pen last night was guiding the camel and its calf out again.

The first road my map guided to was large 3 lanes wide each way. The 30 mins i was on it no car passed me and only 2 the opposite way.

Moving close to Abu Dhabi the traffic increased. But at no time was my space encroached upon. A guy did stop his car with his 4 keds snd we had a conversation about where i had been.

All around the airpor the roads were wide. Then sliwly i recognised the area from a month before. And then i was at Tom and Carolyn’s house.

What a wrench gettin up early, the room was great but the bed a bit soft for me. After the pool i had what felt like a mormal meal in the hotel restaurant. Highish price, average taste. Anyway i was pleased.

But 6 30am i got to the lift and luckily the doorman was in the lift with an empty trolly. So i rolled to my room and dumped all my bags on the trolly. I packed the bike and went in for a coffee, oh the joy.

The down hill was spectacular. I saw two cyclists coming up, but neither of us were of a mind to stop and talk. The early morning gave me empty big roads. Enough time to get onto a smaller road before the busyness built up.

At about 11 i decided i needed a break so i found a supermarket bought lits of drinks, and went into a beautifully manicured park all to myself. I aat and lay and read and relaxed but it took a good 90 mins for my body and breathing to relax.

I wanted to do about 130kms today to give myself 60kms for tomorrow. Nice relaxed ride. I had scoped out a couple of hopeful spots on Google maps last night. And the first place seemed good. So i rolled in and pitched up the tent. Lets hope the gate i went through is not locked tomorrow morning 😬

After last nights sandstorm palaver last night i had to do a lot of cleaning. Luckily i had closed sll my bags so minimal sand infiltrated. But i gave each a good shake to get rid of excess. Thrn i turned the tent upside down and shho out all the sand.

Smooth riding all day. Flat, but the temperature certainly is getting hotter and i notice it more every day. Definitely the very early set off is best.

I booked my hopefully last hotel. Close to the border. As i got nearer the border i just fired up Google maps to check the route and Google directed me on a 90km round trip to a different crossing. I was nervous, but i carried on, no other cars were going my way. But low and behold they looked at my passport and let me through.

I changed what Oman Riyals into AED.

My hotel was of course/at the top of a hill and as the sun hit close to its zenith i started to climb. I kept going as long as i could but 1km from the top i cracked and stood for 5 or 10 minutes. Then rode on to the top. I was reception staff were patient and helpful.

I was going to say that nothing happened today.

My campsite last night was quiet. And i woke to the first calls of the muezzin. With a light following wind i made good headway. Getting to Ibri before midday. I pushed on through. The mountains and sand landscape spuring me on.

I notched up 120kms and thought 2pm was ok to stop. After 2 it does get horrendously hot.

I found a thorny tree to hide behind, took off sll the bags layed out the tent and sat and read. Then i decided i didnt like that tree so picked everything up and planted myself behind another tree 100 meters away.

6.30 i had dinner, i had to sit inside the tent because the flys surrounding me were so bad. Then i set my pot down and sstarted reading my book. But suddenly i felt the tent flap (as usual no fly sheet) and the tent wall was pushed against my back and sand poured through the mesh, although the sun had set everything turned gray/brown. I lay with my, newly purchased, arab headress over my head reading my kindle.

The wind raged for 2 hours. Then stopped as fast as it started. And back to tranquility.

As you can see total devastation in the tent. I took everything out and tried to sweep it clean. I got ¾ out. Now in bed. I’ll deal with tge rest in the morning 😬.

I was reluctant to leave my room, Jebal al Akhtar Grand Hotel has out performed in every aspect, cleaner, friendlier, better food, perfect bike parking, biggest pool, cheaper, compared to all the other hotels i have stayed in on this trip and the last. But at 6.30 i rolled out, took my fingers off the brakes and for 30 minutes freewheeled down hill.

I travelled mainly on a bigish road. Stopping occasionally for water and food. Really nothing spectacular happened, the views on either side were mountainous and beautiful. I covered 100 oms easily and by 2pm i was riding slow looking for a shaded camp spot.

All the flat areas were on the other side of the road. I found a drainage ditch and walked through to find great expanses of flat ground. Far enough to only just hear the road.

Yesterday i woke at 5 vacated my hotel and rode to the coach station.

Ramadan is possibly not the best time to travel 9 hours on a bus. I did pack some water and biscuits but the bus was full so not even any surreptitiously consuming.

But actually the trip was not too bad and at 3.30 i got off the bus extracted my bike and rode off.

It all started so good. I designed a route to the top of Jebal al Akhtar (one of Oman’s highest mountains) 60kms of on/off road flatness a great ride and always fun.

Just out of Nizwa i turned a corner and i could see the angle of the road going insanely steep. This first pitch was really just a precursor of things to come. This bit an easy 15/16/17%. I was fresh and full of the joys of spring. 16 kilometers (10 miles for the uninitiated)

The straights were quite long at the start snd i could get a rhythm, i knew i was being worn down, each turn my legs were more tired, my shirt soaked, top to bottom with sweat. Now i was just managing to turn the pedals. Half way up there is a set of switchbacks the turns so steep, I broke if i went any slower i would have fallen off, my feet came out the pedals and i slumped on the side of the road and sat and stared blankly 15 maybe 20 mins later i set off again but my progress was halted once again by the gradient. I stood legs astride the bike, again i started slow turns of the pedals oh so slow, zig zagging across the road to reduce the gradient. Finally i stopped and started doing the unthinkable, i started to walk pushing the bike. What’s the point of having a bike and walking on the road? Grrrrrrrrrr. I walked i stopped i rode in slow sucession. Too embaressed to look at the people in cars as they passed. My head was bowed.

After the switch backs some longer less steep straights and i managed to ride a bit. But now going from bad to worse another set of switchbacks tight turns, short straights 20% gradients. I just stopped climbed over a barrier and ate a packet of fig rolls an drank water. 30 mins later i felt a little revitalised, but it was short lived i was back to walking again.

A couple of people stopped to ask if i needed help, of course i did, but i refused politely. Taking a lift would have really been total humiliation.

Slowly i covered the distance really more walking then cycling. I did manage the last 500meters on the bike.

I knew the Jebal al Akhtar Grand Hotel was at the top. I just booked in. And am truely amazed for £20 this is easily the best hotel i have stayed in. Great reception, room so clean and way large enough, fantastic shower.