OutdoorUAE - January 2016

AWAFI MTB FESTIVAL

Keep Calm...

...and Run 100k in the Desert!

New Year, New You!

The Ultimate Holiday Detox Diet

Plenty of

PRODUCTS TO CHECK OUT

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

One for the Road:

4X4 CROSS LIWA CHALLENGE

CATCHING HIRAME IN THE UAE

Vol. 6, No. 1 January 2016

www.OutdoorUAE.com

INTRODUCING

DUBAI Showroom No. 8, Al Ghandi Complex Nad al Hamar Road, Ras al Khor Tel: +971 4 2896100 Fax: +971 4 2894914 Email: sse@polarisuae.com AL AIN Al Masaood Showroom, Sanaya Tel: +971 3 7219999

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

BADA ZAYED Al Masaood Showroom, Sanaya Tel: +971 2 8844200 MUSSAFAH M4, Sector 13, 10th Street Tel: +971 2 5555144

DISTRIBUTORS QATAR Protech Powered Sports Co Street: Salwa Road PO Box: 91, Doha, Qatar Tel: +974 44398030 Fax: +974 44398030 Sales Email: info@protech.com.qa

EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS FOR THE MIDDLE EAST

OMAN FairTrade Auto Services LLC P.O. Box 2636, Ruwi, Muscat Tel: +968 96778552 Fax: +96824701787

LEBANON Helmets On sarl Independence Street, Sodeco, Beirut Tel: + 961 1 644442 Fax: + 961 1 633332

Contact person Mr. R. K. Sunder Email: sunder@ftgroupholding.com

Contact person Mr. Khalil Abu Chwareb Email: khalil@helmets-on.com

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

OutdoorUAE Team

Daniel Birkhofer Founder daniel@outdooruae.com

We’re Kickin’and Awesome This 2016!

Welcome to the year 2016! It’s been another exciting year for us here at OutdoorUAE. Remembering last year, a lot of good things was abound – we’ve had a stellar Off-Road and Adventure Show, there’s an increase in our beloved readers and of course we’re delivering the best online experience you can possibly get with new features loaded into our new website! For 2016, we’re going to be capitalizing on the growth we’ve had over the last year and you be guaranteed that OutdoorUAE will always be “The” magazine for the outdoors.

Now about the first 2016 issue – suffice to say that the majority of us have had their experience with two wheels. It’s quite a liberating endeavour that one can take early on in their life, albeit casually. I can remember the feeling of the wind blowing on my face as the bike sped up, the sight of other cyclists, people who happened to be walking, and the ability to absorb all the beauty of the outdoors with every push of the pedal. I think that feeling is constant among cyclists.

Keith Pereña Junior Editor & Social Media keith@outdooruae.com

I won’t keep you any longer as there are so many exciting stories in the next few pages, so sit back, read on and welcome to 2016! All our best wishes go with this magazine.

Rachael Bruford Travel Editor rachael@outdooruae.com

Eulogy van Dyk Editor Qatar eulogy@outdooruae.com

Nela Macovei Sales and Marketing nela@outdooruae.com

Jung Francisco Designer and Photographer jung@outdooruae.com

Katherine Cañedo Patangui Administration kathy@outdooruae.com

Ian Sebeldia Circulation ian@outdooruae.com

EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS Editor For editorial content and press releases Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 5760322 editor@outdooruae.com Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 9398915 linda@outdooruae.com Mobile: 055 8647125 nela@outdooruae.com Published by Outdoor UAE FZE In cooperation with A2Z EVENTS P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Cover photo by: QCF/Tour of Al Zubarah

Tel. 04-447 2030 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com Distributor Dar Al Hikma LLC P.O. Box 2007, Dubai, UAE Tel. 04-266 5394 Printed at GN Printing P.O. Box 6519, Dubai, UAE © 2016 Outdoor UAE FZE Vol. 6, No. 1, January 2016

Kit Belen Our fishing pro

Nico de Corato Diver and heli rescue swimmer with Bergamo Scuba Angels

Ivana Chiles Health coach and outdoor enthusiast

www.OutdoorUAE.com Facebook.com/OutdoorUAE Twitter.com/OutdoorUAE

Dan Wright Freelance wilderness guide in the UAE

Instagram.com/OutdoorUAE Jake Lyle Diving and Watersport Expert

The information contained is for general use only.

We have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources. The publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided without a full guarantee of completeness, accuracy and chronology. In no event will the publisher and/or any of our affiliates be held responsible for decisions made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.

All contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission.

Get to us on Facebook!

© 2015 Outdoor UAE FZE Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

WHEN YOU’RE DONE READING, PLEASE RECYCLE!

Helle Bachofen Von Echt Elite Women Cyclist

John Basson Moto/ATV and all round adventure seeker

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

CONTENTS

14 7EMIRATES RUN

22 SEARCHING FOR SANTOSHA

34 OUTDOOR FLICKS: VALLEY OF GIANTS

EVERY ISSUE

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

06 EVENTS CALENDAR 08 BEST SHOTS 09 OFF-ROADER’S CORNER: MANUEL’S OVERLANDING SLEEPER 36 PRODUCTS 63 DIRECTORY

20 T.L.R.D – THE VANISHING GAME 22 SEARCHING FOR SANTOSHA 24 FOUR SEASONS OF ROMANIAN CAMPING 26 A SEA FULL OF SURPRISES

EVENT & ACTIVITY REPORTS

LIFESTYLE

10 AWAFI MTB FESTIVAL 12 TOUR AL ZABURAH 14 7EMIRATES RUN 13 RAMY 4X4 CROSS LIWA CHALLENGE 18 FATBIKING WITH OUTDOORARABIA

27 HABITUALLY HEALTHY: THE 21-DAY PALEO DETOX DIET 30 HEALTH POWERHOUSE: DETOX HOLIDAYS 32 NATURAL HISTORY: DHAFRA CAMEL FESTIVAL 34 OUTDOOR FLICKS: VALLEY OF GIANTS

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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50 FIA WTCC DHL RACE QATAR – EULOGY

52 BIG JEBEL SHAMS ABSEIL

56 MTB TIPS FROM DAVID KINJAH

TRIED + TESTED

LOCATIONS

35 SILVERBACK SUPERBIKE CONCEPT 37 2XU MID RISE TIGHTS

52 BIG JEBEL SHAMS ABSEIL 53 KANSAS CITY SHUFFLE

OUR EXPERTS 40 WOMEN ON WHEELS: STAMINA, SPEED AND PONYTAILS - HELLE 42 HIRAME LOVE - KIT 44 KEEP CALM AND LET’S RUN 100KM - NICO 46 NEW YEAR, NEW HOBBY - JAKE 48 OLD PATH, NEW FRIENDS - JOHN 50 FIA WTCC DHL RACE QATAR - EULOGY

TIPS + TRICKS 54 CHOOSING A RIDING HOLIDAY 56 MTB TIPS FROM DAVID KINJAH 58 STRENGTH IN NUMBERS 60 HOW TO DO DESERT RUNS WITH KIDS 61 R U SLACKLINING YET? 62 CYCLING TIPS BY FITNESS FIRST

OUTDOORUAE

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

EVENTS CALENDAR

JANUARY 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST EVENTS

JANUARY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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WADI ADVENTURE RACE 11

Test your limits in this all-out adventure race! Ready for WAR? When: January 16, 8:00 a.m.

Where: Wadi Adventure Contact: www.wadiadventure.ae

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MEYDAN RACE NIGHTS – RACE 6 The sixth race of the equestrian season.

When: January 16, 4:00 p.m.

Where: Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse Contact: www.dubairacingclub.com

JAN

15

AROUND THE WORLD CHARITY PADDLE

Calling on every man and woman with a paddle and a board for a paddle around the World… Islands!

22

STANDARD CHARTERED DUBAI MARATHON 2016

The most prestigious marathon in the UAE calendar When: January 22 Where: Dubai Police Academy Contact: www.dubaimarathon.org

JAN

16

16

ACTIVEWEEKENDS WEEKLY FUN RUN/WALK

A community run along the parklands! All for free!

Bring your family along!

When: January 16, 8:00 a.m.

Where: Yas Gateway Park North Contact: www.premieronline.com

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LET’S GO FORWARD CITY ADVENTURE RUN

Take over the city in this metropolitan run!

When: January 16, 9:00 a.m.

Where: Souk al Mubarakiya, Kuwait City Contact: www.letsgoforward.com/cityruns2

When: January 15, 6:00 a.m.

Where: Open Beach (right next the Dubai Ladies Park) Contact: www.premieronline.com

JAN

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JAN

16

DIY TRIATHLETE PERFORMANCE NUTRITION WORKSHOP Sit down and learn to Tri better!

When: January 16, 10:00 a.m.

Where: Emirates Golf Club Contact: www.gostrong.me

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J A N

NATHAN WADI RACER

An adventure run coming across Jeep trails, goat tracks, and the occasional sharp climbs —all 45mins away from Dubai.

When: January 29, 5:00 a.m.

Where: Wadi Showka Contact: www.urbanultra.com

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BEACH RUN DXB

DUBAI SHOW JUMPING 2016

When: January 16, 7:00 a.m.

Where: Umm Suqeim Public Beach Contact: www.beachrun.ae

When: January 28-30 Where: Emirates Equestrian Centre Contact: www.emiratesequestriancentre.com

Come one, come all in the first ever Beach Run DXB! Suited for runners of all capabilities.

JAN

16

LET’S GO FORWARD CITY ADVENTURE RUN

Take over the city in this metropolitan run!

Elite international show jumpers will be coming together for three days of intense competition.

JAN

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23

ZUMBA FESTIVAL DXB 2016 Great and groovy cardio going down at Zabeel Park!

When: January 23, 9:30 a.m.

Where: Zabeel Park Contact: www.zumbafestdxb.com

Off-road treasure point hunting open to the entire UAE off-road community.

When: January 29 Where: Abu Dhabi Desert Contact: prm.ad4x4@gmail.com

When: January 16, 9:00 a.m.

Where: Souk al Mubarakiya, Kuwait City Contact: www.letsgoforward.com/cityruns2

JAN

AD4X4 DESNAV 2016

JAN

30

VERTICAL RUN ALMAS TOWER

Time to climb the tallest business tower in Dubai.

Are you in?

When: January 30, 2:00 p.m.

Where: Almas Tower Contact: www.premieronline.com

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

JANUARY 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

BEST SHOTS Here are the best shots sent in by you for our monthly photography competition! Thank you for all your entries, they were all great and it was hard selecting the best photos this month. Congratulations to the top three winners, who will each receive Buff headwear, five free copies of the magazine and the Advance Off-road Guidebook: Jean-Paul Courville, Ace Espiritu and Jerry Damian. Well done!

To submit your entries, simply email us at competitions@outdooruae.com with the subject “Best Shots.”

Jean-Paul Courville

Photo of me overlooking Jebel Shams Oman

Ace Espiritu

Curious Donkey

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Jerry Damian First Light

THE

OFF-ROADERS corner

Overlanding Sleeper Name: Manuel Schmidt Nationality: Germany Occupation: Business Director at Wunderman Ride: 2006 Land Rover Defender 90

Noticing the nice patina to it, we can’t help but be amazed by Manuel Schmidt’s 06’ Land Rover.

It’s one of those cars that definitely qualify for the “don’t judge the book by its cover” category. Sure, it looks a bit stock with the addition of overlanding gear, but little did we know that there’s more to it than meets the eye. We caught up with Manuel for a chat with him about the car…

Tell us a little background story about the car...

After my previous Land Rover 110 pickup was involved in an accident and was written off, I started to look for a new one. As much as I would have loved to drive the same again, I couldn’t find any. After a few months of looking around, I found the D90 for sale. Low mileage, no modifications, spotless and had never been off-road - exactly what I was looking for as a base to build it to my needs. This was four years ago and since then I have kept adding, optimising and changing it to have it as I need it for that what I do with it. The car has never let me down and, in the worst case, has limped back home, but never stopped.

Could you tell us all about the modifications that were made, both performance and cosmetic-wise?

Unlike many others, I haven’t done any modifications for a cosmetic change. I take a bit of care that things don’t look awkward or

weird. Over the years there have been a lot of changes mainly to make the car capable to work as an overlander over multiple weeks as well as a car to enjoy drives in the dunes and mountains of the UAE. The list of modifications is quite long and most are not really visible. The whole drive train has been uprated, starting with drive shafts, CV joints, locking differentials front and rear, pegged ring and pinions to add strength and durability and also to handle the added power of the engine. The TD5 Diesel comes with 122hp and good torque. But it was never meant to drive in the dunes really. It now runs on around 200hp with a remapped engine, VNT Turbo, bigger intercooler, silicon hoses etc. to reach a level of performance that makes it easy and fun to drive in the sand.

For this purpose, the Defender drives with a winch fitted, uprated recovery points and sand ladders that function as a cooking table as well. There are two large 100Ah batteries to run fridges and lights for the camps. For the longer drives and remote locations, an extended fuel tank is fitted. In addition, a carrier on the back that allows either two spare tires or additional fuel that can theoretically add 100l of extra diesel, makes it to an overall 195l fuel if really needed. To carry the additional weight on, and especially off-road, Dobinsons springs and shocks keep the car stable on the tracks. Recaro seats are fantastic for the long drives but also add a lot of stability off-road.

A shower with pump is fitted and a fridge/ freezer has its fixed place in the car.

support car. It also works well when driving into the mountains and for trail running - another hobby I love. For the long overland trips, the car is my home for weeks and I very much rely on it.

How often do you use your car?

As a daily driver I use a 2001 Land Rover Discovery that is there to eat the miles. I still take the Defender out to drive to work, but I usually use it over the weekends to drive into the mountains and desert or to carry the bike to the cycle track.

Any future modifications that you are planning?

There is not much to do anymore really. I’m currently only 90% happy with the suspension and I can see some work going into that soon.

Everything else is now mainly maintenance to replace parts that are wearing out due to the use off-road.

What 4x4 do you dream of owning?

As much as I’m happy with my Defender, a possible upgrade is a Mercedes G-Class with a solid diesel engine. Technically similar to a Defender, the shape allows great storage - but it’s mechanically built stronger and a bit more comfortable and easier to drive. It comes equipped with front and rear lockers and is a very solid and capable car.

What were your other options before you bought this car?

I didn’t really think of options when I was in the process of buying. The Defender was just great for what I needed and offered probably the greatest versatility. A Jeep Wrangler is getting close, but lacking space and practicality and to a certain extent capability. By the time I was looking around, I was also had an eye on the Mercedes G-Class, but the investment would have been on a different scale.

How do you spend time with the car?

Under the car... fixing it. I’m actually grateful that I rarely have mechanical work to do. Most times I take it camping over the weekends or in motorsport events as a

Want your 4X4 to be the next feature?

It’s all simple! Just send us an email at editor@outdooruae.com with the subject “Off-Roaders Corner” and you and your car might just be the next one on this page!

OUTDOORUAE

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EVENT REPORT

The Quarry Run:

Awafi MTB Festival Every December, enthusiastic mountain bike riders descend on a small disused quarry at the base of Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah for the most challenging race of the season – the Awafi MTB Festival.

Every year, a different format is chosen to keep the race new and interesting.

Now in its third year, the goal of the Awafi MTB Festival this December was to give all the riders in the GCC a chance to take part and win on a new course that featured cross country, obstacles and technical riding.

For that reason, race organizers decided to randomly pair riders of different abilities for the 40km race. The pairs had to alternate laps and tag each other in the changeover zone to start their next lap for the entire race.

This gave the race the most unpredictable, closest and surprising results possible.

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It also ensured that everyone of all abilities could compete for the main prizes.

As each team rode four alternating laps, the distance was achievable but challenging and the race never stopped. Every rider had the chance to race right up until the finish line and put on a good show.

Race organizer Michelle Guerin says that the biggest challenge was convincing people that random pairing would actually work.“Questions came in thick and fast when we announced the plan,” she said. “‘What if I don’t like the person I get picked with?’, ‘What if I’m not fast enough for them?’ ‘Can they do seven laps and I will only do one?’ they asked.”

“But it worked brilliantly,” Guerin said.

“We were very happy with how it worked out.”

No one could guess who would win as

the pairings were based on luck of the draw – which was done by the riders just before the race started. Riders were initially sorted into Strong, Intermediate and Social hats and then riders chose their respective pairs. A strong rider got to choose from the social hat, a social rider got to choose from the strong hat and an intermediate one got to choose another intermediate rider. This format meant that all pairs were potentially of a consistent overall speed.

The race took place at a disused quarry site, formerly used for building the Jebel Jais road. It was transformed into a mountain bike racing circuit with help from the RAK Economic Development and Public Works department.

Using as much of the natural terrain as possible, the course this year was designed

by Guerin and XC Racer Tom Little. It was

intended to be challenging for expert riders, yet manageable for social riders who would find they improved their ability as they repeated each lap.

The Awafi MTB Festival kicked off with a social race for off-road beginners.

Using part of the main course, 11 beginner riders had a fun race over three laps of 2.2km gravel track, wadi rollers and turns. It was never about winning but about giving racing a go without been intimidated by a technical course and the pressure of faster riders around.

Following the beginners ride, was the main 40km race of the day.

Not all riders were required to pair up. It was possible to attempt eight laps of the course as individuals and these solo riders started off first, followed by the pairs race.

As they rounded the first corner, the technical element of the course kicked in with a loose gravel climb, tree roots and a shrubby wadi bed to overcome. Around the tree and back down the other side of the wadi before negotiating tight short S-bends and heading towards the edge of the quarry bowl. A climb up the side of the bowl on single track and around disused wells proving challenging for all riders regardless of ability. As they traversed across to the centre of the bowl, riders experienced wadi beds with twists and turns to challenge their bike handling skills.

The course weaved in and out of boulders, around the perimeter of the kids’ course and across a fine gravel hill before descending back down into the carpark. As the trail bedded in, riders created ruts and holes which kept the course challenging lap after lap.

Pairs competed on the same course just after the solos and completed alternate laps with all riders finishing the 40km course within 40 minutes of each other. Each finishing place averaged less than a minute apart.

Ultimately 60 pairs of riders went home very happy with prize money sponsored by RAK Tourism for completing their eight laps with, in most cases, a complete stranger.

Following the conclusion of the main race,

the encore was reserved for the smallest riders –children between 5 and 11 years old, all raced over 2 or 3 laps (depending on bike wheel size) of a section of the main course. All 150 adult pairs and solo riders cheered the kids on in their race.

Mountain biking’s equivalent to the Shetland Grand National was the most fun race of the day and a fitting end to the festival and fun atmosphere of the day.

The question now is… Awafi MTB Festival 2016 – what new format will be used?

Sponsors:

RAK Economic Development RAK Public Works Awafi Festival RAK Tourism Beginner’s race was sponsored by The Cycle Hub and OutdoorUAE Direct Trading gave away a Jamis Bicycle as a lucky spot prize Sport in Life gave away GU nutrition to all riders

Pairs Winners (sponsored by RAK Tourism): 1 - Santosh Tripathy / Etienne Schultz 2 - Ferdinand Pablo / Danielle French 3 - Gary Flint / Kenneth Bico Solo Winners (sponsored by The Off Road Company (TORC)): 1 - Elton Horner 2 - Sebastian Ziemke 3 - Glenn Luxem Solo Women’s Race (sponsored by Wolfi’s Bike Shop) 1 - Johanna Rossouw 2 - Elenis Caseres

EVENT REPORT

Tour of Al Zubarah

Four Days and 400km Showcasing International Cycling in Qatar Words By: Eulogy van Dyk Photos By: QCF/Tour of Al Zubarah

More than 100 top-class cyclists representing 13 different teams from 20 different nationalities took part in the 3rd edition of the Tour of Al Zubarah in Qatar from the 16th – 19th December 2015. Organized by the Qatar Cycling Federation (QCF) under Presidency of Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Thani, this event is also a second category race in the UCI Asia Tour calendar and becoming stronger in organizational and competition sense year after year.

The four-day event covering approximately 400km, initiated with an eye on providing home-grown talent with more opportunities to race at high profile events, is dedicated in honour of Al Zubarah, which was promoted to a UNESCO World Heritage Site on June 2013.

The riders had to tackle first a 3.3km short individual time trial, which was held in the amazing Aspire Zone - Qatar’s centre of great world sporting events. A very interesting and technical course and from the start you could see how well the riders prepared for the race in terms of skills and fitness

levels. Jacob Tripper, from Team Giant RBS, surprised himself with the Prologue win. It was his first time cycling and visiting Qatar, and had his eyes finishing in the Top 10 of the race. With this win he also received the yellow jersey as overall leader of the race.

The Aspire Zone offered undoubtedly a great experience for the riders as well as fans.

On the second day riders started from Al Thakhira Youth Centre, about 45min outside Doha, and finished at Madinat ash Shamal, which is in the northernmost part of the country. The total racing distance for the day was 129.9km and riders finished the

day with three laps of 13.5km each. This of course meant that there was a bit of change in the wind direction toward the end of the race, which caused some good attraction as race tactics had to change fast. Maher Hasnaoui, of Team Skydive Dubai, recorded his maiden win as he clinched the first place on the second day of the event. He clocked a time of 3 hours 10 minutes and 52 seconds with Jacob Tripper, finishing 12 seconds adrift of the stage winner but still managed to hold on to his yellow jersey as leader of the event.

The third day kicked off at the Camel Race Track and finished in front of Dukhan

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Mosque and was marked as the toughest stage of the event. A total of 119.8km was covered and riders had to complete two, 25km laps around Dukhan, with wind and some hills. German rider, Michael Schweizer of Team Rose NRW won the second stage with an impressive time of 3 hours 15 minutes and 1 second. Although Jacob Tripper finished 5th on the day, he still retained his overall leaders jersey. Most people said that this stage was probably the deciding one for

the general classification of the event.

The last day, the riders departed from Simaisma Youth Center to their final destination in Al Zubarah. There was a mild drag to the finish and a strong headwind presented hard work for all the riders to get to the finish line. Eugen Wacker of KCP Kuwait Cycling Project finished the 119.86km in 2 hours 45 min and 8 seconds and won the stage.

The general classification was in fact not sealed as a done deal after Stage Two of the race as most people thought, when Tunisian rider, Meher Hasnaoui of Team Skydive Dubai, emerged as overall winner of the Tour of Al Zubarah. With the help of his team they achieved a great result and said that they will be back next year to defend the title!

The champion’s ceremony was held in front of the Al Zubarah Fort and Andrea Palini, from Team Skydive Dubai, took the Red Jersey as overall points classification winner with Mohammad Esmaeil Chaichi Raghimi from Team PKY Pishgaman Giant, that won the Light Blue Jersey as Best Young Rider Overall.

The organizers pride themselves in creating the challenging, beautiful Tour of Al Zubarah routes that attract an interesting set up of international riders and showcase the

JANUARY 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

state’s scenery. From the modern metropolitan city to small traditional coastal towns and places of historic importance, this is a fantastic race to show the world what Qatar has to offer for international racing.

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EVENT REPORT

7EmiratesRun: 575 Kilometres, 12 Days, 7 Emirates, 1 Mission Words By: Clare Mullenger

7EmiratesRun in partnership with Al Jalila Foundation is the UAE’s only cross-country run. In its fourth edition, the 7EmiratesRun commenced in Abu Dhabi on 21 November 2015 and concluded in Dubai on 2 December. The team was led by Wendelin Lauxen, holder of the Guinness World Record for “Fastest Time to Complete a Marathon on Each of the Seven Continents”, who ran the route solo in 2010 and has since successfully led the 2013, 2014 and 2015 editions.

