Exploring Fujairah and the Emirates from A to Z: Mountain Biking
There are so many things we can do on the East Coast and in the other emirates that cost little or no money at all. We’ve tried to make it easy for you in the following article with our A – Z list.
Every week a different letter, therefore new places for you to Discover !
For those of you who have bikes the mountains have some great trails and for those of you who don’t… there are companies organizing state of the art tours such as Dream Adventure – for further information check local hotels. UAE MTB is a group of mountain bikers of all nationalities – beginners to intermediate and advance riders, check their Facebook account for more details of their activities – https://www.facebook.com/groups/uae.mtb
If you are a little bit more adventurous check it out the latest Fujairah Observer Magazine Article about Enduro mountain biking.
On Track in Fujairah!
Enduro mountain biking in its most basic definition is a type of mountain bike racing where the downhills are timed, and the uphills are mandatory but not timed. Riders are timed in stages that are primarily downhill, with neutral ‘transfer’ stages in between. Enduro mountain biking is tough and certainly not for the feint hearted. On the 25th December 2020, more than a hundred brave souls took on the course and each other in the 3rd edition of the (now famous and epic) Fujairah Adventures Enduro MTB race.
Building on the amazing success from the previous two years and being staged for the 2nd time at the home of enduro mountain biking in the UAE on the purpose-built trails in Al Tawyeen.
The race normally has in excess of 200 riders from all over the world, but in these wretched Covid times many racers were unable to travel. We did, however have riders from the Philippines, Oman, Kuwait, USA, France, UK, South Africa amongst several others. Especially pleasing is the development of the local UAE category and this year saw its largest entrance ever.
With record prize money on offer, the competition was intense and the racing fierce. The racing line included jumps, drops and rock gardens. In enduro there is no such thing as a lucky winner. Race director Marko Gauna summed it up nicely by saying “Anyone who completes the course is skillful, tough and determined.” All winners were worthy and a special congratulations go to all those listed below. Elite Category 1st Maxime Darcel – Specialized – Fujairah Adventures Team 2nd Philip Fortaleza – Commencal – Roost 3rd Peter Jersoviczki – FRO racing.
UAE Category 1st Abdelrahman Alobeidli – Fujairah Adventures Team Expert Category 1st Charlie Bantuyao – Jumeirah Enduro Team Master Category 1st Philip Ramos – Fujairah Adventures Team Female Category 1st Ellie Ebdon – Ebdon Racing Most Improved rider Clyde Fortaleza – Commencal – Roost Want to get into enduro mountain biking?
Al Tawyeen Mountain bike trails are free to ride and details are available at www.fujairhadventures.ae. Enduro mountain biking is an extreme activity and not to taken lightly and absolutely not without the correct bike and safety equipment. Wearing a helmet is mandatory.
To read the February 2021 Issue Fujairah Observer Magazine, please click on the link:
https://www.fujairahobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2-February-2021.pdf