The participants ran from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman and Sharjah before finally arriving in Dubai on the occasion of the 44th UAE National Day. Funds raised will be used to support life-changing surgery and postoperative medical support for children in the UAE who suffer from deformities or amputation.

I was the only female to participate in the 2015 edition and here’s a sneak peek at my diary of the event.

7EmiratesRun Team 2015

Day 1

Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan to Deerfields Mall (50km): We ran along the beautiful Abu Dhabi Corniche and mangroves with some amazing and inspiring people. What a fantastic first day! Camp was set for the night on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi – yummy noodles for dinner and a long awaited milkshake! Looking forward to 49km tomorrow but for now… sleep!

Day 2

Deerfields Mall to Ghantoot (48km): We set off early on aching legs from yesterday’s run – initially running with Wendelin Lauxen who was trying to teach us German songs about a washing machine which helped the kilometres pass quickly. We ran through residential areas, passed mosques and houses and a school that was celebrating UAE Flag Day with flags and songs. Then it started... the green fence... (for those that don’t live in the UAE this is a green fence separating the forest and the road in Abu Dhabi and it goes on, and on and on!). Sheikh Mansoor Ali came in an amazing 45 minutes before me, James Constable, Scott Williams-Hall, Wendelin Lauxen and Marlon Elaurza, who all crossed the line in quick succession. Scott is now having his epic blister lanced while the rest of us read and appreciate all our messages of support before tomorrow’s run to Bab Al Shams.

Day 3

Ghantoot to Bab Al Shams (45km): A 7EmiratesRun 2015 Day 5 with Mohammed Ayoub

tough start to the day as we were all feeling a few aches and pains from the previous two days’ runs – with the exception of Wendelin who shot off like a gazelle! Our awesome support drivers kept us well fed and watered and also kept our spirits up along 30km of truck road until we hit the lovely Al Qudra Cycle Track. Al Qudra is one of my favourite places to run and cycle with beautiful rolling sand dunes and a purpose-built 170km (and growing) cycle track. We were joined at 40km by the awesome year seven and eight (11 and 12 year old) children and their teachers from Gems Metropole School who ran the last 5km alongside us with unbridled enthusiasm. There was a slight trembling lip moment when the kids came up to thank us and give us words of support. We spent the night in a stunning amphitheatre in Bab Al Shams watching the sunset, having some physio and enjoying a hot shower. We felt much more rested and looked forward to tomorrow’s run to Skydive Dubai.

Day 4

Bab Al Shams to Skydive Dubai (45km): Today started on the Al Qudra Cycle Track, and we were joined by the teachers and students of Gems International who ran with us along the cycle track for the first 12km. We left the kids at the top of the stick and carried on towards the E66. Gems International teacher and my lovely friend Laura Holton stayed with me for the rest of the run and the kilometres flew by as we chatted and laughed and sang the whole way. We met two inspirational guys from Germany, Patrick and Marco, who were cycling from Germany to India and China to work on water projects on the road. We continued running past buildings, experiencing more of this beautiful country before we hit the E66 for the final few kilometres to Skydive Dubai.

Day 5

Skydive Dubai to Sharjah Youth Centre (46km): After an amazing night at Skydive Dubai – eating delicious food in opulent surroundings then being taken to see the Skydive Dubai paramotor centre, we woke to a great start to the day, being joined by RAK Bank staff for the first 7km of the run on the occasion of UAE National Sports Day. We were also joined at the start by 3-year-old Mohammed Ayoub who was helped by the 7EmiratesRun two years ago. This little boy would melt the toughest heart and it was

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Luis Pradines, Zainab Al-Eqabi and Paralympian Heinrich Popow

really lovely to see him interacting with Wendelin, who he has visited for treatment over the years and who he was so at ease with and happy to see. We stared running with the RAK Bank staff straight into a sandstorm, making the first 7km really tough. We then continued towards Sharjah until the sandstorm stopped and we were refreshed by a light shower. Afterwards, we ran through the beautiful village of Nawaz, and despite all of our legs hurting and a strong headwind, the views and the beautiful dunes spurred us on.

Tonight we camped at Sharjah Youth Centre hoping the rain would hold off for tomorrow’s long run… 56km!

together singing silly songs to keep going.

Marlon was next, followed by Wendelin who came in under eight hours for the first time on this stage of the run (he later revealed he had stopped for a nap en route). Scott then followed. Tonight we camped at a Dam on the Kalba road in one of our most beautiful campsites so far with the crickets chirping and the mountains as backdrop.

Day 6

Day 7

Sharjah Youth Centre to Showka (56km): Today was tough. Stunning, but tough.

Our legs were still weary from yesterday’s run and winds had been blowing the tents overnight. We set out early through Madam towards Showka past shops and mosques with a headwind making us work hard. Eventually we reached the village of Fili and then the beautiful hills and winding roads towards Showka. Once again the support from our wonderful volunteers en route was fantastic.

A special mention has to go to #Filiguys who hung out of the sunroof of their car to cheer and stopped for selfies. Sheikh Mansoor Ali stormed in first followed by James and me who ran the final kilometres

Runners with Paralympian Heinrich Popow on first day of 7EmiratesRun in Abu Dhabi

Showka to Fujairah (52km): An early start to the day after a good night of sleep at our peaceful Showka camp. We were joined by the Dubai Chinese Running Society and Adam and Tamas Lorincz who brought great enthusiasm and energy to our run. The first 10km was along the rolling Kalba road with tough climbs and stunning views. We stopped at Wadi Helo, where the road was lined with flowers. We then carried on the steep upward climb towards Fujairah. Along the route we were cheered by passing cyclists and motorists who were out enjoying the rolling roads. As we reached the top of the hill, we were met with beautiful views over Kalba and a fantastic descent.

James and me with my parents at the finish line

We then ran along the beautiful corniche passing fishing boats, harbours, motels and mosques and eventually into the seaside resort at Fujairah with its hotels and funfairs.

Day 8

Fujairah to Manama (46km): Today was a bittersweet day. After a restful night in Al Sharq Hospital with fluffy towels and hot showers, we left at 8:00 a.m. and were joined for the first 1km by some young local people. We then started the 30km climb to Masafi. I was lucky enough to have my friend Laura running with me again and we chatted and sang to pass the time. We ran until we eventually reached the bustling town of Masafi at the lunchtime call to prayer. We then ran on past the Friday market eventually reaching the Enoc station and our camp for the night. Mansoor came in first then Laura and I, then James followed by Wendelin then Marlon. Scott had been struggling since the day before with significant pain in his hips and ankle; having pushed through the day before on sheer courage, we were all willing him to reach the finish line by the cut off time of eight hours. Supported by Laura, he made it in with 10 minutes to spare but it was clear from the look on his face that the day had been agony and had taken a lot of strength to finish. At this point Scott decided not to continue with the run, his body having had enough. We were all sad to see him leave but looking forward to having him come and support us later in the week. Scott has shown amazing courage and determination over the last eight days and is a genuinely lovely guy – we were gutted to see him go.

Day 9

Manama to Banyan Tree (50km): After a slightly noisy night at camp we set off at 7:00 a.m. along the first of the day’s truck

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

roads. I chatted with Mansoor (the only time in the last nine days he has not been 45 minutes ahead of me!) and the first 20 kilometres passed quickly. We then ran along a quiet road through Al Urge. We then turned onto the truck road to the Banyan Tree Resort. I had run this section with Brendan Moloney and Jeremy Palmer and we had raced each other up and down the sand dunes at the side of the road. Alone and on exhausted legs the dunes were too much for me so I stayed on the truck road – waving at truck drivers. Then redemption – a beautiful new piece of tarmac road that had not been opened yet – we happily ran the final few kilometres to Banyan Tree along this road before turning onto the beautiful sweeping road through the orange Ras Al Khaimah dunes into the resort. A lovely man offered me a lift and when I declined and explained what we were doing he came back with water for me. We finally arrived at the stables at Banyan Tree where we stayed for the night. We are all so happy and relaxed.

Tomorrow would be a big day.

Day 10

Banyan Tree to Umm Al Quwain Marine Club (56km): Today was intense – 56km in the baking sun! After a restful night and a fabulous breakfast, we mustered all our willpower to leave this fabulous place and start running. James was feeling pretty unwell so I ran with him for the first 12km through the rolling dunes and up the sharp hill of the truck road to RAK. We were joined by Rob - one of the guys who would run the 56km with us and one of the guys from RAK Bank who joined us for the first 14km. After crossing the E311 I pushed on towards the coast looking for a trail at the side of the road to run on rather than on the actual truck road with lorries whizzing past. This tactic worked well protecting my knees and feet from the tarmac and separating me from the traffic.

My smugness soon disappeared when I hit soft sand and had to scramble my way back into the road. We followed the E11 South past beautiful resorts and beaches where people were enjoying the sunshine. The sun continued to beat down and the going became pretty tough with the kilometres ticking by very slowly. Eventually I reached the turn off to Umm Al Quwain and the cheers and waves and offers of water from people driving past started, lifting my spirits along the seemingly endless road to the next stop.

As usual Mansoor came in first followed by Rob then me, Wendelin and James — who by now was feeling much better. Marlon came in not far behind. Tonight we are at the Umm Al Quwain Marine Club with hot showers, fabulous views and a swimming pool. My swim this evening was one of the best swims of my life, after days of camping

in the desert, the cool water felt wonderful.

Tomorrow we run to Sharjah, and it’s only 43km – woohoo!

Day 11

Umm Al Quwain Marine Club to Sharjah German School (43km): I thought today would be an easy day – how wrong I was.

This was the toughest day for me so far. We started well rested after a wonderful night at the Marine Club. We were joined by my lovely friends Tamas Lorincz, Laura Holton and Jeremy Grigg who joined us for the entire run. Wendelin and Mansoor set off at light speed while the rest of us ran slowly chatting and telling dreadful jokes about fish (there is a big statue of a swordfish near the Marine Club). Laura and I then pushed on chatting and stopping to take photos of miniature castles and flamingos on the route.

At 16km I felt a slight twinge in my right knee but pushed on until 20km where a sharp pain shot through my right quad. This slowed me a lot but Laura stayed by me encouraging me to keep going. Our support crew Hanif, Sneha, Hidde, Mona, Lisa and Scott who had come back to support again raised our spirits and kept us going. As we ran through Ajman, a car pulled up in front of us and Graham Rafferty jumped out to cheer us. Graham and his wife Katrina have been wonderful friends to me since I arrived in Dubai and it was a boost to have him there cheering us on. As we passed a lagoon, Jeremy caught us up and we ran together the rest of the way through the centre of Ajman and along the corniche. By now I could barely lift my leg. We turned off the cornice towards the Sharjah German School. As we neared the school James and Marlon caught us and we Home away from home

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walked the last couple of kilometres together as I could no longer run. We all crossed the line together with Wendelin coming in before us in under five hours and Mansoor in an amazing 3hrs and 30mins. We relaxed at the Sharjah German School celebrating our run so far, Patrick and Marco (the guys cycling to India and China) joined us and we shared stories and looked forward to our final 42km to Dubai Festival City. We will arrive at Dubai Festival City at about 2:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Day 12

Sharjah German School to Dubai Festival City (42km): The final leg of our epic adventure. Wow, what a day! We started from the Sharjah German School joined by six full distance runners and several children from the school. We then carried on through Sharjah towards Al Mamzar Park past families out picnicking and celebrating National Day. I ran with Laura, Dee O’Leary, James and Scott and we sang songs; posed for photos and encouraged each other to keep going despite our aches and pains. We eventually reached the Shindagha tunnel where we met the 10km runners and Wendelin and Mansoor who had finished earlier. After a short pause, we all set off on the final 10km.

It was wonderful to be back in Dubai running along the creek where I so often run. James ran ahead and surprised us all with coconuts to drink. Feeling refreshed we pushed on for the few final kilometres, stopping about a kilometre from Dubai Festival City. Here we were joined by Luis, who had run 7km with us on the first day – Wendelin, Mansoor, Marlon, James, Scott, Luis and his son, Douglas, and myself ran in the final kilometre to the finish arch together holding hands as we were cheered across the line. It was wonderful to see our friends and family who had come.

After being given our medals and meeting our wonderful sponsors who have supported us throughout we convened in Hard Rock Café for well-earned burgers. That night, James and I were sitting on our balcony with a couple of cool drinks and ready for a good night’s sleep in our own bed, dreaming about the 12 days of adventure we had just had.

ACTIVITY REPORT

A Journey through the Arabian Sands Words By: Griff Gough-Walters Photos By: Griff Gough-Walters, Iztok Franko and Dean Le Roux

With one of the largest sand deserts in the world just on the doorstep and a strong desire to push the UAE’s off-roaders, Ramy 4x4 realised that there would be no better place than Liwa to use as the basis for their latest event and thus, the Ramy 4x4 Cross Liwa Challenge was born.

On the 27th of November, as the sun rose over the sweeping dunes south of the fertile Liwa crescent, the eight teams participating in the inaugural Ramy 4x4 Cross Liwa Challenge prepared themselves for the action that lay ahead: a point to point GPS challenge through one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet. Various teams from around the UAE including the Weekenders, The Bedouins, 7 Jeeps, Fury, Gazelles, Desert Dwellers, 2x2 and Desert Fox were involved. Each team had at least three vehicles working together to ensure they passed the three checkpoints and stayed as close to the “triangle” route as possible.

Armed with determination and a high quality, event specific, t-shirt provided by local brand Wolves & Lions, they set off.

Despite some teams managing to complete the challenge in less than the two days originally proposed, Ramy 4x4 made it clear to all participants that it was not a race and the winners were not necessarily those who finished first. Throughout the trip, participants were urged to support the #CleanDesertDrive scheme to keep the deserts clean and free of garbage.

“No, it is not the goal but the way there that matters, and the harder the way the more worthwhile the journey” - Wilfred Thesiger However, in the end it came down to the difference of just a few hundred metres on

the GPS that helped to secure The Gazelles with the win. One look at their route and it was clear that they stayed the closest to the triangle and took the technical routes through the dunes, avoiding the salt flats.

The Gazelles consisted of Nancy, Mark and Toby driving a white Jeep and two Land Cruisers. When asked if they had any special techniques that helped them win, Nancy explained, “We have been driving together for years, a tactical strategy wasn’t really necessary. Just enjoy the drive and be safe”. Their reward for conquering Liwa was 3,000 AED. Ramy 4x4 hopes to host another Cross Liwa Challenge soon with bigger and better prizes. Could you be the next winner of the Ramy 4x4 Cross Liwa Challenge?

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ACTIVITY REPORT

Dunes Through a Different Perspective A Fatbike Ride with OutdoorArabia Words By: Alin Epure Photos By: Supplied

In the past years cycling has become more popular, and if you go down to the Al Qudra Cycle Track on a weekend you will meet hundreds of cyclists. I love cycling, but unless you head to the east coast, the cycling is a bit monotonous: no hills and endless, seemingly straight stretches of road. As long as you don’t stick to the cycle tracks or go to the open rides in the Dubai Autodrome or Yas Marina Circuit, you will expose yourself to the traffic which of course poses a huge risk.

I have heard and seen many posts online about fatbiking in the desert, featuring people posing with bikes with huge tires on the top of a dune and the emptiness of the desert. Buying a bike was not even a consideration even though they got much more affordable. I was told by a friend on a road cycle ride, that OutdoorArabia was offering guided rides and were also renting the bikes at affordable rates. We spoke about this idea for the whole ride, with the result that we made the plan to rent bikes for the next weekend and give it a try.

The bike rental for a Silverback fatbike which is priced at 6,900 AED is only 150

AED for one day or 250 AED for the weekend. If you want the bike delivered and collected from your home, you can do that for an extra delivery fee of 100 AED. OutdoorArabia also offers to rent bike racks or a trailer for the bikes, so that you can really be independent when choosing where to use the bikes.

So a phone call later, all was set, the bikes were booked and the endless opportunities of the desert were awaiting us.

As a start and for a first trial of the bikes, we decided to not tackle the big dunes but follow one of the routes provided by outdooruae.com’s routes feature around the wildlife sanctuary at Al Qudra. The area is easy to reach and is very diverse with hard sand tracks around the lakes and nice dunes in the surrounding areas. We started off on

the gravel tracks where the bikes handle like a normal MTB if the tire pressure is not too low. When we entered the dunes, we deflated the tires as soon as the dunes got steeper and to my surprise, the bike functioned really well in the sand. I know everyone repeats this judgement and I have heard it many times before, but hearing it and experiencing it are two different things.

When I read on Facebook that guys went for a 10k ride, I always thought that this was very short and not even worth going out for such a short ride, comparing it to the distance you do on a road bike. But the steeper the dune, the softer the sand is, and you will be slow and might even sometimes average a speed as low as 5kmh. This might sound boring, but it is the absolute opposite. Moving silently through the desert and the dunes gives you a completely new perspective. You see more, you hear more and you smell more. Especially around the sanctuary, you can see a lot of wildlife which is usually very rare.

We spent a whole morning on the bikes, exploring the dunes of an area we thought we knew but saw from a new perspective which was an amazing experience. We only rode a total of 30km, but it felt like a 100km ride on the road.

For now I’m not thinking of buying a bike but the first seed is planted. We will soon go again and rent some bikes, this time with a few more people who also want to try it.

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

T.L.R.D

Episode 3

The Land Rover Diaries

Words By: Theo Measures Photos By: Neil Walton

“The desert is natural; when you are out there, you can get in tune with your environment, something you lose when you live in the city.”

- Robyn Davidson The first 20 minutes after camp had been set up were the hardest, because although there was nothing to do except enjoy the vast expanse of beautiful nothingness, I seemed incapable of simply sitting down and switching off – a symptom I have come to recognise of having been too long in the metropolis.

If you caught last month’s story, then you will know we were unable to get out for our dose of wilderness therapy for almost a month due to the cars requiring a monumental amount of rehabilitation. This clearly had a profound effect on both of us because as soon as we were able, we packed up our

rejuvenated dune bashers and headed out in search of the revitalisation and sense of perspective we have learned only new experiences and new challenges can give us. We were in total to spend five nights under the stars this month.

I was the first to head out — alone save for my two dogs, to camp in the desert.

Experiencing a night of solitude, silence and detachment is something I have wanted to do for some time. To defy the potential fear, risk and loneliness I believed I was subjecting myself to was a purpose in itself, but not the only one.

“Being solitary is being alone well: being alone luxuriously immersed in doings of your own choice, aware of the fullness of your own presence rather than of the absence of others. Because solitude is an achievement.”

- Alice Koller If you live in a city that’s described as having a “high quality of life” then by definition you’re separated from the basic tasks associated with self-preservation, because everything is outsourced. It’s easy to forget how rewarding and grounding acts of selfreliance can be – the taste of a freshly cooked meal for example is all the more satisfying if achieved by your own hand.

“I used to sleep in the desert once every week, now it is every two weeks, most of the time alone. It’s beautiful. What I enjoy is taking my food and cooking for myself.”- Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Spending a night in the desert without human contact was, as the above quote notes, utterly beautiful. I was so comprehensively

relaxed that I never wanted the night to end.

With nothing around my crackling campfire except for the strangely comforting dunes, my tent and my moon-bathed old Land Rover, my mind was vacated of any city-forged concerns – no work, no bills, no noise.

I miss that feeling.

Instead of worrying, I read a book I hadn’t found either the right time or frame of mind to entertain for weeks. I smoked and cooked my own delicious food on a BBQ dug into the sand and fuelled by wood I had collected from nearby dead trees. I stargazed for what seemed like hours but never became bored – I clocked six shooting stars and felt as elated as a child at each ephemeral sighting.

I thought deeply about the people in my life and I bonded with my treasured dogs: Archie and Sophie, in a way I had not in a long time. I felt as though this was the way life is supposed to be, the whole experience was a meditation.

“Solitude shows us what should be; society shows us what we are.” - Robert Cecil The next trip would be one we embarked on with both cars. Leaving Downtown at 14:00 we made it to our destination, Fossil Rock, by 15:15. It is as always remarkable to find somewhere so close and so worth visiting, yet most people in Dubai seem not to have even heard of! The area offers opportunities for some authentically technical driving if you are brave enough to sail up the rock, away from the flatter dunes below, which offer a good training ground for virgin off-roaders but, as always, we were looking for a challenge.

“Twenty years from now you will be more

disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour.

Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.

Dream. Discover.” - H. Jackson Brown Jr. As usual, we quickly found ourselves in circumstances that sharply tested our nerves.

After a series of poor decisions that saw us nearly stuck in what would have been incredibly difficult to escape places, we stopped to collect ourselves and plan a route across the rocky dunes to our proposed campsite – something we should have done from the beginning. Every overlanding experience is a learning opportunity if you pay attention and Fossil Rock was a day of many lessons.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow.

Learn as if you were to live forever.”

- Mahatma Gandhi Camping at Fossil Rock was a mixed experience – we love to camp, so were grateful just to be there, but the experience was marred by large areas of rubbish, which can ruin the experience if you let it, and the fact that we couldn’t seem to find a spot far

enough from either the noise of the Sharjah– Kalba road or the ubiquitous ATVs. After a night back in the city, Neil and his girlfriend Hanna set off to camp in the Hajar mountains whilst I stayed behind another day for my friend Andrea, who had never camped in the Arabian wilderness before, to finish work for the week. It was worth the wait, as although I longed to get back into the mountains, introducing someone to the experience for the first time allows you a window through which to see it afresh again. Andrea and I met Neil and Hanna in the dunes at the foot of the glorious mountain range for their second night of freedom.

That night we watched a magnificent sunset from atop the highest nearby dune and, with our campsite camouflaged by regal Acacia trees, ate food preferable to that of any restaurant, exchanged stories and ideas such as only a campfire can encourage, laughed, stargazed, then after a perfect sleep awoke to a charmingly bright yet cool desert morning, that accompanied by a superb cup of English tea and a BBQ breakfast, seemed like our own little hidden sanctuary.

We plan to make the most of the camping-friendly weather over the next few

months and are in fact heading out again this week to introduce two more virgin campers to this most natural and magnificent of experiences. I encourage all of you to #GetOutThere and do the same!

“We need the tonic of wildness... At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”

- Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods Theo and Neil are two “overgrown children” who love nothing more than climbing into their “heroic old Land Rovers” and pursuing adventure in the beautiful UAE landscape. A passion for documenting their exploits has been joined by a motivation to inspire others to explore, in turn promoting both awareness and appreciation of the United Arab Emirates’ natural treasure chest. Stay up to date with all their latest adventures by following their Instagram account @TheLandRoverDiaries’

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Searching for Santosha

The Santosha Society Sri Lanka Surf and Yoga Escape

Words By: Kori Hahn Photos By: Nick Green

Travelling the world is a dream to many. Seeing the most beautiful places, exploring exotic cultures and learning about the history and way of life in a land far from home are just a few of the reasons I have found myself living on the road for the past 15 years. In the beginning I loved the independence and confidence I found travelling alone.

After six months travelling through Sri Lanka, from the mountains to the beaches, I yearned to share the experience with others. I wanted to surf and practice yoga with friends, yet I didn’t necessarily want to join a surf camp or a strict yoga retreat.

I wanted a beautiful place to lay my head, incredible Ayurvedic local food to eat and nice friendly people to share it with me. So a few months later Santosha Society was born.

As a yoga teacher, a surfer and a world traveller, I designed the “escapes” to include all the tools in life that have made me a happier and healthier person - surf, travel, yoga and meditation.

Last month, the dream became a reality. A group of wanderlust travellers arrived one by one at Colombo International Airport. Some came with surfboards and others with yoga

mats, all headed south along the coast to the tranquil little surfing village of Madiha.

For the week our homes were two stunningly beautiful beachfront villas offering two pools on a spacious lawn full of towering palm trees and hanging hammocks. Just out front were some of the best waves in the area. With a little Zen yoga pavilion sitting in the middle of the spacious lawn, the location couldn’t have been more perfect.

We started every morning with a peaceful meditation followed by an invigorating yoga class for all levels. With the soothing sound of the sea and the simple shade of towering palm trees, the yoga only amplified the peace we were already experiencing.

With a happy mix of surfers, yogis, old travellers and couples, we wanted everyone to feel free to do whatever it is they came for.

Like choosing a flavour of ice cream, decisions were hard to make as the options were just too good. Some dedicated the week to rejuvenation and health, taking advantage

of the yoga classes before heading off to try the Ayurvedic massage treatments available in the area while others were here strictly to surf. Cyndy, my mother, and her jovial friend Suzanne made it a point to get a massage every single day after a long walk on the beach and a refreshing swim in the turquoise waters. Many actually managed to do it all — two yoga and meditation sessions a day, surf, and more exploration in between.

Sri Lanka is home to a stunningly beautiful coastline that offers surf breaks for all skill levels. With perfect peeling waves crashing just a few meters away, there were a few glassy mornings the surfers couldn’t help themselves. I saw Chrystal tiptoeing through the yard, board in hand to the ocean. With surf this good, the yoga must wait. The surf was incredible. With two breaks just out front, the longboarders and less experienced surfers enjoyed a nice mellow right hander while the more advanced surfers chose the fast and shallower left.

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After a day or two of spectating, two of the visitors - Vilia and Mareike decided to give surfing a try for the first time. So off they went to Weligama for a lesson with the same local surf coach who taught me. All of us cheered them on as we watched their faces light up after catching their first wave. Another two visitors who came all the way from Alaska, Jason and Kasha, searched out the quieter, more romantic surf spots. They might have spent more time kissing than catching waves, but they left the water feeling satisfied nonetheless.

Throughout the week each of us experienced the spicy culture of Sri Lanka. Cruising around in colourful tuk-tuks, we explored ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples, the lush green tea plantations, and endless deserted beaches. Enroute we stopped at Ayurvedic shops, local markets, and even a rundown little snake farm. For lunch, visitors would indulge in all the local culinary options like rotti, kottu, steamed chickpea, king coconuts, rice and curry.

Every evening as the sky darkened and the stars appeared, one by one the tuk-tuks would slowly roll back onto the property just in time for the class after sunset. With two yoga teachers available, we had two timeslots and two styles. Evening yoga was usually focussed on relaxing and slowing down.

Many visitors had never tried Yoga Nidra, Yin Yoga, Yoga for Surfers or Restorative Yoga, so it was the perfect opportunity to introduce them to some healing techniques they could take with them on their travels or back to their homes.

After yoga, it was my favourite time of the day - dinner time. The table overflowed each night with the most incredible vegetable and seafood dishes, salads, soups and desserts.

One of our visitors, Vilia, a popular German food blogger, could always be found in the kitchen watching the staff prepare our delectable dinners, learning about Ayurvedic food and how to prepare them. During the week we all experienced something new, with an assortment of local tropical fruits to try or the Kola Kanda green porridge for breakfast, and cashew nut and beetroot curries for dinner.

The food could easily be the highlight of the trip for me.

With only a week to experience the country, it is understandable to feel like you just don’t have enough time. Dinner was a great antidote to that as everyone had a story to tell about their own personal day-to-day adventures. While time might have limited us to go everywhere we would have liked, through the dinner conversations we shared, I felt

like I lived 12 lives in one day. It was a lovely way to experience more than was physically possible. It was also where we really had the chance to get to know each other a little more each day.

As the week came to an end and the last visitor waved goodbye from the window of the fast moving northbound train, she shouted to me, “See you in Morocco!” I smiled and shouted back “I sure hope so.”

After years of being an independent traveller, I now look forward to trips with fun-loving friends (some who I just met for the first time).

I love world trips where you just show up and have a great time. No hassling or negotiating for prices, no searching for the perfect location only to find it’s already booked. Taking the pressure off of organising transportation to a dinner spot that you have no idea how the food will be, leaves more time for unforgettable memories. More time spent surfing, stretching, eating, laughing and hanging in a hammock.

Travelling alone is still important to me, but sharing an experience like this with a group of likeminded individuals is truly a beautiful way to travel in a new country.

For now I return to the life I was so familiar with, where modest accommodation, one course dinners and reading a book at the dinner table is the norm. The sounds of belly laughter and Lex’s ukulele are all just a memory now. I reminisce of the amazing week that was once just a dream.

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The truth is yoga is less likely to happen when it isn’t offered just out your front door and having a group of friends to surf with is a lot more fun. By surfing, stretching and travelling together, we inspired each other and learnt from one another. I learned a Buddhist chant from Anna. Vilia taught me all about being a vegan on the road. The list of places I want to travel grew exponentially after talks with Mareike and Freshteh, both well-travelled. I surfed nearly every day with Chrystal, Ishita, and Vanessa. I loved waking up every morning to share a cup of coffee with Kasha and Jason. But more than anyone, Cyndy and her fun-loving friend Suzanne taught me that it’s important to grab a girlfriend and get away from it all, even when it seems impossible to leave behind your husband and kids.

That getting away and experiencing the world with someone you love is important no matter you age, nationality, abilities and situation. If you dream it, then you must do it.

Most of all, I feel that I made a lot of friends — like-minded, adventurous, motivated and inspiring friends. The buzz of excitement that came from the “Sri Lanka Surf and Yoga Escape” left me inspired, motivated, and, well... feeling content. This one week in paradise, we created a little society; a society passionate about surf, yoga and travel.

Santosha is the Sanskrit word meaning “contentment. “So now back home, all surfed out, stretched out, and exhausted from adventuring, I believe during this week we created a society who were not only searching for a little santosha, but amazingly enough, I think most of us found it.

Santosha Society is a travelling community of surfing and yoga aficionados that find love and peace in the calms and rapids of the sea. Started off by four lovely women, the Society today invites people to the seas with their journeys for solace around the world. For more information or to say hello, visit www.santoshasociety.com

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Four Seasons of Romanian Camping Words By: lleana Buzoianu

What does to camp mean? To camp is to live for a while in a tent.

As simple as that! It started before military wars were more frequent than now, but people also used this activity driven by their desire to escape the urban regions and their busyness and have fresh air, silent nights and no social constraints.

Thus, people started going camping for recreational purposes.

Camping is for any season and any land form, but the whole preparation depends on whether you go on mountains or at the seaside, whether you prefer sunny seasons or cold ones. On these criteria, you must get ready differently.

Due to the fact that Romania has four seasons that are still well-defined, you can camp anywhere and anytime there.

If you prefer warm seasons, at the seaside or any other low altitude regions, there are lots of public campgrounds you can use which have some facilities as well. When choosing a campground you must take into consideration the following: the surface of the whole campground, the opening hours, pet access, car parking conditions, water, power supply, nearby lakes, rivers, pools, sea, etc.

The tent you use for camping has to accomplish certain specifications

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regarding fabrics, dimensions, weight, protection, ventilation and pitch difficulty.

No matter the region you go camping (either seaside or mountains), the tent should have a high grade of impermeability (minimum 3,000mm water column for outer foil and minimum 5,000mm water column for floor foil). You should also bring with you foam mattresses and one to two season sleeping bags with a limit comfort temperature of about 0ÂşC. Another important thing is to use a tent calculating the number of persons going camping plus one more. You will have additional space for your luggage.

In your travel equipment, don’t forget to add a first-aid kit, a head light, a pocket knife, matches, some rope, water recipients and waste bags. You should also take care of the clothing you choose to wear. It has to be adequate for both day and night

temperatures. So, before going camping, inform yourself of the weather forecast of the period and region you want to travel to.

If you go camping in the mountains, you have to be much more aware of the temperatures, no matter what season it is, as mountains are unpredictable. In addition to the equipment mentioned earlier, the tent must have an even higher level of impermeability (5,000mm water column for outer foil and

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8,000mm water column for floor foil). The material of the outer foil should be a silicon coating as it is the most efficient in the case of any extreme weather phenomenon. The poles have to be of duraluminium and the recommended thickness is 11 mm. They are resistant to extreme conditions.

The best shape of the tent for mountain camping is the geodesic tent. It has a minimum of five intersections of poles which offer the best stability under extreme weather conditions. Moreover, you should have a thick foam mattress and some lightweight sleeping bags with goose down fill and a limit comfort temperature of about -15ºC. Take a GPS with you as well and your clothing should be technical: technical T-shirt, 3-layered soft-shell pants and jacket and mountaineering boots.

When camping in the mountains, you have to carefully choose the place to pitch your tent. Do not pitch it in the forest and do not pitch it around an avalanche passage. Try to find an open, flat area, but not too exposed to winds and rain.

In Romania, there are both private and public campgrounds around mountain regions starting from the oldest mountains – the Măcin Mountains (dating from the end of the Paleolithic Era) to the most imposing ones – Făgăraș Mountains (2,544m).

As over 30% of Romania’s surface represents mountains and forests, the foreign tourist is recommended to take a local licensed guide on their journeys. They can guide you towards the most picturesque places, interesting spots unmapped officially, tell you stories and legends and give you adequate traveling advice. One breathtaking place to camp in Romania is the Ceahlău Mountains. The surroundings of Dochia Hut (1.750 m) offer a perfect environment for

camping while exploring the mountains. This also offers you the chance to experience a magnificent sunrise from Toaca Peak (1.904 m). That moment of silence when you see how light turns everything from simple outlines to colour, shape, energy, life.

Here, you may also see an interesting phenomenon: the “shadow pyramid”. This effect is an optical illusion, which is formed because of the positioning of two mountain peaks, combined with the clouds of mist, including particles of water and sunlight.

It looks like a pyramid with a square base, a figure considered to be extremely rare in nature. The phenomenon is unique in the world and appears yearly, especially in August.

The Danube Delta is another fascinating place to camp. It is the second greatest delta in Europe after the Volga Delta (Russia). It is another type of land form.

Camping is somehow restricted to warm seasons despite the fact that the temperatures are pretty high. But foreign tourists from hot countries will accommodate easily and those who are not used to such temperatures will be marvelled by the delta’s grace.

There’s no doubt that the impressive range of habitats and species which occupy a relatively small area makes the Danube Delta a fundamental centre for biodiversity in Europe and a natural genetic bank with an inestimable value for global natural heritage.

In order to have a full experience of camping, the last place to recommend is a cirque glacier called Mălăieşti, in the Bucegi Mountains. The corrie is surrounded by 2,500m height stonewalls. There is also Mălăieşti hut (1.720 m), but with a limited number of beds. However, if you reach Mălăieşti and have to stay overnight, there is space to

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pitch your tent. The area offers astonishing views, a place for relaxing thoughts and peace. It’s just you and the imposing nature.

Yet, it is much safer for you to hike guided by a professional. For that Oxygen Association (www.asociatiaoxigen.ro/en/) offers you some of the best mountain trainers in the matter. Explore, dream, discover Romania!

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

A Sea Full of Surprises Words + Photos By: Rasmus Ovesen

The Mefjord, which is beautifully situated on Norway’s second largest island, Senja, boasts some incredible specimen fishing with the possibility of true monsters in the shape of cod, coalfish, ling and halibut.

THE GLISTENING STAINLESS STEEL JIGGER whirls towards the bottom like a piece of free-falling wreckage. It disappears into the abysmal water masses underneath the Mefjord’s towering cliffs and the fading blue backcloth of the sky. It never reaches the bottom though. About halfway through the water column a small “bump” permeates through the braided line, which is subsequently slackened. I put the reel into gear and abruptly lift the rod, which consequently cringes and goes into carbon-convulsions. There is no doubt! Another feisty coalfish has thrust itself upon the jigger, and it now thrashes about in the depths attempting to get rid of the treacherous lure.

Ten minutes later, after several surges,

runs, and some stubborn tug-of-war, the fish manifests itself in the flickering water along the boat side. Shortly after, I bring a coalfish in the vicinity of 12 kilos into the boat. It’s an impressive torpedo-shaped fish with chrome flanks, soulful eyes, and powerful jaws. The guide, Dominik Engelbrechter, shoots a series of quick pictures and the fish goes back into the chilly water masses. Having caught such a beautiful fish on light gear makes it difficult to get my hands down. If they hadn’t been so fatigued from the fight, that is!

FIVE CASTS have resulted in three nice coalfish and a couple of cod - of which the biggest must have weighed more than 10 kilos. Now it’s time to try something new! I prepare my 9” 10-weight fly rod, and mount it with a fast sinking WF fly line, a sinking poly leader and a big, weighted silver-flash fly. I place a cast in front of the boat’s drifting direction and give the fly line plenty of

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time to sink. It isn’t until the boat has drifted all the way over the cast that I start retrieving the fly from the depths with short and abrupt strips.

All of a sudden the fly line is almost pulled out of my hands, the fly rod bends submissively, and all the loose line begins darting through the guides. Shortly after, the salty sea air becomes saturated with the hoarse screams of my fly reel as fluorescent backing aplenty starts peeling off and disappears into the depths.

It feels as if some mean-spirited prankster has tied a ferry-anchor to my fly line, but

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after a while the backing finally stops gushing off the reel, and I gain a foothold in the front of the boat and start applying some pressure. Now, the fight enters a new phase where every single carbon fibre in the fly rod gets a serious workout.

The fish is reluctantly pumped towards the surface – metre by toilsome metre, and even though the fish saves up energy for an additional couple of short but irresistible runs, the battle is lost. 117 turns on the fly reel later, a beautiful coalfish materialises at the surface with the fly firmly anchored in its jaws, and with a little help from the guide the fish is brought on board for a couple of pictures.

That was cod and coalfish. What now?

THE MEFJORD AND MEFJORD BRYGGE to the North of the beautiful island, Senja, is the basis of this summer’s trip to northern Norway. I have dragged along my family, and I have managed to negotiate two full days of fishing. I spend these two days in the fjord and out to sea, and along the way I’m reminded of the wealth of fish species that lurk in the depths.

There is no doubt that you can fish effectively up here on your own, but it turns out to be a great experience to be out with a local guide. He knows the fjord and the open sea like the back of his own hand, and he knows at exactly at what depths and in which spots the different fish species are to be targeted. I only have to mention that I have never caught cusk, wolffish or ling, and the guide has set course for new fishing spots.

And in three quick fishing sessions I have added three new fish species to my resume – and in the right running order. We find the cusks in about 70 metres of depth along one of the ridges of the fjord’s northern shores. The wolffish, we find in 40 – 50 metres of depth in a sandy bay inside the fjord, while the ling frantically attack our lures close to a drastic drop off in the western end of the fjord.

DURING THE COURSE OF TWO FISHING DAYS, which focuses more and more on light spinning and fly fishing tackle, I caught 10 different fish species: cod, coalfish, haddock, cusk, ling, wolffish, mackerel, redfish, plaice, and shorthorn sculpin.

In the waters surrounding the Mefjord there are also pollock, gurnard, monkfish, flounder, salmon, sea trout, and halibut – in addition to many others. The halibut are mostly found along the sandy plateaus outside the mouth of the fjord and out to sea. We spend half a day looking for these legendary and powerful predator fish, but without any luck. After having returned to the wharf we’re reminded, however, that halibut do in fact exist in the Mefjord area.

In the fiery golden light of the late evening, a young German fishing tourist shows up at the wharf with a frighteningly big halibut. He has been anchored up just outside the fjord with his dad and a friend fishing for coalfish with light spinning gear and a 20lb braid.

While he is fighting a small coalfish,

a mischievous and gluttonous halibut suddenly inhales the hooked fish. This marks the beginning of a brutal fight that stonewalls because of the underscaled gear. It isn’t until 45 minutes later that the fish is miraculously brought to the boat side, but this isn’t the end of all the drama. The fish is so big that it proves impossible to haul into the boat.

Four failed landing attempts and a straightened 10mm steel gaff later; the Germans simply end up berthing the halibut to the boat with rope. And it is with the fish dragging along the side of the boat that they arrive at the wharf. Here, the fish is hoisted on land with a crane and it is measured at 218 centimetres and 150 kilos.

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THE MEFJORD is indeed full of surprises!

And regardless of whether you’re into hectic fishing for ferocious and powerful coalfish; deep sea fishing for cod, ling or colourful redfish; specimen fishing in relatively shallow water; light lure-fishing for mackerel, haddock, or pollock; big game fishing for halibut; or even fly fishing, there’s something for everyone in the Mefjord area.

The amount of fish is absolutely mindboggling, so it’s just a matter of finding the right techniques and methods – then you’re guaranteed some hectic and captivating fishing that will create memories for life.

Want to go to Mefjorden?

Mefjord Brygge is the perfect basis for exploring the Mefjord and Norskehavet. The small wharf is situated in the ambient little city of Mefjordvær on the island of Senja – just south of Tromsø. The wharf can be reached via Tromsø or Bardufoss, from which there’s a one and a half to two hour drive via small and winding, but scenic, roads.

Mefjord Brygge is capable of housing up to 100 guests in rooms, cabins, apartments, and private houses. They offer everything from hiking, skiing, cycling, and climbing expeditions to whale and eagle safaris and Northern Lights tours. However, it is the sea fishing that is its main attraction. As a result, Mefjord Brygge has a whole armada of fully equipped boats that are included when renting a cabin, apartment or house. They are stable, seaworthy and comfortable 19” aluminium boats with 50HP outboard motors, GPS, and echo sounders.

The season stretches from April, where big cod up to 35-40 kilos are targeted, and through summer and fall, where the fjord comes alive with coalfish, cod, mackerel, haddock, flounders, wolffish, cusk, redfish, ling, and countless other species.

More info can be found on this link: www.mefjordbrygge.no or be acquired via email: firmapost@mefjordbrygge.no or phone: (+47) 77 85 89 80

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Habitually healthy

The 21-Day Paleo Detox Diet Words By: Chef Patrick Ikinofo

Hey Guys, Let me start off by wishing you all an amazing 2016! I hope this year will bring you good health, amazing memories and wonderful food!

I bet we’ve all put on a few extra pounds over the past month after all those Christmas mince pies or over indulging at the brunch down at your local five star establishment and a few too many fun beverages lazing about in this amazing weather we’ve been having.

But hey, it only comes around once a year so I wouldn’t beat myself up about it.

Whether you’ve been thinking about doing it or not, a detox of the body is always a good idea after the holiday season or whenever you can really.

I did a bit of research and put together a 21-day Paleo Detox Diet. This cleanse, for me, is just to reset the body into healthy mode after an indulgent vacation. You can take whatever part of this works for you. If you do not have any health issues, maybe you might decide to keep in the caffeine or the nuts. Whatever works for you! I would suggest giving up as much as you can.

Have a look at how these foods negatively impact the body in ways you’re not even aware of.

What You CAN’T Eat

Follow the strictest paleo guidelines by excluding these foods from your diet: • Grains • Beans and legumes (including peanuts

and soy) - Green beans in the pod, sugar snap peas, and snow peas are allowed.

• Sugar (refined, artificial, or natural) - No raw honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar or nectar, agave, stevia, etc. Fruit and dried fruit is allowed, but if you’re trying to lose weight, limit your fruit intake. As always, low-sugar fruits, such as berries are preferable to high-sugar fruits like bananas.

• Dairy - Pastured butter and ghee included • Alcohol • Vegetable oils To take this a step further, I am eliminating these additional highly inflammatory foods: • Eggs • Nightshades, including potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers (jalapeno, paprika, cayenne, etc.), and eggplant (sweet potatoes and yams are okay) • Nuts and seeds, including oils and butters derived from nuts and seeds • Caffeine

What You CAN Eat

Now, you may at this point be saying, “No way! What’s left?!” Well, it’s not all that bad.

• Meat – preferably pastured and free-range beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, etc.

• Seafood, including fish and shellfish – preferably wild • Vegetables, except nightshades listed above • Fruits - Freshly squeezed juices are okay for making sauces or to use in recipes, just don’t guzzle down a big glass of orange juice. As I mentioned above, dried fruits are okay, but don’t have too many. And make sure they are not sweetened with sugar.

• Good fats including avocados; olives and olive oil; coconut oil, coconut butter, and coconut meat

You may think that sausages are a no-no but if they have no additives then feel free to have some!

in fact, there are a few other things that need to be said about it, so if you’re looking at giving it a go then I suggest you stick it out and if you need any pointers or tips along the way then drop me a line at chef@thecyclehub.com. I’m not some diet guru or fitness freak, I’m just your average Joe from down the road who loves to cook and is trying to change the world by doing so. So don’t think your questions are weird or wacky! I’m here to help! Enjoy it, embrace it and let me know how you get on.

What You Might Think You Can’t Eat, But You Can

Seafood is fine as long as it is wild

Now, there are usually some gray areas when these detoxes, cleanses, and challenges are going on, so just to clarify, you MAY eat: • Pastured, nitrate-free bacon - This will be hard to find with no sugar so if it’s 1-2 percent sugar, it’s not enough to worry about in my book.

• Sausage that doesn’t include paprika or cayenne, or other non-paleo additives • Vinegars including balsamic, rice, coconut, and apple cider • Coconut aminos (soy sauce replacement) I could go on and on about this cleanse;

Apple Cider Vinegar is of course most welcome!

The Cycle Bistro GPS location: Latitude: N 25° 02.792 Longitude: E 055° 14.384 Phone: 04 425 6555

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LIFESTYLE

Health

Powerhouse

Detox Holidays Words + Photos By: Ivana Chiles

Dear readers, first of all I would like to wish all of you wonderful and healthy New Year.

May 2016 bring lots of happiness and memorable moments for you and your families. May your dreams have no limits, but remember that you can never achieve those once you have lost your health. That is why I will devote this month’s section to detoxification.

We have just stepped into a New Year and surely we have all have been indulging ourselves in Christmas treats without thinking. Perhaps some of you have put on a few extra kilos, while others just feel sluggish and unhealthy. Let me give you a few tips on how to support your health and feel better instantly.

Gone are those times when detox holidays were an occasional luxury. Unfortunately they became a necessity. Health experts are now warning that toxic overload plays a major part in ageing. If you do not give your body chance to detoxify, toxins accumulated from your diet, drug use or environmental exposure, will lead to poor digestion, colon sluggishness or even dysfunction, poor elimination through the kidneys and respiratory tracts, and can even increase the skin’s toxicity.

Intermittent Fasting

Surprisingly intermittent fasting is one the most recommended steps to start with. I suggest you choose one day a week, when you have your last meal around 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Do not eat any food for the rest of the day until late the following morning. Ideally, you should go for a light workout to boost burning of fat from those hidden reserves, which become your source Add any green leaves into your daily juices

Eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables for vibrant health

Hurom (Omega) is my favourite slow juicer where most of the enzymes and vitamins remain intact during extraction

of energy during fasting. But be careful not to do heavy workouts on your fasting days.

You need to ensure you drink plenty of water to help with toxins being carried away from your body. If you find it too difficult, you can have a tablespoon of coconut oil or some chlorella during the fast. That should solve your hunger and craving issues.

Once you have got used to intermittent fasting, you can try a full day fast once a week, Be aware that a few hours into the fast you will become hungry, agitated, tired, dizzy and have possible headaches due to the lack of sugar in your blood stream. What you are really doing is clearing toxins from your body, neutralising or transforming them, and clearing excess mucus and congestion. Stay on the track with your fast and enjoy the rewarding moment of having the first meal after your fast.

It should be a light, easily digestible meal containing lots of vegetables and preferably no meat. You will be surprised how your taste buds have changed! You will be more sensitive to salt and sugar and want to eat healthy.

Detoxification is a process that involves not only dietary, but also lifestyle changes An example of raw breakfast

Green juices are highly detoxifying

that reduce the intake of toxins and improve elimination. Regular exercise, walking outside, soaking up the sun, breathing clean air and walking barefoot are all part of the cycle.

You can support the process of detox with some other therapies like Colon Hydrotherapy. It is a rejuvenating and highly effective treatment of internally cleansing the colon, that encourages the removal of hardened and impacted waste matters, build-ups of gas and mucous from the body. Along with good nutrition, exercise and relaxation, colon hydrotherapy helps minimise the toxin load and break the destructive pattern of self poisoning. It does not make sense to go for a one-time treatment as it generally takes days to reach the end of colon. Ideally you would embark on a week-long journey of full fast with two colon therapies a day.

Green juices are certainly part of the process to a healthier you. So much has been written, that it all sounds confusing now.

Perhaps you are wondering what the difference is between juicing and blending.

Blending means taking whole vegetables, herbs, commonly some unpeeled lemon,

This is how we all wish our vegetable selection looked like

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Blackberries have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all fruits and are perfect low sugar fruits

green apple for sweetness, even a few nuts.

You would also add some extra liquid (water, coconut water, herbal tea etc.). The end product is thick and creamy juice, which you could possibly even call a smoothie.

Add some superfoods like chlorella, goji berries, wheat grass or maca powder and you will have a perfectly balanced meal replacement, that should serve as an ideal breakfast and even main meal.

While blended vegetables will keep all the precious fibre, clear green juice will be highly cleansing, giving your digestive tract a break. That is why I recommend green juices during detox.

Green Juices and Detox

Juicing, like blending, breaks down the cell walls of raw food and liberates nutrients for easy digestion. Besides detoxifying, the benefits of juicing are the keys to giving you a radiant, energetic life, and truly optimal health.

Every health authority today recommends that we get 6-8 servings of vegetables and fruits per day and very few of us actually get that. Juicing is an easy way to virtually guarantee that you will reach your daily target for vegetables.

Cooking and processing food destroys micronutrients and enzymes by altering their shape and chemical composition.

Juicing will help to “pre-digest” nutrients from the vegetables for you, so you will receive most of the nutrition.

Many people eat the same vegetable salads every day. This violates the principle of regular food rotation and increases your chance of developing an allergy to a certain food. But with juicing, you can juice a wide variety of vegetables that you may not normally enjoy eating whole.

It is important to note that vegetable juice has very little protein and virtually no fat, so by itself, it is not really a complete food. It really should be used in addition to your regular meals not in place of it.

Any herbs are packed with minerals and vitamins and are the most detoxifying plants on earth

So unless you are undergoing some special fasting or detoxification program, it is probably unwise to use juicing as a meal replacement. Ideally, it can be consumed with your meal or as a between-meal-snack.

Points to Remember While Juicing:

1. Vegetable juice is highly perishable so it’s best to drink all of your juice immediately or within 20 minutes unless you store it in a glass bottle and fill it up to the top to allow minimal oxidation.

2. Juicing fruit is recommended only in moderation. Most fruit juices simply end up loaded with a ton of sugar because you are removing the valuable fibre which helps lower the absorption of the fructose in the fruit.

3. Always add a few drops of any oil to your juice. That way oil soluble vitamins A, D, E and K will be released and made bio available.

4. Drink your juice slowly! Enjoy every sip of it, keep the juice in your mouth for a few seconds and allow the digestive enzymes from your saliva to mix with the juice!

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Beetroot is one of the most detoxifying vegetables and is considered a superfood

remember before you go and when you return back. You need to start preparing for the detox a few weeks prior to going in order to bring your body on the alkaline side which is your optimal state. Acidic environments promote disease and does not encourage healing. Stop drinking alcohol, tea and coffee, limit meat consumption and increase the intake of vegetables prior to detox holidays.

If your detox holiday includes colon therapy, be aware that you will be flushing out your intestinal microflora. Reputable centres should offer gut probiotic replacement after your last colon therapy.

When you complete your detox, you should continue consuming as many raw foods as possible and then slowly start introducing other food items back into your diet once your gut microflora has been fully replaced and built up. Good probiotics will help this and you can refer to my articles on fermenting vegetables and using kombucha and kefir on my website at www.ivanahph.com

Detox Holidays

Going on a proper detox holiday is a challenge and a lifetime experience. I strongly recommend you give it a go. My experience was beyond imagination. I had a sense of complete body and mind cleanliness, sharp thinking and an absolute body lightness and endless energy to name a few.

However, there are a few points to Highly alkalizing and neutralizing juice made out of celery, cucumbers, lemon, ginger and bunch of parsley Ivana on her detox holidays.

After 7 days of full fast she is enjoying her first raw food meal

Grow your own wheatgrass at home! Use it in your juices. Besides full mineral and vitamin spectrum, wheatgrass is extremely rich in protein!

Make yourself this vitamin packed juice from beetroot, carrot, lemon and ginger and feel the difference within minutes!

Ivana has been living in the UAE for 16 years. She is a qualified Health Coach and member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.

Her passions are nutrition, organic gardening, healthy cooking and homemade organic skin care. She runs weekly workshops on the above topics.

For more information, visit her Facebook page, Health Powerhouse.

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Natural History LIFESTYLE

Dhafra Camel Festival Words By: Dan Wright

Dhafra in the Al Gharbia area of the western region is the premier camel festival in the GCC and famous for its internationally acclaimed “Beautiful Camel Competition.” It runs from the 10th to the 31st December annually.

Located just 10kms outside Madinat Zayed City and around 60km away from the Liwa sand dunes on the Saudi border, the Dhafra festival is based beside the Camel Race Track there and boasts a huge range of attractions for visitors and for local breeders to compete their camels, dogs, sheep, falcons and dates in.

The Camel events consist of:

• Beautiful Camel Competition • Camel Milking Competition • Camel Racing • Camel auctions (held on “The Million Road”) Other events include: • Saluki dog racing • Purebred Arabian horse race • Falcon speed trials • Sheep Beauty Pageant • Sour Milk Competition • Children’s Talent Competition • Best Photography Competition • Best Dates • Best Date Packaging • Best Handicrafts Competition • Classic Cars Competition • Artists Workshops • Traditional Handicrafts Workshops The event is covered by its own TV network which has a central TV station on site and roving camera and interview units. It is also covered by local news networks around the GCC, especially for the finals of each competition.

“The Million Road” is aptly named as it is here that the deals go down for buying and selling camels and it is a common occurrence for the best breed lines to sell for a million dirhams or more. These auctions My rescuers

Camel riding

Beautiful camel with my beautiful wife

are worth the trip out to the festival on their own and form a central part of the heritage of Khaleeji camel farming. The owner will display the camel for sale (often with a baby alongside) by parading it down the road (which is not tarmacked) and tooting their horns and playing loud music to attract potential buyers’ attention. When someone who is interested approaches they will be with friends and all the cars will encircle the camel and corral it in the middle. The buyers then jump out and form up as a Yola dance line with the cane sticks and the sellers will form up opposite them. Then commences the barter in which each side will sing out their offer or counter offer and dance with their family members in the line. When a price is agreed, the reins exchange hands ceremonially (the cash will change hands A trainer makes sure the baby camel gets its fill of milk

later) and the buyer will then parade their prize back to their camp with much tooting of horns, backfiring of exhausts and general happy and celebratory behaviour. It’s not unusual to see people dancing on the roof or bonnet of speeding Land Cruisers and it’s amazing how agile the dancers are since the roads are so rough!

In stark contrast to the loud auctions, the falcon speed tests are quietly conducted and the onlookers recline in beautiful chairs with binoculars at the ready to watch their prized falcons compete. A handler will take the falcon to the start position and a caller will spin a lure in the air several hundred meters away and call for the falcon. The falcons’ flight is recorded along the flat and recorded at its fastest point. Often immature birds will be distracted and fly off at right angles or go straight up or just not see the lure and fly away from it, this is why the competition requires so much quiet from the watchers to not distract the birds.

The saluki racing is much the same as greyhound racing in the west and the camel racing is a hugely popular event because instead of robotic jockeys they have real people and this causes much hilarity in the audience, although they also take the whole thing very seriously. The age categories are based on the riders and you will see

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Camping out

everyone from teenaged boys to men over 80 taking part. The older riders often wear cricket pads, life jackets, skateboard pads and cycle helmets to protect themselves if they fall off (camels are pretty high to fall from!). It’s not unusual to see a camel finish the race alone and its jockey come running in several hundred meters behind it! The camel races are accompanied by a vast herd of cars in a dust storm that races down the road alongside the track so the trainers and owners can shout encouragement to the camels in voices they recognise and respond to.

One of the nicest aspects of the Dhafra festivals is that it is so focused on the locals and traditional cultural pursuits but they in turn make tourists so welcome. Every family taking part has a tented camp around the camel track and there is only one hotel in the area - the Tilal Liwa, which is fully booked months in advance so it is very common for locals to walk up to tourists and invite them back to their camps for meals, dancing and even to stay the night. This is a culture where the guest is treated like royalty and it is at an event like this that you really get to experience that.

The festival is full of small tented stalls with everything from camel harnesses to 4x4 overland kits, and the area is a 4x4 driver’s paradise with many trails across the sands. Anytime you get stuck, countless friendly people assist in pushing and pulling you out of the sand! (I got stuck and was rescued by six friendly Pakistani camel ADAPT adventure climbing wall

herders who refused a tip and instead enjoyed a cold bottle of water from my icebox!).

You will have ample opportunity to try out your Arabic and you will also be inundated with small children keen to try out their one or two English phrases from school. The event is a melting pot of everyone from the region’s camel trade and you will meet Saudians, Sudanese, Omanis, Bahrainis, Qataris, Syrians and many, many more. In one day I managed to use my few phrases of Arabic, Urdu and French, which ended in a pigeon language that must have sounded familiar but that nobody quite understood!

Al Dhafra also boasts its own complete adventure camp as part of the VEDC Heritage Camps, which this year was run by ADAPT, the outdoor education camp based out of Ras Al Khaimah.

The camp runs adventure activities in three day blocks for upwards of 500 students at a time and this facility is provided to schools in the UAE for free! Every student is taken on trips around the cultural aspects of the festival as well as having the chance to take part in fun activities like the: challenge course, climbing wall, SUP boards, inflatable assault course, archery, Bedouin survival and many more fun and challenging events.

If you do decide to head there in 2016 then make sure you pack for a long trip! It takes a good three hours from Abu Dhabi and for me from Ras Al Khaimah, it took six hours in my 1996 Land Rover which is rather aptly a Camel Trophy Edition! The camp has many facilities including public toilets, launderettes in a tented village and even a Costa Coffee and several small food shops and lots of traditional food restaurants. You can camp pretty much anywhere and the police are more than helpful if you stop and ask them where to go. You can get additional information on event timings and locations from the administration tent beside the heritage village and from the website at www.aldhafrafestival.ae Don’t forget if you get stuck in the sand you’re never far from a team of rescuers who are only too happy to help!

Dan Wright is a freelance Wilderness Guide in the UAE and Asia. He has a degree in Environmental Science. Dan has been on several International wildlife and exploration expeditions with UK Radio stations and writes for a range of publications in Asia and the Middle East.

His wife is the former Nepal National Mountain Bike Champion, Nirjala Tamrakar.

They live in Dubai with their son Percy and spend all their spare time exploring the UAE!

LIFESTYLE

Outdoor Flicks

Oman’s Hidden Gems

Words By: Keith Pereña Photos By: Read Macadam and Tara Atkinson

Here at Outdoor Flicks, we’re always looking for the best in local talent. Films that are made within the region speak more truth and have more detail than say a western depiction of it. That is why we were ecstatic to attend when Petzl Roctrip veteran Read Macadam showed his film Valley of Giants on 14th of December at the Jamjar in Al Quoz. Suffice to say, it proved our initial statement to be true.

What I first noticed about the film is that it is completely raw in the sense that there are no grandiose visual effects - the voices of the characters appeared and disappeared into the distance - but instead of being an impediment, it acted more to the advantage of the film because it highlighted the visual

Film: Valley of Giants Director of Photography: Miguel Willis Producer and Editor: Read Macadam Starring: Read Macadam, Philippe Ribière

and Dan Bates

magnificence of the film’s subject: the surreal boulders of Oman. It starts off quite naturally with a regular first person GoPro footage taken at the 7th Hole Cave in Oman, and then moves and adds a sort of “dramatic” vibe as the audience sees one of the protagonists playing their guitar deep inside the hole. This I believe is one of the most majestic stills in the entirety of the film. The cinematography is perfect, as it provides a healthy dose of Omani vistas and angles that don’t cram a lot of subjects into the frame but rather gives the audience some sort of breathing space to appreciate the environment that is presented to them.

Going towards the environment, it is completely spot-on. Sometimes the film feels like it is found footage but it takes it back after some time with a display of the landscape. I find it hard to believe that such a majestic place exists in Oman. Another thing worthy of note is that the film goes the extra distance to display the hardships of the characters – the many attempts to reach the top, a lot of which resulted in landing on the crash pads; there’s the frustration from having to attempt countless times and still not getting it; or that “almost there” feeling that eventually gets shut down because of a little miscalculation in the climb.

Throughout the film, there are some small

scenes presented about the trip and there are also scenes outside the climbing area, and these are masterfully placed so that it provides a small buffer when the audience would seem to be saturated by boulders.

It provides some sort of comedic relief – slapstick even as the audience sees the protagonists parley with local vendors and learning a bit about Omani culture. A poignant moment that I personally liked was when they were teaching local kids to climb and then after the film Read answered that they only needed the ropes most of the time and they came across to these kids as “crazy”- nothing truer could be said about outdoorsmen.

Overall, the film is more about the destination rather than a journey. It can also be seen as a film version of a travel blog that tells and recommends a new location for climbers to take on. The characters are as human as can be and all have their stories to share. Philippe, Read and Dan are three extremely different people bonded together by the spirit of climbing and it shows healthily. The film does its job of becoming a visual statement of bouldering in Oman while also being a genuine look into the struggles and successes of being a boulderer.

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Words By: Simon Marshall

This September I was lucky enough to spend ten gruelling days in the magnificent French Cévennes Mountains riding the Silverback SBC 2.1. The countryside and autumnal vistas were the things of dreams, where as the climbs and descents was the stuff of nightmares.

With twelve riders from Team LMT, the ten-day trip was to raise funds and awareness for the Lucy Monro Memorial Trust, a charity founded in memory of Lucy Monro, the founder of Team LMT who tragically died on the UAE Coast to Coast ride in early 2015.

Each of the ten days averaged 200km with over 3,700m of climbing (and descending), making a total trip distance of 2,000km with 37,000m of climbing. To put that in perspective, that is the same amount of climbing that riders complete in the Tour de France in two thirds of the distance. However, whereas the Tour guys do it in 23 days, we had a mere 10 days — brutal doesn’t even come close.

But what better way to put Silverback Bicycle’s flagship ride through its paces. Lucy would have been proud.

So what about the bike? My steed was the Silverback SBC 2.1 bike - A graceful beast in the signature matt black carbon and fluorescent green livery. The frame is based on Silverback’s award-winning Scalera model (Eurobike Gold Award) but has a more refined and optimized carbon layup.

The bike was equipped with a full Dura-Ace Di2 9000 group set, ZIPP 404 rims (although I’d opted to swap these out for standard box rims due to my dubious descending skills), Deda carbon seat post and a massive gloriously oversized Deda 35mm handlebar and stem.

The first impression of the bike is imposing.

From the front, with the massive oversized head tube, down along the aero profiled

down tube to the equally impressive oversized bottom bracket, the bike radiates an air of confidence. The rear displays more finesse with elegant and slender wind cheating chainstays.

So how would the bike cope over the next ten days? The morning of the first day was pedestrian compared to the rest of the trip.

Nothing too taxing, but the bike had already started to show its colours. The aerodynamic attributes of the bike had me zipping along on the flat with considerably less effort than I would have expected at 35-40kmh. The handling through some sweeping turns was exceptional.

It was after lunch on the first day that the big climbs began. The majority of the day’s 4,400m lay in store for the afternoon with gradients of up to 22% over the Col Du Vent, Col De La Lusette, Mont Aigoual and Col De Solpérière. This is the terrain where aero frames normally start to struggle.

Thankfully the designers of the Silverback SBC had decided to do away with the traditional stereotype and the Scalera inspired frame is as stiff and responsive when climbing as it is fast on the flat. The higher we got, the better the bike performed. On the hills, you want every pedal stroke to count, there isn’t room to waste any energy. The SBC continued to deliver in spades with every ounce of effort

being rewarded with relentless progress up the mountain.

Inevitably, what goes up must come down.

And just as every cloud has a silver lining, every climb has a descent. For most people this is true, the descents are the reward for the effort of the climbs. For me, the descent is not a reward, it is punishment. In all honesty, the descents were the part of this trip that held the most dread for me. I don’t mind going up the hills, but I have a deep-rooted fear of coming down them. I have worn the label of mountain snail for many years with good reason. Therefore, when the roadbook shows a descent of 30km on damp and wet roads strewn with gravel, it sends a chill through me much colder than the summit temperature of three degrees.

After we crested the high point of the day, I had prepared myself for the usual terror and anguish that can only be understood by someone who shares my loathing for downhills. Yet for me, it was on the descents that the SBC played its trump card and really showed its design pedigree. The bike was so planted and so stable that I felt comfortable going through bends and corners without the need to constantly ride the brakes. This was a truly liberating experience. The bike enabled me to conquer many of my descending fears and turned me into a better rider. I am not saying for one instant it turned me into a good descender, but the bike gave me the confidence to descend with some credibility.

At the end of day one, the bike was a revelation, much better than I had ever hoped for. Through the remaining nine days, I summited over 100 mountains, battled against eight hours of gale force winds, storms and driving rain that had sadly claimed the lives of so many in southern France, came across roads blocked by landslides, descended roads of 25% that were nothing more than muddy gravel tracks, hit climbs approaching 30%, found probably the best cycling road in Europe and saw some of the most memorable landscapes that France has to offer. Through all of this, my Silverback SBC didn’t falter, complain, breakdown or puncture – it simply devoured the road. It is without doubt one of the best bikes I have ever ridden. Quite simply a masterpiece of bicycle design.

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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PRODUCTS A ROUND-UP OF QUALITY PRODUCTS AVAILABLE RIGHT HERE IN THE UAE

Wanabee Double Camping Airbed

Wanabee Atacama 4 Tent

Available at all GO Sport stores

Available at all GO Sport stores

Features: Dimensions : 185 x 137 x 13cm Weight : 2.8kg

Four-person tent

Wanabee Santorin Junior Sleeping Bag

PARA’KITO Bands and Clips

79 AED/QAR, 8.600 OMR

89 AED

Available at all GO Sport stores

Available at Adventure HQ, GO Sport, Golf House and many more retailers (store locator at www.mapyr.com)

100 AED/QAR, 10.900 OMR

Features: Dimensions : 70 x 165cm Weight : 700g Comfort Temperature : 17c

549 AED/QAR, 59.700 OMR

Features: Dimensions : 410 x 180 x 240cm Weight : 8.35kg

Number one natural prevention against mosquito bites, PARA’KITO refillable bands and clips offer a very unique combination: natural ingredients, patented technology, original designs, with an extremely easy use.

The PARA’KITO pellet is soaked with essential oils extracted from plants selected all over the world. You just have to insert it in a band or a clip (each one is sold with two pellets) to be naturally protected against mosquito bites, during 15 days.

PARA’KITO is suitable for everyone, because it doesn’t touch the skin. The protection is optimal under all conditions: sweat, water, hot and cold environment.

Proven efficiency and economic, PARA’KITO is THE solution to stay protected from insect bites when doing outdoor activities.

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2XU Mid Rise Tights

“I continued to wear them for the remainder of the morning for post-exercise recovery”

Words By: Anna Roberts

After hearing that the new 2XU range of Mid Rise Compression Tights had been launched I was really excited to try them out on a few runs and sprint sessions at the beach, including a recent international flight. The higher waistband meant I was able to harness more core support as I have always had issues with my posture and ensured I maintained proper technique and felt stable in my movements.

Material

With winter now in full swing in Dubai, the tights were warm enough for an 8:00 a.m. training session and it did not feel like I

was overheating as soon as the sun rose. I really like the material used as it is not sheer around the knees or backside when you are bending down or extending and still feels breathable.

Cut

The cut favoured my body shape, meaning the tights did not move around at all through a series of stretches and during interval training. I continued to wear them for the remainder of the morning for post-exercise recovery. They felt fitting and snug, but not restrictive at all to my movements or breathing.

The benefits of wearing 2XU Compression: • Greater oxygenation of blood for faster recovery • Reduced fatigue through less muscle oscillation • Reduced muscle soreness • Reduced long-term overuse injuries • Faster muscle warm up pre-exercise • Greater power output • Heightened proprioception – awareness of limb placement for agility

Colour

I love the colour choices in the range; purple and black with a reflective X are my favourites, but the blue and pink are a welcome addition to break up my mostly black compression gear wardrobe. The limited edition tights for 2XU’s 10-year anniversary also come in the mid rise cut and the designer pattern and colours used are really great and eye-catching.

Uses

The tights are also ideal for travelling or when you might be sitting for a long time.

The newly styled waistband allows you to be comfortable in the air and hit the ground running, without the nasty effects of swelling or tight hips, which is usually associated with long haul flights.

The 2XU Mid Rise Tights are available at Beyond Fitness in City Centre Me’aisem Mall and all GO Sport stores for 430 AED

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PRODUCTS Polar M450 The GPS bike computer

950 AED Available at GO Sport Mall of the Emirates, Adventure HQ YAS Mall and Sport In Life A bike computer designed to support all riding styles and goals. Stylish, customisable and value for your money.

Features include: • GPS: Track your speed, distance and route with state-of-the-art GPS powered by a fast satellite connection.

• Precision Barometer: Integrated barometer to ensure precise altitude functions.

• Heart Rate Guidance: Heart rate is your most reliable fitness indicator. Monitor your heart rate to train effectively.

• Tests: Learn to know yourself by measuring your condition and progress with fitness and orthostatic tests.

• Training Load and Recovery Time: Find your limits by following your training load and learn how much recovery time is needed after the ride.

• Safety Focus: A smart visibility front LED light for your safety.

Alpinestars Tech 10 Boots

Price: 2,500 AED | Now: 2,250 AED/QAR Available only at Al Yousuf Motors across the UAE Features: • The Tech 10 boot is CE certified.

• Exclusive dual compound sole is seamlessly integrated to the multi-density foot base structure with built-in support. The sole offers superior durability, grip and feel while riding.

• The central sole insert is easily replaceable.

• New buckle closure system includes high-impact aluminum bridge closures, with memory and a quick release/locking system with self-aligning design for easy, precise closure and improved riding performance and security.

• Soft microfiber gaiter helps seal out excessive water and dirt entry.

• Poly-fabric lining with 3D open cell foam incorporates anti-slip suede on heel area to keep foot located inside the boot.

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Men’s and Women’s Gravity IV Limited Edition 775 AED

Available only at Adventure HQ, Times Square You just have to try these on because they will feel like nothing you have ever worn before. They will feel like they were made specifically for you.

How does Newton Running know this?

Because Newton made them specifically for you. #FeelNewton Perfect for : For runners who crave the extra mile and demand a shoe that gives back what they put in.

Likes : Limitless, endurance training and racing.

Ride : Well-rounded and power packed.

Features forefoot and heel coverage for a dynamic ride that rewards you with every stride.

Momentum IRIDEROCKER R3 Black Green/White Orange

2,999 AED Available at Ride Bike Shop - Dubai, Abu Dhabi; Modell’s Sporting Goods - Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al-Ain; Galaxy Sport - Qatar Unstoppable Style. One look at those super fat tires and you can’t help but smile. Roll down rough city streets, through the park, even on the beach. Do it all on this fun-loving fattie.

Features: Experience - Bell, intuitive trigger-shifting and cup holder enhance the experience Tires - Wide 26x4.0 tires are smooth and stable on pavement, dirt, sand or snow Drivetrain - Wide-range 7-speed drivetrain helps riders tackle hilly terrain Stylish - Stylish, attention grabbing graphics Kickstand - Kickstand for quick, easy stops Brakes - Powerful disc brakes add confidence and control

MX10:

Known globally for its previous NATO approval and originally developed for demanding military scenarios, the Nite MX10 is our most popular timepiece for good reason.

Nite was awarded NATO certification on the original MX10 over 10 years ago because of its durability, quality construction and impressive self powered illumination system. The MX10 has since evolved and been developed further, surpassing its original specification thanks to developments to a number of aspects to the watch whilst staying true to its proud military heritage.

Ever since its entry into the UAE, Nite has become a household name for men and women outdoors who want a timepiece that is perfect for their adventures day in, day out. Gaining a large, cult following due to its superior design, it has time and time again proved that its fine craftsmanship and rugged practicality is well worth its price.

As a nod to all the outdoor enthusiasts in the UAE, Nite now announces the Special UAE Edition of the MX10 complete with all the things you all love in the MX10 – aviation grade stainless steel, thick sapphire crystal, a Swiss Ronda movement and of

Military Heritage, Timeless Design, Now in Special UAE Edition Technical Specifications Case Finish Brushed Stainless Steel Strap Type Stainless Steel Bracelet Crystal Sapphire with triple anti-reflective coating GTLS Hands & Dial MBS No Movement Swiss Ronda 505 Crown Type Push Dial Diameter 32mm Case Diameter 39mm Case Depth 10.75mm Weight 158g course Nite’s very own GTLS illumination.

Water Resistance 100m Other than these features, the UAE Edition Battery Life 3-4 Years features a revised fascia emblazoned with the Seal of the United Arab Emirates as well as Arabic numbers.

The UAE Edition is available at a limited run of to Available at ensure that all its owners will Instagram: @almekshah have the exclusive privilege of Facebook: www.facebook.com/almekshah having the first Nite Watches Mobile:+971 55 9898954 purposely designed for the UAE outdoor community.

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OUR EXPERTS

Women

n Wheels

Women’s competitive cycling is born

Words by: Helle Bachofen von Echt Photos by: Anton Vos and Usman Oluwaseyi

The sixth edition of Spinneys Dubai 92 hosted the largest elite women’s field to date with 36 finishers. In addition, 124 female riders competed in the open category. This is a result of a big boom in women’s cycling, especially in the last year.

Emma Woodcock, founder of Velo Vixens, a UAE women’s cycling group, reveals a growth from 160 female members to 540 in just one year. In addition to welcoming more women into cycling from a social and exercising aspect, the Urban Ultra women’s only competitive cycling league has been set up in collaboration with the UAE Cycling Federation.

This has prompted female cyclists in the UAE to form competitive teams; some of which have been able to get sponsors onboard. In order for women to participate in these federation races, they must, as riders, belong to one of these teams. As a direct result of this, more female riders than ever are signing up

for cycle races and challenges in the UAE. On the back of the implementation of this female league , more female riders than ever before in the UAE feel confident, more experienced and well looked after in their respective teams, to take on challenges such as the Spinneys Dubai 92.

In the 2015 edition with 35+ elite female registrations, women were allocated a female only start for the first time, and while the challenge was underway no male riders were allowed to merge with the female elite riders and vice versa. In order to qualify as an elite rider for the Spinneys 92, a rider must hold a UCI UAE or UCI International license.

On 11th December, nine teams from the Urban Ultra league took to the start line in the Autodrome early in the morning prior to sunrise. The teams were Liv, Team TREK Tigresses, Velo Vixens, High5, Wolfi’s Contessas, BeSport, The Cycle Hub, Urban Ultra and Souplesse Cycle, along with a couple of riders from Revolution Cycles and from outside the UAE. This made it the largest elite female field witnessed to date. In addition to competing for first place and earning the title of Elite Female Winner 2015, every rider and team registered with the Urban Ultra Cycle League also competed for points for the overall league leaderboard. This gave most riders in the challenge an incentive to perform to their best ability for their respective team. The Spinneys 92 is just one of the cycle challenges

selected as part of the league calendar, in agreement between the league organisers and team leaders.

As the Challenge Unfolds

At 6:00 a.m. the elite male category were sent off on the 92K route, competing for the 2015 title. Two minutes later it was the elite female category’s turn to start their “engines” and begin the challenge. Snaking out through the dark and bendy race track, visiting Danish rider, Josefine Huitfeldt from the Danish development team Rytger, took to the front, picked up the pace and lead the pack through the dark. Before exiting the F1 track, the group had separated into two pelotons, with 22 riders making it out with the front group. Despite some break away attempts, mainly by Wolfi’s Contessas, the front peloton remained the same size almost until the end, with strong riders from The Cycle Hub and BeSport team on a mission to close any gaps that were created. Towards the end of Hessa Street and only 3km before the finish line, the elite female front peloton was caught by the front group of Male A riders (who had a start time of 10 mins after the female group) and this resulted in a bit of chaos as the female riders were swallowed and merged with the male riders. In a moment of slightly chaotic decision making, the female riders attempted to remain on the right side of the male peloton, but whilst still seeking to benefit from

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

any drafting off the male group. Closing in towards the finish line inside the Autodrome, the combination of all these riders unfortunately left very little space for the females to have their own sprint finish. Aimee Wright from The Cycle Hub team took the winning title for 2015 (and maximum points for the women’s league table), while two riders from Wolfi’s Contessas finished second and third, within a second of the winner.

Team Tactics and Strategies

With teams in place and a few league races under the belt, we are starting to see the elite women implementing or attempting some race strategies. One of the more experienced and bigger teams, Wolfi’s Contessas, were trying out some different team tactics; keeping a high-steady pace and launching breakaways in order to avoid a sprint finish. They wanted fewer riders in the final sprint and they wanted to tire out sprinters from other teams so that they didn’t have such fresh legs in the end, as their team leader later revealed.

Given that this is a new role for her and her team, she was happy with the team communication and their three breakaway attempts.

Aimee Wright, winner and team leader of The Cycle Hub team, tells me that their strategy was to react on any attacks launched from other teams. Otherwise, the plan was to sit in the peloton and wait for a sprint finish; which worked out well as they took the win.

One of the less experienced teams, Team TREK Tigresses, explained that their objective was for each team rider to finish in the best time possible for team points. They wanted to attempt to start out more aggressively than usual to remain in a peloton. Four riders of five succeeded and finished with the second elite peloton.

Riders’ Experiences

The general feedback on the Spinneys 92 Cycle Challenge, from the elite women’s point of view, was that it was an enjoyable, educational and successful event, with all female

riders staying safe. The challenge offered opportunities to try out different race tactics too and for the teams to bond. Also adding to the positive experience was event organisation such as the venue and volunteers.

Dee Boys, leading the Liv team, enjoyed competing in a more professional manner and adds that having a women’s only category makes the women’s race fairer and more competitive, while Amber Mirza, heading up Team TREK Tigresses, tells me that her team members, all being new to competitive cycling, are learning an immense amount from every race they take part in, anything from personal limitations and race strategies, to how to fuel before and during events. The team is continually learning and evolving and this is resulting in growing strength from one challenge to the next.

As the team leader of the BeSport team and a contender in the front peloton, I believe this was a very successful attempt by most teams, whether taking an active or reactive approach. With an almost entirely flat course and no strong winds on the day, it would be hard for any team to implement active strategies to split the peloton further. On this type of course, riders also have the opportunity to practise positioning within the peloton.

Women’s Only Category – How Will That Influence Women’s Competitive Cycling in the Future?

Ruth Foley, from team High5, shares her views saying, “This will only serve to improve all riders; encouraging more women to race will help increase competition at the front. For the less experienced group of elite riders it provides racing experience, something that somebody relatively new to cycling, like me, is not used to.”

Tiina-Maija Bergman adds, “We believe it will encourage more women to take part. The atmosphere in Spinneys 92 was, as always, supportive and positive and the passion we feel for the sport and ourleague is infectious!

We are proud and happy to be part of this

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history making, bringing a UAE women’s cycling league to reality.”

From my personal point of view, I would also like to hope that these “women only events” will build the foundations and inspire younger talented female riders to embrace the sport and create a safer, more attractive and supportive environment for their development. Furthermore, as we already have some Emirati riders embracing the competitive side of cycling in the UAE, we also aim to create a friendly, female-oriented setting for any local girls, inviting not only to take up cycling as a form of exercise, but also offering an opportunity to develop as an athlete in a female environment.

Lastly, Dee Boys of Liv and Helen Rodd, team leader of Velo Vixens, agree that beyond the competitive aspect, an event like Spinneys Dubai 92 also creates excitement and fun for the participants, which helps promote women and health. It will encourage more women into the sport of cycling.

You can follow these women again as they compete in the spectacular scenery of Liwa on the 22nd of January 2016 on a very tough course which undoubtedly will unfold differently to the Spinneys 92 challenge and put all riders through a tough strength challenge.

Helle Bachofen von Echt is a Dubai-based sponsored Elite Road Cyclist competing in both local and international events. When she is not training, she is helping others achieve their health and fitness goals by running her own personal training services as well as giving indoor cycling classes.

Helle loves travelling with her bike and you can follow her adventures and racing on Instagram @thegirlwhocyclesinthedesert.

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OUR EXPERTS

Looking for Love Words + Photos by: Kit Belen

Since the summer, a few friends and I have been looking for an easier way to go fishing. The main challenges we face are piling up each year only to find that some of our spots that are closer to the city have been closed down for development and those that have easy access to most of the populace have turned into mini rubbish dumps.

Overcrowding, as well as a rampant disregard for cleanliness and the downright lack of recreational fishing locations (a fishing pier off Jumierah 1 would be nice!) in the UAE has forced anglers, such as my friends and I, to look for remote places that require a lot of travelling and to find alternative species to target.

After a few trips we found a some places that hold fish that were perfect for light and ultralight tackle, exactly what we needed for a quick fix. You would be surprised at how these spots are peppered across the country and seemingly empty looking spots could yield hours of entertainment… if you do the homework.

Hirame Love

Hirame is Japanese for Flounder. Although they are present in both the Gulf and the West Coast, they are surprisingly not targeted a lot and mostly caught by catch by bait fishermen. To target them specifically is a bit technical and at times, frustrating, as Look for beaches where there are a lot of baitfish around, chances are they are, the flounder are there

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be found all over the Gulf as well as the East Coast. Basically, you can find them in all of the coastal states of the UAE, Oman and neighbouring countries. Since most of the Gulf shores are mainly comprised of sandy bottoms, they are fairly prolific. Finding them is a matter of finding their main forage, which are smaller fish and crustaceans. Find the bait and you will find the fish.

Flounder feed by using their sharp sense of smell, so targeting them with lures is not as easy as a lot of people think. This is what got us to really like them, because even if there was technically plenty of them around and even with their good eyesight and predatory nature, they are first and foremost an olfactory based predator.

Trapping Aladdin’s carpet Flounder can be found around the coastal shores of the Emirates and surrounding countries, they are not only very sporting in ultralight tackle, they are also very good for the table

we have found out the hard way.

Although we have seen some relative success with them over the last few weeks, we cannot really call it a big success by any standard. What we initially wanted to do was to look for species we could target when the weather was not cooperating and at least have some fun in shallow water and get our weekly fishing fix.

Flounder live on sandy bottoms or sandy bottoms with patches of rock. They can

Surprisingly, a range of lures works for them and we have caught them with jigs and plugs. The key factor is really trying to figure out if they are around the spot you chose.

We use rods designed for Aji (Japanese horse mackerel) because we find the light tips of these rods sensitive enough to pick up the light taps, and the soft tip also keeps the mouth of the fish from tearing. The thin tip is just enough to feel the bite as they have a strange way of hitting lures – their mouth isn’t positioned the way we are used to.

A long ultralight rod to give you some distance and a reel and line that enables you to cast small lures are exactly what you need. The Japanese design helps a lot in

Another fish of the shallows, the flathead might look a bit scary, but it is a strong and stubborn fish

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

It’s not often, but sometimes, you get lucky and catch some good ones out there

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Sand Whiting also join the mix, this one bit more than it can chew, it surprising to see this fish bite a lure

distance, line management and the rod gives the lure the action that fish find good enough to try and take. Braid of about 4-5kg is mostly what we use with 5kg being the maximum. Fishing for them is certainly not cheap because you go through a lot of tackle from being busted off. Go one higher than 5kg and you won’t land a lot because their mouths tend to tear. A lighter line also makes you cast further and it gives you a lot more time to work the lure, which spells more time in trying to get the fish to bite.

However, since these fish rarely grow to

titanic proportions, a good ultralight setup is more than adequate for fish of up to about 2kg.

There are other species of fish that swim around in the same spots as the flounder and you will catch a few of them. We have caught flatheads, sand whiting (locally called Ladyfish), a few species of bream, and the occasional “grab and go” tactics of cuttlefish will leave you wondering what it was.

For now, the love affair with the Hirame continues and we are looking forward to fishing for them on weekends and hopefully

Sometimes you get lucky and end up with a sizable ones

find methods that are more effective than what we are using at the moment.

Till then, tight lines and screaming drags,

Kit Our fishing pro who shares his experiences and expertise with OutdoorUAE through his regular column. thefishingkit@gmail.com

GET OUT AND RIDE !

AIR

Photo: F . Berthuot

SERIES Inflatable All-around Cruising/Racing

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MANA AIR 9’10”

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OUR EXPERTS

Keep Calm and… Let’s Run 100km to Celebrate the 44th UAE National Day A solo challenge to celebrate UAE history in the Emirate of Dubai Words By: Nico de Corato Photos By: DubaiBlog and Desert Academy

100km. It’s difficult to even just mention it. I still remember when, after finishing a 15km run in the desert around Al Maha about a year ago, I gave myself the goal to run a marathon in the desert within two to three years and at least one ultra-marathon of 50km.

Instead less than six months ago, I met Max Calderan, founder of the Desert Academy, and today under my belt I have: a marathon in the desert (a few days after our meeting and with no planning), several training sessions in the desert of Rub Al Khali, a 50km solo run at night with a 10kg backCooling down after a run

Celebrating the arrival with the UAE flag, after 20h 10min at the Bab Al Shams

pack, all leading up to this 100km run.

It was a challenge Max gave me after the first 42km in the desert; the “Big Jump” he called it. First the marathon, then 50, then 70, then 80 — NO Let’s shoot for 100 right away, by the end of the year. You can do it. You must do it.

So the preparation started; not just training, but also nutrition, advice, tips to reduce thirst, hunger and sleep deprivation (needed for such a long race). We looked for the right itinerary and the right date.

In the beginning, we thought of Rub Al Khali (the second largest sand desert in the world), where many training sessions were staged. We thought about running the distance in the middle of November, as soon as temperatures became easier, at least for this first attempt. In July, I trained for 40km with

temperatures as high as 52 degrees, but 100km is a completely different story.

Then a series of meetings and situations shaped the idea into a project: running 100km for the 44th UAE National Day. December 2nd marks the celebration of the unification of the seven emirates back in 1971, a date which allows the UAE to think about its past, present and future and commemorate their rich heritage, civilization and perseverance in all sectors.

The Meydan Hotel and Hospitality group assisted us by offering logistic support at the start and finish. We decided to start on the 1st of December at midday from the Meydan Hotel and Racecourse, the prestigious location that also hosts the annual Dubai World Cup. Arrival was expected on the following day – National Day - at Bab

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Nico de Corato and Max Calderan before the start of the 42K

Last km before ending at the Bab Al Shams

Al Shams, after 20-24 hours. Both Max and I liked the course: from the present (hotel, facilities, city) to the origins (desert), to celebrate where it all began. It also gave me the chance to explore some different locations in Dubai along the way.

Days went by and the moment arrived.

A few pictures, then I was on my way at 12 o’clock sharp. I decided to leave in the warmest hours so that the hardest part would be tackled while I was still full of energy. And, in fact, the beginning was the hardest, especially in terms of motivation.

Leaving the city meant crossing streets and highways, not the greatest landscape at times. Within 10-15km the road began to be surrounded by sand. It was getting more difficult for the articulations in a way, especially on long distances. The first few hours were the hottest, so it became essential to manage the energy expenditure and prevent dehydration and early tiredness. Kilometres passed by, slowly. More and more sand… less asphalt. After approximately eight hours I was halfway. With only 2l of water, some dates and a couple of refills along the route, I was doing better than I expected.

The 50km mark was at Inflight Dubai where we planned a rest stop. Some food, water and rest for the muscles and the mind.

After resting a bit, I wore my night gear, and continued with the run.

The break helped. I breezed through the next 10 kilometres to the next checkpoint (the night is the most critical moment, therefore checkpoints were set every hour or 10km; I also had car support now). In less than 55 minutes, I was well into the Al Lisaili area. A quick stop and I set off again. Ten more kilometres went by quickly… I was now at 70 km. I couldn’t believe it, but I was also starting to feel tired.

It was a better landscape compared to the city, but it was also dark, and I couldn’t see anything but the rare headlights of a few cars stopping to see if I needed help. There were a lot of horse-riding schools around here, and I could hear the horses neighing.

It was really dark and the road seemed to go forever, but the moon helped in that I did not have to use a light. However, my rhythm

was slowing down and I was getting tired.

With effort, I made it to the Al Qudra roundabout, where I bent round towards the desert and then down to Bab al Shams, the final destination. Seventeen hours and 40 minutes had gone by, and I was 10 kilometres from the end. I was elated by the thought that I would be arriving sooner than expected.

But the last 10 kilometres were endless.

A long file of lights that are now off due to the hour of the day was separating me from the end. Sometimes I stopped for a few minutes, leaning on a palm tree or a rock to rest my legs and back, even just for a few seconds. I was not cramping, but my back hurt everywhere. When the end is in sight, you always try to run, but my mind was not letting me as I was not sure how far from the end I really was. I continued walking for a few hundred metres, and stopped again briefly. All the while, time is passing; I am at 20 hours.

Suddenly, a car driven by Willem Duplooy, sports and recreation manager of the resort, who had come looking for me, arrived and I heard him scream, “ You’ve almost made it, don’t give up!”

My mind gave me the signal, and I began running again for the last 2-3 kilometres. The With Coach Max Calderan before the start at the Meydan

roundabout, the side street, the entrance to the resort, the security man that welcomed me and asked if I am the man running from the Meydan, the indications for loading and unloading… the final street is uphill, but I finally see the sign to the reception a few meters away. I made it - 100km in 20 hours and 10 minutes. I can’t help but cry.

I was in pieces. The next few hours went by with breakfast, a trip to the spa, rest and lunch with friends. Everything seemed so surreal. I still didn’t realise that I really made it, but I started focusing in on some aspects of this feat, thanks to the questions I was getting (some of the people around me were sports professionals). I drank less than four litres of water and I didn’t struggle to stay awake, thanks to the micro-cycles at fairly regular intervals. Hour after hour I regained my normal motor functions and, although tired, I could almost walk effortlessly. I had breakfast and lunch without too many metabolic problems.

I spent the afternoon at Bab Al Shams, who had organised a small celebration. I wore my running gear again and re-ran the last kilometre for the official ribbon cutting.

Incredibly, I felt almost no pain and could still run up and down the dunes around the resort. One hundred metres to the end, I heard the speakers announcing my arrival, and people clapping — a nice feeling for a non-professional athlete. I felt emotional when Willem presented me and gave me the UAE flag.

I would like to thank all those who have been close to me before, during and after the event, including the Meydan Group and the Bab Al Shams Resort for the logistical support and the celebration; Renia for videos and pictures during the competition, and of course Max Calderan and the Desert Academy. It’s true I was a solo runner for 100km, but it wouldn’t have been possible without him. Just a few months ago, my goal was to run 42km in the desert within two years…

Keep calm and stay tuned for next challenge!

For further reading, check Nico’s website www.dubaiblognetwork.com, contact him on social networks or via email at admin@dubaiblognetwork.com for information about this article or just to say hello.

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OUR EXPERTS

New Year, New Hobby:

Scuba Diving Words + Photos by: Jake Lyle

Each January, people all over the world resolve to better themselves or their lives in one way or another with a New Year’s resolution. These can range from “get fit and lose weight” all the way to “get out of debt and save money”, but the percentage of people who can actually maintain these resolutions is frighteningly low.

The key to maintaining a resolution is enthusiasm – you need to be motivated and passionate about it, the whole year round, and you have to want to sustain it, and not just feel like you have to. So the easiest way to articulate a resolution that you’ll succeed with, is by choosing something that you want to do, not something that you feel you need to do. The best way to do that is to choose a new hobby, and the greatest hobby to choose for me is diving!

Diving cannot be compared to any other hobby, because it is unlike anything else out there. It’s a transcendent experience that takes place in another world – a world where the laws of gravity, motion and dominance are all vastly different to life above the surface. Scuba diving encapsulates such a wide array of experiences, which can include diving with huge schools of sharks, drifting hundreds of meters along towering walls of coral, or even exploring sunken shipwrecks.

There are few hobbies out there that can

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provide the same adrenaline that diving does, the same excitement that engulfs you as you take the giant leap from the boat, plunge into the deep, and wonder which tiny creatures lay on the sea floor and which larger creatures could be swimming around you. It’s a humbling experience, in which the situation is transformed – no longer are you at the top of the food chain, and no longer do you govern everything around you, reminding yourself of the true natural pecking order. Scuba diving truly is unique, and unlike anything else; it’s an experience that should be enjoyed by everyone – especially if you live in a place like the UAE, that is surrounded by perfectly temperate waters and huge stretches of coastlines littered with coral reefs.

The access to Scuba diving in the UAE and the Middle East is unlimited. Much of the UAE’s coastline is lined with coral reefs, the best spots being along the coast of Fujairah. As well, Oman’s coast, all the way from Musandam down to Muscat, is privileged with colourful and diverse coral reefs, that act as a permanent residence to a plethora of underwater species. Dubai also has a type of diving location that not many other diving destinations can boast: artificial islands. The World Islands are another fantastic dive spot, further demonstrating the diversity and vastness of diving opportunities here in the UAE and Middle East.

Not only are the diving locations in the area superb, but also the dive community here in the UAE – the people who will set up these dives and get you to these incredible locations – is just as vast. There are over a dozen dive operations in Dubai alone, who can do everything from getting you certified to getting you diving inside a shipwreck, not to mention the operations in Fujairah, Musandam and Muscat, who will do the same.

With this overabundance of opportunity that so few people around the world have access to, how can you not take advantage of it?

Getting certified to Scuba dive is not a difficult or tedious process, but it is instead a fun and interesting experience, that will

only inspire you further to get into the water, once you’ve learnt the basics. The word Scuba is an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, which is the equipment that allows divers to safely explore the underwater world, and in the training process of becoming a certified diver, you learn the basics of how this equipment does its job in allowing us to breathe underwater, and how to use it safely. One of the most well-known governing bodies on the rules and regulations of diving is an organisation called PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors). This is the most recognized qualification for the majority of diving locations around the world, including Dubai. The process of getting certified includes a few different steps: classroom study, practical training in a pool and then open water training.

The required age to learn to Scuba dive is 10 years old, and a reasonable level of fitness is also needed, as Scuba diving is an active sport that requires energy and capability. If you’re of age and reasonably fit – you qualify to learn! During the course, classroom study usually involves watching an informational video that visually outlines the basics of the sport, as well as the important safety aspects. This is a great way to quickly get accustomed to and understand the activity and it will naturally increase your

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confidence about the wonderful hobby.

As well, you’ll be issued a diver’s manual that will help to reinforce and consolidate your knowledge and with the help of your instructor, you will complete the exercises in the manual, giving you a firm grasp of the fundamentals and essentials. That’s the extent of the classroom work, after which the practical training will begin. With the knowledge gained from the video and manual, it will be easy to quickly familiarize yourself with the equipment and its functions, getting you into the pool even faster. One of the most exciting aspects of the course is taking your first breath underwater – it’s a bizarre and unfamiliar experience at first but it will eventually become second nature, and you’ll forget all about life on the surface!

The pool training encompasses the learning of a range of new and exciting exercises, like breathing through your primary and secondary air, how to clear your mask if it floods, controlling your buoyancy and much more.

After spending some time underwater in the pool, you’ll be dying to hit the open ocean.

The last phase of the course involves four open water dives, in which you’ll practice the same skills as previously done in the pool, and get a feel for diving in the open ocean. The first open water dive is just as exciting as taking your first breath underwater in the pool, as you’ll finally discover that world beneath the waves that you’ve only ever wondered about. Once all four open water dives have been done, the final phase is over and the course is finished. Each dive

operation varies in the time they take to carry out the course as well as the price they assign to them. Although it can be stretched over a few weekends if you can’t find the time to do it all in one hit, the course can be completed over four days, costing between 2,000-3,000 AED, depending on the dive shop.

After gaining your first diving qualification, it’s often difficult to stop there. Once the Open Water course is complete, it’s not uncommon for people to progress through the diving qualifications thereafter. One of the strongest pulls is to specialise. There is a plethora of specialty diving courses to undertake after receiving your open water, including things like underwater photographer, night diver, diver propulsion vehicle diver and a lot more. These specialties greatly enhance the diving experience, and make the dives themselves, all the more exciting. Moving further on from specialties, divers can proceed to even higher qualifications, like Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver or even Master Scuba Diver. This unique sport has a limitless scope for development, which will allow you to learn new

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skills all the time – helping to invest your money in quality experiences that you won’t regret or forget. One of the greatest things about the hobby is that it has no borders, diving is a global phenomenon, with oceans all over the world waiting to be explored.

It will act as the vehicle to take you around the world in search for new experiences and unforgettable sights. Diving will inspire and encourage travel, unlike any other hobby out there; it will take you across continents and oceans, from country to country and dive to dive. The potential is limitless.

Choosing a new year’s resolution is something that everybody begins to think about come late December. People think “what should I do better this year?” or “what’s a sensible change to make for this year?” – why limit the resolution to just one year?

Why not choose a resolution that will affect the rest of your life, something that you will start this year and continue to do every year after that; something that will better your life but also sustain your enthusiasm for it. The obvious choice is a new and exciting hobby, a hobby like diving, that will have you hooked from the moment you plunge into the deep and surround yourself in an alien world that so many people are unfamiliar with. Even if none of your friends or family have ever undertaken the endeavour – be the pioneer. Diving is seldom something that you can do once and never repeat. It’s something that will have you planning your holidays around - checking water visibility levels, dive shops in the area, whale shark migration seasons and everything else to ensure you get your perfect dive.

We live in a unique part of the world, where the buildings are the tallest and the cars are the fastest, but too often people fail to realise that the oceans are the liveliest.

With idyllic dive locations scattered around the Arabian seas, and a surplus of dive shops waiting to issue qualifications, there’s never been a greater time to take up this hobby, and sit back and watch it change your life.

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OUR EXPERTS

Old Path, New Friends Words + Photos by: John Basson

It was almost to the day, one year ago, that we had the last “RAK Attack”, a popular quad/bike ride from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah organised by Just Gas It. As they were committed to other events this year they could not host the event this time round. However, as I have stated so many times; “Don’t wait or depend on others, just do things yourself”.

The major problem with the RAK Attack is the logistical problem of getting your vehicle (and trailer) from the start to the final destination in RAK. Again this task was negotiated with Mommy. “If you take the pick-up and trailer, I’ll sponsor us a weekend at the resort…” is pretty much the long and the short of the negotiations, and Mari enjoys being on the beach. However, without this kind of support riders are often limited to rides that start and finish at the same point.

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We were a small group this year, as it was planned with short notice, and by the time my “invitation” went out, the resort was already fully booked…

The only changes that I had made from the original route was a detour around the camel farm area. Apart from that, it was the same route as before. The RAK Attack was the first ride of more than 100km that John-John did and he was barely eleven at the time. His riding has obviously improved since, and this year I could increase the pace quite a bit.

Originally we were to be about eight riders, but the logistical complications (and a fully-booked resort) reduced the number to four. As my riding is by no means commercial, the numbers don’t matter but having fun does. Now don’t ask me why, but there is just something different about a ride that “goes” somewhere compared to a ride starting and ending at the same point. On a normal ride the closer you get to the end the more you realise that the ride is almost over, but riding to a resort, the closer you get the more excited you get.

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Another thing that I enjoy on these “longer” rides is the navigation part of the ride. Many of my rides in Oman and locally might include more than thirty waypoints for the day, most of them only a point I selected on Google, and had never actually been to prior to the ride. Finding these turning points whilst maintaining a good average speed adds to the overall satisfaction of the ride.

Some might say that having a GPS, makes this a simple task, but they obviously have not used a small GPS, strapped to their bike’s handlebars, at high speed in the desert. The GPS I use does not know about fence-lined roads, barriers, farms and more. It just points in the direction I need to ride to get to the next point. Often one would have to go quite far off-track just to try and stay “on track”.

This year Kevin and Arkaitz joined us for the ride. Arkaitz is rather new to the desert riding scene but when the bug bit him after his introduction ride earlier this year, it bit hard. His Honda CRF 450X still smelled like the showroom and he was very excited to join us on the ride. Even though we were on the quads, the terrain we rode made no difference whether you were on quad or a bike and he did well for his first long ride. As we were all keen to get to the resort and join our families we only stopped to take the customary photos at the same spots we have been taking photos at over the last three years, and limited the time at the refueling stop. Looking at the ride three years ago, we have knocked off almost one and a half hours from the 1st year. (Ok, ok, we did have some technical issues with one of the quads on that ride, but no need to spoil a good story with facts.)

There is only one refueling stop on this ride, but it is almost midway and most bikes with their standard size fuel tanks should be able to make it to the garage. Every year, at some point I have heard about riders (on off-road bikes) being declined petrol at some station. This not due to the fuel company but the authorities instructing them not to give “us” fuel as our vehicles are not registered and thus should not have been allowed to “enter” the station via the road. Keep this in mind: They might not fill your bike, but those red plastic fuel cans are being sold at every ADNOC petrol station and they will certainly fill those. Keep 50 AED extra in your riding bag just in case you need to stop behind the station, and walk-in to buy fuel.

As with the previous RAK Attack rides this one also ended on the beach, with our families and some cold drinks. Life is good and what YOU make of it!

Ride Safe and Go For Gold, Regards,

JB

QATAR EXPLORER

FIA WTCC DHL Race, Qatar

A debut at night, for the Middle East and Nassar Al-Attiyah Words By: Eulogy van Dyk Photos By: QMMF Photographer

The chase for the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) success reached its climax at the end of the year in Qatar when the curtain came down on the 2015 season, jam-packed with action, drama, excitement and the odd dose of controversy. It was a historic occasion with Losail International Circuit staging the WTCC’s maiden night race and the Championship’s first visit to the Middle East.

But to top it all, and maybe the main attraction for most of the local residents in Qatar, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Qatar’s favorite Dakar rally driver and a Middle East sporting icon, also made his FIA World Touring Car Championship debut on home soil for the inaugural WTCC night race.

The evening started off with a pit lane walk where everyone could get up close and personal with their favourite drivers. It looked like a grand parade with fans walking up and down snapping selfies and getting signatures. Naturally a bigger crowed formed around Nasser Al-Attiyah’s pit and it was amazing to see how he tried to give personal attention to each and every fan!

As the time drew closer to the start of the official racing, the track was cleared and the fans had to take their seats. You could see all the drivers getting ready and hear all the

Nasser Al Attiyah in action

S. Loeb in action

M. Bennani in action

Moroccan fans at Losail International Circuit

JM. Lopez in action

engines start with a great rumbling noise!

Two races were scheduled and it was going to be tough from the start for the drivers competing as just five points separated French Citroën pair Sébastien Loeb and Yvan Muller in the fight to finish runner-up in the final WTCC standings. The Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy, for independent racers, was also up for grabs with Norbert Michelisz seven points ahead of season-long rival Mehdi Bennani - the only Arabic driver to have won in the WTCC.

Race One Round-Up: Lopez Equals Record with Victory Number 10

After surviving a first-corner attack from team-mate Sébastien Loeb, José María López was able to sprint to an impressive victory ahead of Mehdi Bennani and Hugo Valente. By winning the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy category in second overall, Bennani narrowed Norbert Michelisz’s lead in the battle for the independent racers’ title ahead of the season finale to two points.

Loeb, who started third, fell to fourth and fought back ahead of Valente for third before dropping back at Turn 1 on lap two.

He hassled Valente for the remainder of the 12-lap contest but ultimately settled for fourth, a result that nevertheless enabled him to extend his advantage to 12 points over Yvan Muller in the fight to be WTCC

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QMMF President and Nasser

Pit walk with M. Bennani handing out signatures

vice-champion. Muller finished sixth behind Ma Qing Hua with Michelisz seventh ahead of fellow Honda driver Tiago Monteiro, who overtook LADA’s Nicky Catsburg for eighth on the penultimate lap. Stefano D’Aste completed the top 10, while Gabriele Tarquini recovered from a handful of spins to beat local hero Nasser Al-Attiyah to P16.

Race Two Round-Up: Muller on top as Independent Racers Shine

John Filippi gave his all to keep Yvan Muller behind on the charge to the first corner.

Although Muller initially got ahead, Filippi fought back at Turn 1 to hold a lead that would last for five laps while the safety car circulated following a collision between Nicky Catsburg and Stefano D’Aste. When racing resumed Muller seized his opportunity at T1 as contact with Filippi sent the youngster spinning to the side of the track, while Muller just did enough to keep Ma Qing Hua at bay as he battled to regain control of his Citroën. Even if Filippi had kept Muller behind, his tenure of top spot wouldn’t have lasted after officials deemed

Podium Race 1

the 20-year-old had made a false start, which earned the privateer a drive-through penalty. While Muller gradually increased his lead over Ma, Loeb was unable to pass Norbert Michelisz for third and the points he needed to secure the runner-up spot in the final table in what is likely to be his final appearance in the WTCC. Mehdi Bennani took fifth with Hugo Valente sixth, Gabriele Tarquini seventh and José María López eighth after opening-lap contact sent him off track and down to P12. Tiago Monteiro and Nicolas Lapierre completed the top 10 for Honda and LADA respectively with Tom Coronel P12 behind Grégoire Demoustier after starting from the pit lane when an oil leak was discovered during the OSCARO. com Repair Time. Tom Chilton fought back from a trip through the gravel on lap one to finish P13 ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah and Filippi. Rob Huff pitted his Lada with five laps remaining.

After the race, Nassar Al-Attiyah, spoke about his experience: “It was very important to me to finish the two races because I don’t really have any experience of this

Pit walk with S. Loeb handing out signatures

kind of racing and I am really so happy to be with these top drivers and watching from behind, learning a lot. This was a fantastic weekend and a really good experience for me but never do I sweat like this, not even in Dakar.”

Podium Race 2

Nasser Al Attiyah

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LOCATIONS

Words + Photos By: Pavel Bafeel

December may sound a bit cold for any outdoor activity, but not in the GCC. Here, it seems to be the perfect time of the year for any adventures out in the open.

Early in December I joined Justin for a climbing trip in Jebel Shams.

We were promised a 160 metre abseil with great views, and, as a cherry on the top, Via Ferrata on the way back.

Edge of the 160 metre abseil and our instructor Joe from Oman Adventure

Grand Canyon of Oman

Jebel Shams is one of Oman’s most spectacular areas. The highest point, Jebel Shams (Mountain of the Sun), is around 3,000 metres (around 9,800 feet) high and offers an absolutely stunning view. You know instantly why it is call the Grand Canyon of Oman. We met there early morning and at around 9:00 a.m. took all the gear and went about half a kilometre towards the edge of the cliffs. To get to the big abseil wall, you can either climb down via ferrata or you can abseil for 30 metres. It depends how experienced you are and on the suggestion of the instructors I took the abseil which was great as I was able to refresh my skills and technique.

The Real Adventure Starts NOW

The view is absolutely magnificent. It’s hard to imagine that there is a 160 metre vertical stone wall under your feet which you’re about to conquer. After everyone got to the meeting point below the first cliffs, we sat down and talked through the upcoming abseil while preparing ropes and especially our minds! For security reasons we used two ropes, together with the ASAP, which can hold you in case something goes wrong.

The hardest part is always getting over the edge and stabilising. Afterwards, just enjoy the adrenaline rush and keep going down smoothly. It took us approximately 5 to 10 minutes each to get to the bottom where we ate snacks and chilled around a pond with fresh water.

The second half of our trip was climbing the Via Ferrata back to the top. It took us a little bit over an hour to get back up. It didn’t challenge me very much (note that I’m 6ft.7in, so grabbing for support really is not an issue in my case), but according to my colleagues, the difficulty was alright. We came back to the top around 3:00 p.m.

Entertainment for Others

In case you’d like to take this trip, but you are travelling with family or friends, who are not really into adrenaline activities, there is no need for them to wait by the car until you return. They can come and meet you easily at the bottom of the abseil. They need to

Going down the first 30 metre abseil and having no idea what’s awaiting us

Via Ferrata on the way back up.

drive to Al Khitaym, the last village at the end of the dirt road, and take a hike around the cliffs which will lead them to the abandoned village of As Sab. Here, they need to climb few rocks and after a while they will arrive at the spot. The hike takes around 45 minutes to an hour, and a bit longer to get back.

Overall, this one day trip is great if you’re looking for some adrenaline activities in the area. You can stay until the next day and

camp out, however just keep in mind that at this time of the year, the evening temperature can come down to around 10 degrees Celsius. In our case, we drove down to Wadi Damn and took the hike there the next morning. More about that, some other time!

Again thanks to Justin and Joe from Oman Adventures for their professional guidance throughout the whole trip!

Check out their website to get to know more (www.holiday-in-oman.com).

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LOCATIONS

Kansas City Shuffle:

Climbing on the Prairie Words By: Allen Kenneth Schaidle

Kansas City is situated in the navel of the United States surrounded by rolling hills, which make for beautiful ever-lasting sunsets, but sadly, they don’t produce ideal features for notable hard sends.

Secretly, tucked away in the gut of the city, concealed in the shadows of the towering skyline, reside two crags: Cliff Drive and Swope Park.

Both of which have continuously fed the appetite of rock-depraved prairie crushers with limestone for decades.

Typically, people travel to KC for BBQ, rarely for climbing. You won’t open Rock & Ice or Climbing to read about cutting-edge 5.15s established by Chris Sharma there, but what’s occurring is special and illustrates a community of climbers devoted to testing their skills in their own backyard.

Look, I’m not arguing KC’s climbing scene rivals Boulder, but it does offer some notable climbs and has a tribe invested in their hometown. The City of Fountains has even produced noteworthy climbers like Meridian Line founder, first ascent guru, and adventure artist Jeremy Collins as well as rising star Ryan Surface who in 2015 individually placed third and second in the team score at the 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell.

No matter your discipline, you can experience it at Cliff Drive or Swope. Well, not ice climbing, but there are rumours of attempts along Blue River Rd. Similar to other Midwest crags, it’s best to avoid climbing in the dead of winter or summer. Driving in KC after a heavy snowfall is like foreshadowing the

traffic anarchy one might imagine during the apocalypse. Also, the heat during summers is so intense I’ve personally witnessed people collapse because of heat exhaustion. Regardless, if the weather breaks, expect to find climbers squeezing in a session.

KC climbers are tough. They’ll climb in miserable conditions for the pure enjoyment of having somewhere to climb nearby and won’t utter a single complaint. Moreover, they’ll organise motor-barricades for the extended drives to such climbing meccas as Horseshoe Canyon, Jackson Falls in Southern Illinois, and will even sojourn to Colorado, just for a weekend trip. But no matter what, they always return to their local crags, trying new climbs whilst kindling the local psyche.

As KC’s only roping crag, Cliff Drive is something of a day-session dream, but don’t worry, you can also spend multiple sessions here without getting bored. The majority of climbs at Cliff Drive are under 50ft, requiring only one rope for a day’s fun with the majority of grades 5.10 or harder. A mixture of moderate climbs combined with a ridiculously relaxed approach makes Cliff Drive a popular destination for KC climbers. On a nice weekday evening or weekend, you’ll find climbers scrambling up their favourite routes like Chomping the Bit, graded 5.10a, trashing skin on new projects, or training for bigger walls out West. Before perfect conditions settle out on monolithic walls, like Yosemite, the walls of Cliff Drive host practice grounds for mastering aid climbing. Thanks to recent efforts on behalf of the Kansas City Climbing Community, Cliff Drive received a major face-lift. KCCC rallied together in ridding the area of trash while restoring the overall ecofriendliness of the spot. They replaced questionable rusted chains with trusty new ones, constructed retaining walls, and cleared the belaying zone to minimise safety concerns.

Not only was KC’s economy rejuvenated thanks to companies like Google Fiber and Garmin taking up permanent residence, so was the bouldering. Swope’s bouldering resurgence has been something like the history of the Royals. At one time, Swope’s bouldering scene was hot with new problems, but then steadily slipped into a cold spell. Parallel to the recent success of the Royals, Swope’s bouldering has also received fresh attention.

My involvement with Swope’s bouldering scene started while attending the University

of Kansas in nearby Lawrence, Kansas. After purchasing a worn copy of Sean Burns’ “Missouri Limestone Select”, I started doing solo day trips. After hearing of new zones along Blue River Rd., I convinced two other local boulderers, Matt Lancaster and Mary Kate Meara, to accompany me. Both KC natives were hesitant because of Swope’s formerly sketchy reputation. Along with the likes of KC good ol’boy Beck Johnson, we quickly discovered KC bouldering was in an era of rebirth. Old and new started receiving new attention, such as the Fireman’s Memorial featuring KC’s only known cave bouldering, pockets along Blue River Rd. including the KC test piece the Last Rhino, Lake of the Woods boulder among the proudest lines, and some of the hardest/newest climbs residing along Oldham Rd. The majority of the boulders are rough limestone blocks, lending themselves to short and unique features I haven’t encountered elsewhere. After a long day of climbing you can crush some infamous KC BBQ, but Matt Lancaster and I swear by Jamdown Kitchen as the best post-send meal and arguably the best Jamaican cuisine stateside.

Next time you’re passing through KC, stop by and try a route or two. Natural climbing in a heart of a major American city is a unique experience. While I had to sadly leave KC for the time being, I know the community still thrives or as KC rapper, Tech N9ne, put it, “Thinkin’ they can stop the heart of the Kansas City, but the heart of Kansas City is beatin’.”

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Choosing a Cycling Holiday

Words By: Aimée Wright

It can be so difficult choosing a cycling holiday, especially as a single female who is used to the safety of the Dubai cycling community and the fantastic infrastructure that we have grown so used to. So packing up my bike (thank you the Cycle Hub) and heading to Europe to tackle the legendary mountains of the Pyrenees was one of the most daunting trips I have set out on.

Wow! I was so wrong and I left all of that anxiety on the plane as being picked up from the airport with lots of other riders

that I met at Toulouse airport could not have been easier. Pyrenees Multisport is a family-run company based in the heart of the Pyrenees. They have converted an 18th century farmhouse specifically for looking after cyclists and triathletes. They have been organising training camps and cycling tours since 2004 and the owner, Ian, has in fact ridden the infamous Raid Pyrenees (a 710km challenge from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean) 32 times, so he knows this region perfectly.

I was part of their Tour Ultime, a bike tour/ camp that took in all three of the Pyrenean mountain stages of the Tour de France for that year. It was like riding back to back Etape de Tours with your own support vehicle looking after you all the way. In between there were plenty of other rides mixing in the toughness of the mountains with the group social at the fantastic evening meals that Julie provided, and of course all the café stops along the way, just like the Friday morning ride.

I learnt a great deal about the different cycling tours available during my stay in Luscan and how to choose my next adventure in the future. Most importantly, I learnt not to be worried about travelling alone and overcame all those other concerns that always stop you from doing something you have always wanted to do like, “Will I be the last one? Will it be too hard?”

Here is my short guide:

Self Guided Cycling If you just want a gentle introduction to cycling abroad then you can choose a selfguided cycling holiday - this may be on your own or with a group of friends for a long weekend or a week away. You will be picked up from the airport and transferred to their centre in the French Pyrenees where you will have access to a vast array of cycle routes, all pre-prepared, printed route cards and GPS files. You do not even have to bring a bike, if you prefer to rent one. If you happen to have a mechanical or physical breakdown out on the road, there is always the knowledge that emergency backup is only a phone call away. So a Self Guided cycling holiday is a great way to ride abroad in the mountains at your own pace and with your own itinerary, stopping when you like and riding whatever distance takes your fancy before being pampered on your return.

Organised Cycling Tours All cycling tours are fully supported and this means that you will be met at the airport by the tour operator’s staff. You are transferred either to the arrival hotel or to their base in the Pyrenees. You will have help building your bikes or have your rental bike provided and fine-tuned for you. There is always a briefing/welcome meal and the road books, route cards and, on the Grande Tours, your

There are several types of organised guided cycling tours but these can be broken down into two categories:

cycling jersey, will be given to you. All accommodation, evening meals and breakfasts are provided. Lunches will be at cafés on route and the support vehicle will have hot and cold drinks and snacks to be given out on request (or just grab them when you want). The support vehicles will carry all your kit and leap frog the group throughout the ride. Everything is taken care of including keeping you and your bike on the road whenever possible. All you have to do is ride your bike!

1. Cycling Tours A cycling tour can be based in a single location with rides radiating out each day, normally with coffee stops and lunch stops, and returning back to the same base (and bed). Or they can be multi base tours going point to point from hotel to hotel, or even a mixture of both similar to the Tour Ultime which has a few days based at their location in Luscan and a few days going point to point through Spain and Andorra.

Both single and multi base tours are always fully supported so you will have the support vehicle nearby at all times with your extra kit, food, motivational encouragement and if it is a point to point, your luggage too. The groups are made up of all abilities and their 10 years of experience in supporting everyone shows through, allowing you to enjoy the riding at your own pace with zero pressure. They never hurry the back markers (their support vehicle is not a sag wagon) and they never make the front riders wait. Each rider is there to enjoy their own riding, whatever speed they ride at.

2. Cycling Challenges There is a crossover between cycle tours and cycle challenges as it depends if you would like to ride the tour at your own leisure or to receive an award at the end for completing the ride. For example the Pyrenean Traverse, their six day tour across the Pyrenees, is also known as the Raid Pyrenean which can also be completed over five days. This is a set “Brevet” or medal challenge and in the case of the Raid Pyrenean, you are required to ride from Hendaye to Cerbere over 18 set climbs in 100 hours and this is ratified by the Cyclo Club Bearnais in Pau. You receive an official stamp card, which is a lot of fun, and you get a feeling of accomplishment as it fills up over the tour. You then receive a medal, a certificate and are added to the list of finishers for that event.

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TIPS & TRICKS

MTB Tips from David Kinjah Kenya’s top MTB rider gives us some tips to get the most out of your time in the saddle Words By: David Kinjah Photos By: Supplied

Cycling in the UAE, Kenya and elsewhere is growing quickly, with both on and off road cycling gaining in popularity. My advice is to opt for mountain biking, which offers an opportunity for riders to truly connect with nature.

1. Break Long Days Down Into Sections

Cycling takes place both in the low lands and highlands; and in Kenya, often at altitudes of above 2000 metres. Days of cycling in high altitudes and rough terrain can seem intimidating even to the most fearless of participants. As well as strong physical fitness levels, it’s a mental game too. Take each day as it comes and then break each day down further into sections providing a collection of mini challenges. Working your way through each of these challenges will build momentum and the set of achievements will all work towards the overall goal of completing the race.

2. Take in the Scenery and Engage with the Communities Make sure you take in the scenery while

en-route. The Mt Kenya Epik challenge in particular, offers stunning views across Kenya and the majestic Mt Kenya which can distract from the physical challenges you are putting your body through. The cycling route will also take you through towns and villages located on the slopes of the majestic mountain, so take time to engage with the local communities as you cycle through and beware of domestic animals; dogs, donkeys, chickens and goats crossing your path.

This is Africa: expect anything.

during and after your cycling trip can increase your appetite for the race. Cycling requires you to use high levels of energy which your body won’t be used to, and fuel levels need to be constantly topped up.

Ensure that before the race, you are eating high energy foods and carbohydrates.

Throughout the race, aim to consume energy drinks, bananas and honey and once the race is completed, replenish your body with plenty of recovering drinks/gels, and water to rebuild muscle damage.

3. Get the Right Gear

5. Communication is Key

A simple preparation which can make a huge impact on your race results. Wearing suitable clothing for your race is imperative. If you wear too many layers you will be prone to sweat more and will need significantly more replenishing stops, which will slow you down; or if you go without a waterproof coat when there is rain scheduled, your clothes will be heavier and make the journey even more challenging.

4. Breakfast of Winners

Carefully choosing the right food before,

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Cycling with someone else or a group can give you additional support as well as push you into territories you might otherwise be afraid to enter on your own. Strong communication is needed all the way through to ensure you both reach your optimum without over-working yourselves. In addition to the physical challenge of the terrain, there is a threat of encountering wildlife on your tour, so it is critical that you listen to and adhere to the rules and regulations set by the wildlife rangers during briefing and remember, animals have right of way.

For 25 years, Indoor Cycling has pretty much been the same, but here is a new kid on the block to show us what’s been missing! We sat down with Andy Joseph, one of the most charismatic and powerful indoor cycling presenters in the region for the past 9 years and master trainer for RealRyder in the Middle East since Nov 2013, to find out what Souplesse Cycle has to offer. As it turned out - a lot!

What Exactly is Souplesse Cycle?

It is a boutique-style indoor cycling studio and a hidden gem right in a heart of Dubai’s cycling hub – Motor City. Every client is a member of our growing RealRyder family and the bonds and friendships formed in these early stages of Souplesse Cycle’s life will be carried through for years to come! The loyalty and enthusiasm they bring after experiencing the joy of riding on the best bike on the planet is truly incredible.

Indoor cycling is a group exercise and the atmosphere during the classes is amazing.

Participants ride under the Starry Night Sky – a signature feature of the studio that all our participants love.

About the name – “Souplesse” comes from the French word meaning suppleness and describes that great feeling of fluidity the rider achieves on the bike when in motion.

It is a holy grail of those of us in the world of cycling!

Andy, that brings us right to the question about the uniqueness of RealRyder Bike. Tell us more about it.

Let me introduce you then to Colin Irving first, the inventor of the bike. Coming from the Rockies in Colorado, Colin is a competitive cyclist himself conceived the idea of the bike when winter weather prevented him from training outdoors. He envisioned the concept of an “static” indoor cycling machine

cardio workout is an excellent way of burning large amounts of calories and shifting those unwanted kilos. This was confirmed by the largest randomized trial conducted by Duke Researches with the study appearing in December 15th 2012 in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

And not to forget about endorphins! Indoor cycling sessions bump up the production of the brain’s “feel good” neurotransmitters during the periods of increased exertion. As we regularly shed daily tensions though movement of this physical activity, resulting energy and optimism helps us remain calm and clear in everything we do and contributes to the overall feeling of happiness!

What about the classes?

which would better replicate and support a real road cycling experience. After years of developing the design, working with the industry’s top professionals, the RealRyder bike was born and revolutionized the world of indoor cycling!

It’s been the answer to our prayers really, and for those of us who for some reason can’t ride outdoors, it’s pretty awesome. Participants can now experience all the joys of steering and leaning using the 3Dimensional range of motion, engaging muscle groups of the upper body and core for the cohesive, total body workout greatly improving strength, stability and coordination. You burn almost 20% more calories and it is without a doubt one of the best cardiovascular exercises out there.

Andy, we know you were presenting recently at the Etisalat Fitness Festival 2015 on the subject of the benefits of cardio.

There are literally dozens of benefits and I would like to highlight three. We all love to combat aging and look young! The earliest research by the University of Harvard published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1986 revealed that there was a scientific link between cardio exercise and increased life longevity. Many studies confirmed this initial assessment since then.

Weight Loss! With the alarming statistics on the obesity and diabetes in the UAE,

Typical class is 45-50min and includes warm-up and cool-down. They are suitable for the beginners as well as elite athletes; the participants control their individual pace and resistance. Our certified RealRyder Rockstars are leading the class and there is no limit to how the sessions are structured, including sprints, intervals, climbs, and various other techniques. It’s very result-oriented and a great workout.

We meant to ask about the Rockstars!

They really are! Up on stage killing it in front of a hyped up audience!

Dubai is such a diverse place, so we really caught the vibe of the city and picked our Rockstars from all corners of the world and they are one great team! They use their previous knowledge blended with RealRyder principles to enhance the participants’ experience.

The only way to find out more is to come and try for yourself. Join the Movement and be part of the future today! www.souplessecycle.com UAE Dubai Motor City Apex Atrium Rooftop rydereal@souplessecycle.com +971 4 554 7346

First Session is on us!

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TIPS & TRICKS

Words + Photos By: Marcel Viljoen

Speak to any runner, triathlete or cyclist who includes strength as part of their weekly regime, and they will give you one or more of three reasons for embarking on such a program. First and foremost, strength training is good for improved performance, also to reduce risk of injury, and of course to look good, although the latter is not always admitted out loud!

According to Bompa and Haff (Periodization, 2009), strength can be defined as the maximal force or torque a muscle or muscle group can generate. It is also the ability of the neuromuscular system to produce force against an external resistance. Modern

sports science suggests that high levels of muscular strength is significantly related to sporting performance. Therefore, the appropriate application of resistance training can alter the neuromuscular system in a way that improves the athlete’s capacity to produce force and improves sporting performance.

In plain English – if you don’t do strength training you are missing out!

My first recollection of formal strength or gym training was in my final year of high school. As soon as my running coach said I was old enough to start doing some weights I was off to the local gym to sign myself up for membership. Back in the eighties, before the information revolution and the internet, access to strength training information was restricted to magazines, body building books, and the local gurus at the gym. All of these advocated a body building type regime where the focus was on developing

different parts of the body with focused, repetitive and highly concentrated regimes.

Commonly known as split training programs, the emphasis is on muscular growth by training different body parts on different days.

You want strength – you have to pump iron!

The results of this type of training are quite clear. All you had to do was visit a body building competition or browse through the pages of a muscle magazine! I still find the mass these guys are able to build genuinely impressive.

Not for a minute though was it my intention to look anything like that, but rather to enhance my running performance and goals of getting fitter and faster. The female instructor gave me a tour of the facility and showed me how to use most of the machines. She made some rudimentary suggestions with regards to how heavy I should go, no doubt keeping in mind my typical teenage running body – tall, lanky and seriously skinny! It didn’t take long for me to notice that I had to reduce the weights each time I used a machine after she did!

And despite my efforts to train within my capabilities, I still remember how I had to make full support of the handrails walking down the stairs to my motorbike after training sessions.

In retrospect my training was not sport specific at all; there was not much in terms of progressive overload and my phasing of training was non-existent. Despite doing things all wrong, I still made good ground and felt myself getting stronger. I enjoyed the training but for some reason it didn’t last that long. During the following decade I dabbled a few times with some strength training and joined different gyms and started reading running magazines for some more streamlined guidance. Now, more than thirty years later, I am much wiser and far more qualified to see the distinct errors of my ways. Poorly selected strength exercises, incorrect training programs or poor training form are all excellent ways to highjack your efforts to improve your sport, but most runners still find they improve to a certain extent. Of course the risk of injury is far greater by following incorrect training regimes, and with time of the essence it just makes sense to do things right from the start. So it makes perfect sense to follow tried and tested methods of so many others

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who have found that more is not better, and that training smarter is so much better than training harder!

The info above is an excerpt from my eBook, “Complete Strength Training for Runners”, which provides runners with step by step guidance along a 5-month preparation period to a big race or upcoming season. The need for a concise program like that was borne over the years of listening to runners, and sportsmen in general, and finding how they blindly follow any and all types of gym programs in the hope of improving their sport.

Thousands of teenagers, at school in particular, follow an array of training schedules of which the above mentioned split routines are a big favourite. They have all heard or read somewhere that strength is a vital component to improving performance, although the motive is not always that clear. As is the case with popular eating plans, where even the healthiest of diets will only be followed if there is the potential reward of weight-loss, so too most young athletes are more interested in the promise of improved appearance than the strength benefits.

Again, the beneficial side-effects of healthy eating do involve weight-loss, and so too, a meticulous, sports-specific strength program will bring along with it not only sporting improvement, but also a lean and muscular physique. The risk of focusing purely on the beneficial side-effects though is that the importance of improved sports performance could be compromised. Among many of my clients there are two scenarios that creep in which are worth mentioning.

The first is that of the recreational runners who appoint a personal trainer to help them with the strength component in preparation for a marathon or ultramarathon. With due respect, although meaning well, most personal trainers come from a body building background and when they find out their new client is a runner they take “leg day” to brand new levels of accomplishment! Sure, runners, cyclists and triathletes do require tremendous levels of strength and muscle endurance as well as power to perform at the top of their game. However, strength should always be seen as an important addition to an endurance program and should not jeopardise the rest of the program. If you are too sore to do your three hour long run after your Friday strength day, then odds are you did too much. “We need to run 42km Mr Trainer, not carry a friend on each hip on race day!”

The second scenario is that of high school rugby players who hit the gym three or four days a week to get strong (read “get big”).

These adrenaline and protein-powderpumped sessions are done at such an intensity that they completely forget that they need to drag these highly pumped bodies around a rugby field at high speeds for 60min. Admittedly, the players will certainly hit the ground running and definitely look and feel fully impressive and functional, and it may well be the most impressive 15min of the week, but then the wheels will start coming off, and enthusiasm will be replaced by fatigue, errors and frustration. The reality

of it is that these young guys are training to train and not training to compete.

So how do you sidestep these very real pitfalls? It’s much easier than you think! Our bodies respond to progressive overload. In other words, if you repeat the same activities enough, you will not only get better at it, but you will also be able to handle greater loads as time goes by. Whether you are training eight, ten or twenty hours per week, ensure the sports specificity of your event is of primary importance. So don’t spend four hours a week in the pool if you have a marathon planned in three months’ time! And don’t do hours on end of strength training

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if you want to improve your half marathon or 70.3 racing time! Keep to the requirements of your sport. Cardiovascular training is critical for going the distance. Anaerobic and threshold training is vital for improving your different energy systems. Speed training gives you the edge and is the cherry on the top. Strength training that takes into account the movements and requirements of your sport will not only save you time, but also reinforce the muscle groups and structures that take strain from hours of training and with the adaptation that takes place it will take your performance to ever increasing levels!

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How to Do Desert Runs with Kids Words + Photos By: Vanda Turcerova

Kids are awesome little creatures; we love them and would do anything for them. But they can also become an absolute nightmare if you are not ready for it. Here is your ultimate guide to surviving and thriving in child-heavy environment when out and about.

how to braai is practically an evolutionary skill; secondly Maxi started to panic thinking we had no food. I was, however, prepared with extra food stashed away for just such an instance. We made a quick second breakfast and order was restored in no time. Falling and rising together is a great way to bond.

You can also apply point three here; involve and delegate micro tasks within your main aim of the moment. What an experience!

We kept talking about this for a week and Cronje was proud on how we recovered.

Important note here – do not assign blame (although kids will try do that for you) – centre the issue neutrally, blame breakfast for getting burnt, not your buddy.

1. Bring a Friend

Whenever you have the option, consider bringing a peer. A kid doesn’t want to hang out with adults; we are the weird big people who must always hang around and kill all the fun and bark orders, have time limits to everything and we are generally boring. By bringing a peer, best friend or vague acquaintance, you are facilitating two awesome things – first, you have provided your kid with social interaction in a unique environment (outside of their comfort zone) and you have gained 50% of the previously shared time (if you were alone with the child) to set up camp or go look for firewood in peace.

2. Cover Basic Needs

I sometimes see people who do stuff with kids, prepping them as if World War Three were approaching. That’s of course stupid and costs you not only time and money but also nerves and a good portion of sanity.

Why do we do this? Because we think good enough never is — more is better, we need to cover all possible needs and wants. You must cover only these following basic needs: warmth, safety, adequate rest, need to be occupied and full tummies. Everything else is not needed and kids will figure it out, if the need arises, and deal with it - and so will you. A need to have a five-star toilet in the middle of the desert is not a basic need; neither is a bunker bed and a Winnie the Pooh night lamp. People, please.

3. Involve, Delegate, Empower

There is nothing worse for a kid (and adult too) than having something passively explained without being able to experience the process first-hand. Starting a fire, which is the first most awesome thing humankind has done on the way to evolution, is a great example – you can either talk about it while doing it yourself and not let your minor buddy try it out (boring) or explain, demonstrate and delegate the task (winner). There are endless tasks you can delegate to kids as young as seven: look for firewood, dig a potty hole, offload a car, prepare a fireplace…. Sure, don’t expect any of these to be done to your level of perceived perfection, but as long as the job done is functional and doesn’t pose a hazard, well done to your little monsters. Additional bonus? You just made them feel on top of the world and rest assured you will be talked about in the school corridors for weeks. For kids, being given a responsibility and being empowered and in charge of a task shows you trust in their abilities and limited knowledge. Don’t be shy and praise at will and generously.

4. Fall and Rise Together

Sometimes, the best plans are plan B’s - the unexpected options that become available when an original plan fails. In my case, Cronje, Maxi’s best friend, was left in charge of the morning meal. Forgetting the grill over the fireplace, he burnt down our precious morning sustenance. He was so heartbroken about it; firstly he is a Saffa and so knowing

5. Join and Experience

It is not only your duty to look after kids when you are out and about. You are investing your own time so why not spend it involved and participating in their world – read books around the campfire, share stories, listen to their experiences and plan the day ahead. It is so refreshing to spend a few hours or a day (if you are lucky) being a kiddo again without worrying about rent, bills or work.

Yes, it is hard for us adults to come down to our offspring’s levels and actually see what our young ones are living like, how they look at the world and what matters to them. Try remembering your first camping experiences and what was great and what was not; try remembering that one adult who took time explaining to you how to build a fire or set up a tent. We have a responsibility to teach kids not only the tasks but also the love of that experience and the method of solving problems so that they can apply it to aspects of life. You can do it!

TIPS & TRICKS

R U Slacklining Yet? Words By: Ben Hughes Photos By: Supplied

So many people all over the world are starting to take up this new and exciting sport, and so it’s not surprising that there is a growing scene here in the UAE. Tim Emmett, a climber and extreme sports athlete, has even gone so far to say that “Slacklining is where climbing was 30 years ago”. Taking all this into consideration, it might be time for us to look at some of the potential benefits that slacklining could bring not only to oneself, but to the outdoor industry and beyond. The first and most obvious question to answer may of course well be...

What is Slacklining?

Well slacklining is essentially a balancing and challenging activity that typically uses polyester or nylon webbing (a bit like a very wide climbing sling) tensioned between two anchor points, usually trees. The most commonly seen and easy to use slacklines use a ratchet for the tensioning system, however there are other options available depending on the style of slacklining you’re going for.

As the slacklining community grows and the sport develops, more people are pushing the limits of what is commonly known as slacklining. Here are a few different variations of (self-explanatory) slacklining style’s to try your balance at; Tricklining, Longlining, Highlining, Waterlining and Yogalining.

Slacklining has an emerging community here

in the UAE and Oman, and has grown extensively over the last few years elsewhere. Due to its success, it now boasts a world cup, national competitions, slackline clubs and even a number of festivals devoted to it.

One of the great things about slacklining is that it can be done almost anywhere that there are suitable anchor points and even if there’s not any, you can make your own.

Generally two trees of about one metre in circumference are used (always with tree protection); for beginners these tend to be spread over a distance of about 9 - 14 metres with a clear level space between (a soft landing tends to help, such as grass or sand). However, if you don’t have access to any trees or you’re out in the desert, then a system of either temporary or permanent ground anchors can be fashioned from metal stakes or wood in the form of a deadman’s anchor. If this is the case then a simple A-frame can be used to raise the line from floor level. Once the line is up (no higher than your crotch as a novice) you’re ready to go. First, there are four unbreakable rules to keep in mind that will help perfect anyone’s slacklining ability: • Eyes Forward – Find a fixed point at the end of the line, such as the anchors or the tree.

• Toes Forward – Keep your toes and heels facing along the line towards the anchors.

• Hands Up – Keep your arms raised and hands up, bending at the elbow as opposed to the shoulder.

• Hips Forward - Ensure to keep your back straight and hips forward. Keep in mind that as soon as you lean forward you start to lose balance.

• Eyes Straight - Keep your eyes focused on the end of a slackline. Do not look at your feet, the slackline will always be in front of your other foot.

individual or organisation to get involved in something exciting and intriguing that most people wouldn’t have seen or had the opportunity to try. It’s also an activity in which participants can progress at their own rate without being forced or held up by others whilst still training and playing together.

What benefits can slacklining bring me personally?

At first look, there are the obvious benefits for balance, coordination and personal motor skills development. These fundamental skills that work on posture and core strength are useful in a wide variety of outdoor activities and in everyday life. In addition to the physical advantages, and perhaps somewhat surprisingly, there is evidence of an increase in the structural and functional plasticity of the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for navigation and memory.

As a parting note, my advice to you is to try it for yourself with colleagues, friends or family. Be open-minded as to the possibilities this activity can bring you. As I said earlier, here in the UAE there is a growing scene for slacklining and highlining, and it’s easy to understand why. At first you may only be able to stand up with assistance and then only be able to take a couple of steps but in no time you will be walking backwards, walking longer and longer lines and then maybe even getting some gymnastics-inspired bouncing going. As a final note, if I were to highlight three things I think that you should take away from this article, they would be; to always use tree protection or seek anchors that are strong enough, seek advice if you ever plan to set up a slackline that is above waist height, but most importantly, to give it a go!

So Why do I Want Get Involved with Slacklining?

As slacklining is a relatively new activity, especially out here in the Middle East, there are currently an extremely limited number of providers and facilitators offering these sessions to the general public. This said; slacklining is the sort of activity you can self-learn the basics from websites. Slacklines are also relatively cheap compared with other outdoor activities;for instance a quality slackline can be purchased for approximately 600 AED for a 15m ratchet system.

This provides a great opportunity for an

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Cycling Fitness Words By: Nicky Holland Photos By: Keith Pereña

A great way to explore the outdoors and to get around is to cycle. Rather than walking or taking the car, hop on your bike and ride to the shops, ride to work and check out the scenery from two wheels.

Road cycling in the UAE can be quite dangerous due to the volume of traffic, but off-road mountain biking across different terrain and gradients is not only a good workout for your cardiovascular fitness and your legs… but it is also great fun!

All you need for this is a bike and a helmet.

To move the bike requires force, therefore cyclists have incredible leg strength. This is important to give you the power and ability to push down on the pedals. They also have good balance, which will help you stay stable and in control of the bike whereas fitness will give you the endurance to keep riding for longer.

So how can you get stronger legs? There are a number of exercises which you can do. The exercises below are conditioned for cycling to help you develop strength in the quadriceps in the front of the leg, the hamstrings and glutes at the back of the leg and the calves.

4) Glute Bridge into Calf Raise With Weighted Plate 2) Deadlifts – Romanian Barbell Deadlift

Many people forget to work the back of the body but focus on the front, which is what they see when they look in the mirror. A deadlift will work the back of the body, muscles such as the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. You will be able to lift a heavy weight but technique here is important. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip. Hands should be shoulder width apart and feet hip distance apart. Brace the core and tilt the hips so that the bar slides down your thighs. As you do this, stick your bum back and keep the back straight as you lower the bar to the middle of your shins. Keep your feet firmly planted and control the movement throughout. Aim to have a heavy weight and complete five sets of 8-10 repetitions.

This is a two-in-one exercise. The focus is on the posterior chain, working the back of the body such as the glutes, hamstrings, lower back and calves. Lie on the floor with your legs bent. Push your heels into the ground and lift your hips into the bridge position.

There should be a diagonal line from your knee, to your hip, to your shoulder. Lift your heels so that your weight is resting through the balls of your feet – this will contract the calf muscle. Here you have two options.

Option One is to hold this position isometrically. Aim for three sets of 30 seconds.

Option Two is to add a small pulse by gently lifting your hips towards the ceiling in an up and down movement. Aim to do three sets for 15-20 repetitions. If you want more resistance for option one or two, place a weighted plate on your lap.

5) Core - Cross Crawl

Balance is linked with core strength. To have good core strength will mean that you will have better posture and have the ability to The difficult part of the lunge is keeping transfer power to the legs, which will help your balance. The propulsion lunge really you as you pedal. This exercise will target tests your balance and power. This move your abdominals and obliques. Lie on your is quite complex so I will break it down in back. Draw your belly into the floor and lift three stages. Stage One – Start by stepping both legs at 90 degrees above your hips. one leg back into the lunge position. This Place your hands by your head and bring is where the 90/90 rule applies where your one elbow across to opposite knee. For front leg and back leg are both bent at 90 example, right elbow to left knee. As you do degrees. Stage Two – Using opposite arm to this, extend your left leg then repeat on the leg extend your back leg behind, balancing other side. The movement should be slow on your standing leg. Then lift the back leg and controlled and emphasise the twist to by driving your arms so the really feel it in your abs. Aim knee is up. Stage Three – to complete three sets of 20 From following stages one repetitions. and two, use your arms to The amount of repetitions or power the knee up and time you work for, will deterspring your standing leg off mine and improve your fitness. the floor. It is an explosive If you have some aches the move which requires leg following day after training, you strength, leg power and know you have worked hard. balance. Work your way So you your have two opthrough the stages of protions. Grab your gym kit and gression. Aim to do three trainers and follow the exerNicky Holland sets of 10 repetitions each cises above or dust down your leg. The person who propels Fitness Manager bike and go for a ride... you Fitness First Beach Park Plaza decide! and jumps the highest wins!

3) Lunges – Bodyweight Propulsion Lunge 1) Squats – Isometric Barbell Squats

This exercise is simple but very effective.

Isometric contraction is when the muscle is working, contracting but neither shortening or lengthening. There is no concentric or eccentric contraction so the muscle is static.

This means you have to fire your muscles fibres from a stop start position. Place the barbell on the meaty part of your back with your feet stance just wider than hips and toes turned out slightly. Brace your core and tilt your hips back (this will help to keep the back straight and elevate the chest) Drop your hips back and down to the floor into a squat position. At the bottom of the movement, when you are down low, pause and hold for three seconds. Then push through your heels and return to the starting standing position. Focus on holding the weight in the low position and firing your muscles to bring you back to the top. Aim to do this with a moderate to heavy barbell, five sets of 8-10 repetitions.

62

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64

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www.arabiaoutdoors.com Barracuda Diving Centre, Fujairah International Marine Club, +971 503366224 Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi, +971 26594144 Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www. captaintonys.ae Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 53244550, www.funbeachsports.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 558961276, +971 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com Hiltonia Beach Club, Hilton Abu Dhabi Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26811900 Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Nautica 1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26503600, www.noukhada.ae Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Soolyman Sports Fishing, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971 508866227, www.soolymansportsfishing.com Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084, www.summertimemarine.com Xclusive Yachts, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 44327233, www.xclusiveyachts.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Camping, Fishing & Kayaking Club, mohamed.almahrouky@gmail.com Dubai Surfski & Kayak Club, Kitesurfers’ Beach, Umm Suqeim 1, Dubai, +971 554986280, www.dskc.hu

General Sports Equipment Distributors

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/ yamaha 800 Sport, Al Quoz, Dubai +971 43467751, www.800sport.ae Flip Flop Arabia, flipme@flipfloparabia. com, www.flipfloparabia.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Highbury Trading, Dubai, UAE, www.highburytrading.ae Jack Wolfskin, Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, +971 24437802 Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Portable Shade UAE, Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE, +971 508897125, www.portable-shade.net Sport in Life Distribution, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Khor, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, info@sportinlife.ae, www.sportinlife.ae Tresspass, The Dubai Mall 2nd floor above ice rink, +971 43398801

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Horse Riding

Equipment Al Asifa Horse Equestrian & Requisites Trading, Al Khawaneej 1, Dubai, +971 554733110, www.asifa.ae Black Horse LLC, Abu Dhabi, +971 26428338, www.blackhorseuae.com Bonjour Equestrian Supplies, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Kho, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, info@bonjourequestrian.com, www.bonjourequestrian.com Cavalos Equine Care and Supplies, 16th Street, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, +917 22222433, www.cavalosuae.com Emirta Horse Requirement Centre, Sheik Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43437475, www.emirtahorse.com Equestrian Clubs/Centres Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Al Ahli Riding School, Al Amman Street, Dubai-Sharjah Rd., +971 42988408, www.alahliclub.info Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Al Jiyad Stables, Behind Dubai International Endurance City, Dubai, +971 505995866, info@aljiyad.com, www.aljiyad.com Al Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 44274055, equestrian.centre@alsahra.com Desert Equestrian Club, Mirdif, Dubai, +971 503099770 / +971 501978888 Desert Palm Riding School, Near Al Awir Road (going to Hatta-Oman), Dubai, +971 43238010, www.desertpalm.peraquum.com Dubai Polo Academy, Dubai, +971 508879847, www.dubaipoloacademy.com Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +971 43618111, www.poloclubdubai.com Emirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.com Ghantoot Polo & Racing Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Golden Stables Equestrian Club, Al Khawaneej, Dubai, (Nouri) +971 555528182, www.goldenstables.ae Hoofbeatz, located just inside the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, +971 569424551, www.hoofbeatz.com Mushrif Equestrian and Polo Club, Mushrif Park, Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai, +971 42571256, www.mushrifec.com Rahal Ranch, Al Wathba Racing Area, Abu Dhabi, +971 506229004, www.rahalranch.com Riding for the Disabled, Dubai, lessons@rdad.ae, www.rdad.ae, Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +971 65311188, www.serc.ae Racecourses Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif,

Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Jebel Ali Racecourse, off the main Abu Dhabi - Dubai Highway (Sheikh Zayed road) beside the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, +971 43474914 Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse, Al Meydan Road, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 43270000, www.meydan.ae Sharjah Racecourse, Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah, +971 65311155, www.serc.ae

Jet Ski Dealers

Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390000, www.aym.ae/yamaha Japan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 44426395, uday@japanmarine.jp, www.japanmarine.co Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 42822114, www.libertykawasaki.com

Motocross & ATV’s

Dealers Al Badayer Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, +971 507842020, www.albadayerrental.com Al Shaali Moto, Ras Al Khor, +971 43200009, sales@alshaalimoto.com. www.alshaalimoto.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390000, www.aym.ae/yamaha Golden Desert Motorcycles Just Gas It, Hatta Rd., Al Aweer, Dubai, UAE, +971 561379323, www.JustGasIt.net KTM, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, exit 42, +971 4323151, www.ktm.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 42822114, www.libertykawasaki.com Motoventure, Hobbies Club, Al Awir, Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 555437392, www.motoventure.net mxDubai, Al Ain Road Dubai, +971 55 2090832, www.mxdubai.com Polaris UAE (atv’s), Ras Al Khor, Nad al Hamar Road, Al Ghandi Complex, Dubai, +971 42896100, M4, Sector 13, 10th Street, Mussafah Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 26441478, www.polarisuae.com Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 551532550, www.goldendesert-dubai.com Sebsports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1 Dubai, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai, +971 48321050, www. wildx.ae Equipment Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Sandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43395608, www.sandstorm-motorcycles.com Sebsports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com 2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai, +971 44548388, www.2xwheeler.com Wild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Industrial Area, +971 42852200, www. wildx.ae

Motorcycling

Distributors and Dealers Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390000, www.aym.ae/yamaha Ducati, Al Salam Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 24918593, www.ducati.ae Duseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43476712, www.dusejamoto.com Harley-Davidson, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25540667, hd.auh@harley-davidson.ae, www.harley-davidson-abu-dhabi.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 42822144, www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +971 42896100, www.polarisuae.com Tristar Motorcycles, +971 43330659, www.tristaruae.com Workshops and Services Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com

JANUARY 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, +971 43678700 www.dubaiautodrome.com Emirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain, +971 67681166 2xWheeler Adventures, Dubai, +971 44548388, www.alainraceway.com Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Off-Road

Dealers Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 / +971 505548255, info@blingmytruck.com, www.blingmytruck.com 4x4 Motors LLC, Shk. Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43384866, www.4x4motors.com Liberty Automobiles, Dubai, 800 5423789, www.libertyautos.com Repairs and Services AAA Service Centre, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 285 8989, www.aaadubai.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.mebarauto.com Off Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43392449, www.offroad-zone.com Saluki Motorsport, Dubai, +971 43476939 www.salukimotorsport.com Equipment Advanced Expedition Vehicles, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43307152, www.aev.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390000, www.aym.ae/yamaha Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 / +971 505548255, info@blingmytruck.com, www.blingmytruck.com Heartland UAE, Al Mafraq Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 569796524 / 506472447, www.heartlanduae.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.mebarauto.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 48321050, www.wildx.ae Yellow Hat, Nad Al Hamar, and Times Square Center, Dubai, +971 42898060, www.yellowhat.ae Tour Operators Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43034888, www.arabian-adventures.com Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 4 2628832 or 4 2686826, www.opdubai.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com ALMOST 4x4 Off-Road Club, +971 507665522, www.almost4x4.com Dubai Offroaders, www.dubaioffroaders.com JEEP Wrangler JK Fun Club, suffian.omar@yahoo.com, www.jk-funclub.com ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

Running

Clubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.org Abu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www.abudhabitriclub.org Abu Dhabi Striders, admin@abudhabistriders.com, www.abudhabistriders.com Al Ain Road Runners, Abu Dhabi, +971 504188978, alainroadrunners@yahoo.co.uk Mirdif Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.info Dubai Creek Striders www.dubaicreekstriders.org

Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Kitesurf Dubai, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqueim and Jumeirah 3 +971 505586190, www.kitesurfdubai.ae Picnico, Al Fairdooni Building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Near Sharf DG Metro Station and Mall of Emirates, +971 43951113

Surf Dubai, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971 505043020, www.surfingdubai.com Surf Shop Arabia, Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 564716180, www.surfshoparabia.com Surf School Arabia, +971 556010997, www.surfschoolarabia.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971 505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.net Distributors Kitepeople Kite & Surf Store, International City, Dubai, +971 504559098, www.kitepeople.ae Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Operators Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Kite Surf School, Dubai, Umm Suqeim Beach, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com Duco Maritime, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, +971 508703427, www.ducomaritime.com Dukite, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai,+971 507586992, www.dukite.com Kite Fly, Dubai, +971 502547440, www.kitesurf.ae Kitepro Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Al Dabbayyah, Abu Dhabi, +971 505441494, www.kitepro.ae Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Shamal Kite Surfing, Umm Suqueim Dubai, +971 507689226, astrid@ shamalkitesurfing.com, www.shmalkitesurfing.com

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Sky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Surf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach and Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 43791998, www.surfschooluae.com Watercooled, Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, +971 48876771, www.watercooleddubai.com Water Cooled, Watercooled Sports Services LLC, Hilton Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 26395997, www.watercooleduae.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle, www.abudhabisup.com UAE SUP www.uaesup.com

Water Parks

Aquaventure Atlantis, Dubai, Palm Jumeirah,

OMAN DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris

Bike and Hike Oman, PO Box 833, Ruwi, Postal Code 112, Oman, +968 24400873, www.bikeandhikeoman.com Dolphin Qasab Tours, PO Box: 123, P.C. 811, Khasab City, Musandam, Oman, +968 26730813, www.dolphinkhasabtours.com Go Dive Oman, Capital Area Yacht Club (CAYC), Sidab Muscat, +968 97899094, www.godiveoman.com Khour Shem Tourism, Oman, +968 91713449, www.khourshemtours.com Nomad Tours, PO Box: 583, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Oman, +968 95495240, www.nomadtours.com Oman Trekking Guides, PO Box: 917, NIZWA, Oman, +968 95741441, www.omantrekkingguides.com

Diving

Equipment Al Marsa Musandam, PO Box: 44, Dibba,

QATAR DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris

Al Mulla Travels, PO Box: 4147, Doha, Qatar, +974 44413488, almullatrvls@qatar.net.qa Alpha Tours, PO Box: 13530, Doha, Qatar, +974 4837815, info@alphatoursqatar.com Al QAYED Travel & Tours, PO Box: 158, Doha, Qatar, +974 44072244, www.alqayedtravel.com Arabian Adventures, PO Box: 4476, Doha, Qatar, +974 44361461, www.arabianadventureqatar.net Black Pearls Tourism Services, PO Box: 45677, Doha, Qatar East Marine, West Bay, Doha, Qatar, +974 55200078 E2E Qatar Travel and Tours, PO Box: 23563, Doha, Qatar, +974 44516688 / 444515995, www.e2eqatar.com Falcon Travels, PO Box: 22031, Doha, Qatar, +974 44354777, www.falcontravelqatar.com Gulf Adventures, 29, PO Box: 18180 Qatar, +974 4315555, www.gulf-adventures.com Net Tours Qatar, PO Box: 23080, Doha, Qatar, +974 4310902, www.nettours.com.qa Regency Travel & Tours, +974 44344444, www.regencyholidays.com Qatar Adventure, PO Box: 13915, Doha, Qatar, +974 55694561, www.qataradventure.com Qatar Inbound Tours, PO Box: 21153, +974 77451196, www.inboundtoursqatar.com Qatar International Tours, PO Box: 55733 Doha, Qatar, +974 44551141, www.qittour.com Qatar Ventures, Doha, Qatar, +974 55776679, www.qatar-ventures.com

Clubs

Cycling, Running & Triathlon Doha Sailing Club, Katara Beach +974 44439840/+974 55649995 www.qmsf.com Qatar Chain Reaction, www.qatarchainreaction.weebly.com Qatar Sandstromers, +974 77775207

66

OUTDOORUAE

+971 44260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dreamland Aqua Park, Umm Al Quwain, Emirates Road, +971 67681888, www.dreamlanduae.com Wadi Adventure, Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain, +971 37818422, www.wadiadventure.ae Wild Wadi Water Park, Dubai, +971 43484444, www.wildwadi.com

Other leisure activities

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, + 971 25588990, www.adgolfclub.com Al Tamimi Stables, Sharjah, +971 67431122 / +971 44370505, www.tamimistables.com Blokart Sailing, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 556101841, www.blokartme.com Children’s City, Creek Park Gate No.1, Dubai, +971 43340808, www.childrencity.ae

JANUARY 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Dolphin Bay Atlantis, Dubai, +971 44260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +971 43369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.ae iFly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42316292, www.iflyme.com Sadiyaat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, +971 25578000, www.sbgolfclub.ae Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +971 65487777, www.golfandshootingshj.com SkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of The Emirates, +971 44094000, www.skidxb.com Spacewalk Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, +971 26577777, www.spacewalk.ae

Health, Safety & Training Safety Lessons Marine Concept Yacht Charter

& Sea School, Rania Business Centre, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Safety & Leisure Training Middle East, Dusseldorf Business Point, Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 48879958, www.sltme.com Sport and Health Centres Bespoke Wellness, Dubai, +971 553724670, www.bespoke-wellness.com Original Fitness Co., C6 Tower Al Bateen Bainunah St, Abu Dhabi, +971 2406 9404, www.originalfitnessco.com Orthosports, 5B Street, Jumeira Beach road, Dubai, 800 ORTHO (67846), www.orthosp.com The Physio Center, Suite 405, Building 49, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, +971 44370570, www.physiocentre.ae

Sultanate of Oman, +968 26836550, www.almarsamusandam.com Al Sawadi Beach Resort, PO Box: 747, Barka - Al Sawadi, Oman, +968 26795545, www.alsawadibeach.info Diving UAE & Oman, www.dive-uae-oman.com Euro Divers CAYC Oman, Marina Bandar Al Rhowda, PO Box: 940, Muscat, Oman, +968 97899094, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Musandam, PO Box: 498, PC 811 Khasab, Musandam, Oman, +968 99877957, www.musandam-diving.com Global Scuba LLC, +968 24692346, www.global-scuba.com Khasab Divers, Oman, +968 99883345, www.khasabdiver.com

Kharjiya Street, Al Shati Area, Muscat, Oman, +968 99777045, www.omantascuba.com Oxygen Diving and Adventures, PO Box: 1363 PC130 Alazaiba, Muscat, Oman, +968 92537494 / 9723 2661, www.o2diveoman.com Seaoman, PO Box: 2394, RUWI PC 112, Oman, +968 24181400, www.seaoman.com Sub Aqua Dive Center, Hilton Salalah Resort, PO Box: 699, Salalah 211, Oman, +968 23211234, www.subaqua-divecenter.com

PO Box: 117, Postal Code 421, Bediyah, Ghabbi, Oman, +968 99310108, www.safaridesert.com

Fishing & Kayaking

Moon Light Dive Center, P.O. Box: 65, Madinat Qaboos, Muscat Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Nomad Ocean Adventures, +968 26836069, Dibba, Oman; Fujairah, +971 92449444, www.discovernomad.com Oman Dive Center, Muscat, Oman, +968 24284240, www.omandivecenter.com Oman Dive Center Resort, PO Box: 199, Medinat Sultan Qaboos, Oman, +968 24824240, www.omandivecenter.info Omanta Scuba Diving Academy, Al

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment, Operators Kiteboarding Oman, Sawadi Beach, PO Box: 133, PC 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 96323524, www.kiteboarding-oman. com Oman’s Kite Center, +968 94006007, www.kitesurfing-lessons.com

/ +974 77776634, www.facebook.com/ QatarSandstormers Velostar Doha, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/587539064642288/ Doha Bay Running Club, www.dohabayrunningclub.com TriClub Doha, www.triclubdoha.com

General Sports Equipment Megastores

Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44822194; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44569143; Ezdan Mall, Qatar: +974 44922827, The Pearl(Parcel 9) +974 40027513, Souq Jabor +974 44430322.

Office: +974 44417935, www.galaxysportqatar.com GO Sport Qatar, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, +974 44631644; Villaggio Mall, +974 44157463, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Sun & Sand Sports Qatar, City Centre Mall, +974 44837007; Dar Al Salam Mall, +974 44510179; Mustafawi Exhibition, +974 44935183, www.sunandsandsports.com

Boating & Sailing

Equipment Regatta Sailing Academy, Katara Beach +974 55503484 www.regattasailingacademy.com Distributors and Dealers Speed Marine, Speed Marine, Museum Road, PO Box: 9145 Doha, Qatar, +974 44410109, www.speedmarinegroup.com

Horse Riding

Equestrian Clubs/Centres Al Shaqab, PO Box: 90055, Doha, Qatar, +974 44546320, www.alshaqab.com Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club, Racing and Equestrian Club, PO Box: 7559, Doha, Qatar, +974 44935183, www.qrec.gov.qa

Diving

Equipment/Centres Al Fardan Marine Services, Najma Street (near Al Fardan Exchange), Doha, Qatar, +974 44435626

Camping & Hiking Tour Operators Safari Desert Camp,

Doha Sub Aqua Club, Doha Sub-Aqua Club, PO Box: 5048, Doha, Qatar, +974 50483794, www.dohasubaquaclub.com Extreme Adventure, PO Box: 33002, Shop 3, 4 Ahmed Bin Ali Street (Bin Omran), Doha, Qatar, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa GoSport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Pearl Divers, PO Box: 2489, Doha, Qatar, +974 44449553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, PO Box: 11538, Doha, Qatar, +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.com Qatar Scuba Center, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277, www.qatarscubacenter.com Q Dive, Souq Al Najada cnr of Grand Hamad and Ali bin Abdulla Str.; Al-Odeid Aisle numbers 129-132, +974 55319507, www.qdive.net World Marine Centre, PO Box: 6944, Doha, Qatar, +974 44360989, www.worldmarinecenter.webs.com Pearl Divers, Al Mirqab Al Jadeed Street, Doha, Qatar, +974 4444 9553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, PO Box: 11538, Doha, Qatar, +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.com Qatar Divers, Marriott Hotel Marina Near Old Airport, Ras Abu Aboud Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 44313331, www.qatardivers.com Qatar Marine, Go Sport City Center West Bay, PO Box: 16657, Doha, +974 553199507, www.qatarmarine.net Qatar Scuba Centre, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277 / +974 44422234, www.qatarscubacenter.com Qdive Marine Center, PO Box: 16657, Doha, Qatar, +974 44375065, www.qdive.net World Marine Centre, Old Salata Street, near the Qatar National Museum, Doha, Qatar, +974 55508177

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Al Kashat, Fishing and Hunting Equipment,

Caving

Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +968 24543002, www.holiday-in-oman.com Oman World Tourism, Oman, +968 24565288, www.omanworldtourism.com

Equipment Az’Zaha Tours, +968 99013424, www.azzahatours.com Water World Marine Oman, PO Box: 76, Muscat, 113, Sultanate of Oman, +968 24737438, www.waterworldoman.com

Boating & Sailing

Manufacturer Saphire Marine, PO Box: 11, Post Code 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 99877243, www.sapphire-marine.com Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 70057489 Al Mamzoore Marine Equipment, PO Box: 6449,Old Salata, Doha, Qatar, +974 44444238, almamzoore@qatar.net.qa Extreme Adventure, Shop 3,4 Ahmed Bin Ali Steet, Doha, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa Fish World, PO Box: 1975, Doha, Qatar, +974 44340754 State of Qatar (QatarSub), Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 4431234, www.stateofqatar.com Operators Paddle Qatar, +974 55490895, www.paddleqatar.com

Motocross & ATV’s Dealers

Qatar Adventures, Barwa Village, Building # 9 Shop # 11, Doha, Qatar, +974 77700074

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment, Operators Fly-N-Ride, Ras abu Aboud, Doha, +974 33117089, www.fly-n-ride.com Flo Kite School, Westbay, Doha, +974 33155628, www.flokiteschool.com Kitesurfing Qatar, +97430179108, www.kitesurfingqatar.com QSUP, Qanat Quartier, Costa Malaz, The Pearl-Qc, Doha, Qatar, +974 66602830, www.qsup.me

Cycling (Road & Off Road)

Bike Servicing, Equipment Carbon Wheels Bike Shop, Al Maha Center 10, Salwa Road, Doha, +974 44419048, www.facebook.com/CarbonWheelsQTR Flash Bike Shop, Mesaeed New Souq, Shop C.06, +974 6600 9116, www.flashbikeshop.com Skate Shack, Salwa Road, South Doha, +974 44692532, www.skate-shack.com Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, +974 44822194; Villaggio Mall, +974 4456 9143; Ezdan Mall, +974 4492 2827, www.galaxysportqatar.com; Sportswell, Salwa Road, South Doha, +974 44151687

*Terms & conditions apply. Selected product only. While stocks last.

PART SALE 25%-75% OFF

SHEIKH ZAYED ROAD (DUBAI) AND CITY CENTRE MIRDIF (DUBAI) STORES ONLY CALL FREE 800-RIDE

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