Al Quadra Loop
Discussion
Facebook link;
https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/226507997544395...
Blurb;
Come ride 100 miles during the shortest night of the year and finish with a post ride breakfast and coffee before the sun comes up. The course will be 3 laps of Al Qudra plus a bit extra. There will be support vehicles and plenty of water stops.
I'm going to do this, I expect a lot of sweating and tiredness but I need an organised event to keep me motivated/something to aim for.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/226507997544395...
Blurb;
Come ride 100 miles during the shortest night of the year and finish with a post ride breakfast and coffee before the sun comes up. The course will be 3 laps of Al Qudra plus a bit extra. There will be support vehicles and plenty of water stops.
I'm going to do this, I expect a lot of sweating and tiredness but I need an organised event to keep me motivated/something to aim for.
first time on the bike for 2 months, you'd think i'd ease myself back in. no, that would be sensible!
started in jbr, intending to go to motor city and back [beach road then all the way along hessa st], once i got there i kept going, all the way to qudra roundabout and beyond. got halfway down the stick before realising i had to make it back before i fried so turned around and came back the same way. looking at google maps i reckon i did 75km in 3hrs which is decent for me. drank about 4litres of water and was flagging towards the end but found it bearable.
what i learned:
i think my frame is too big for me as it is not comfortable over long distances. think i'll go to wolfis to be measured.
i need to succumb and buy a cycling vest, just don't have enough storage on the bike for essentials and spares.
taxi drivers and truck drivers are bizarrely the most courteous to cyclists, perhaps because they recognise the bicycle as a valid form of transport.
conversely, expat wives in SUV's have all the road sense of a squashed frog. worst part of the journey was around spinneys in motor city, 2 near misses and nearly got creamed by some daft bint in an explorer not looking where she was going.
the patch between the road and the new car park at the bottom of the stick is NOT tarmac. it's just dirty sand and just as hazardous, nearly went over the top there!
riding on the road is nowhere near as hazardous as i thought it would be, even on the way back after 9am. hard shoulder is wide and largely free of debris and i only felt exposed going over al khail and szr as i couldn't use the slip roads to get across. hug the shoulder and plan your crossings well in advance and its fine.
its also way more enjoyable than qudra. think i'll do a couple of laps of the palm tomorrow and if that goes well i doubt i'll be using qudra anymore for solo rides.
started in jbr, intending to go to motor city and back [beach road then all the way along hessa st], once i got there i kept going, all the way to qudra roundabout and beyond. got halfway down the stick before realising i had to make it back before i fried so turned around and came back the same way. looking at google maps i reckon i did 75km in 3hrs which is decent for me. drank about 4litres of water and was flagging towards the end but found it bearable.
what i learned:
i think my frame is too big for me as it is not comfortable over long distances. think i'll go to wolfis to be measured.
i need to succumb and buy a cycling vest, just don't have enough storage on the bike for essentials and spares.
taxi drivers and truck drivers are bizarrely the most courteous to cyclists, perhaps because they recognise the bicycle as a valid form of transport.
conversely, expat wives in SUV's have all the road sense of a squashed frog. worst part of the journey was around spinneys in motor city, 2 near misses and nearly got creamed by some daft bint in an explorer not looking where she was going.
the patch between the road and the new car park at the bottom of the stick is NOT tarmac. it's just dirty sand and just as hazardous, nearly went over the top there!
riding on the road is nowhere near as hazardous as i thought it would be, even on the way back after 9am. hard shoulder is wide and largely free of debris and i only felt exposed going over al khail and szr as i couldn't use the slip roads to get across. hug the shoulder and plan your crossings well in advance and its fine.
its also way more enjoyable than qudra. think i'll do a couple of laps of the palm tomorrow and if that goes well i doubt i'll be using qudra anymore for solo rides.
Edited by shirt on Saturday 24th May 08:11
Did my first morning stint on the stick today. 4:30am alarm, 5:30am on the stick, and back in the showers at the new block by 7am.
Apart from no hot (pr even warm) water in the showers it was very enjoyable. Not sure if I can motivate to get up at 4:30am more than once or twice a week though.
Apart from no hot (pr even warm) water in the showers it was very enjoyable. Not sure if I can motivate to get up at 4:30am more than once or twice a week though.
Bringing the thread back to life as I have sold the mountain bike and buying a road bike (shirt and Jason iy is Chris Wisharts bike) and as swmbo is banning me from riding around JVC, it looks as if might have to go to the Qudra track. Question: where is the best place in Dubai to buy cleets and the associated cycling shoes (bandages available for when I forget to un slip my feet before stopping!)?
IanUAE said:
Bringing the thread back to life as I have sold the mountain bike and buying a road bike (shirt and Jason iy is Chris Wisharts bike) and as swmbo is banning me from riding around JVC, it looks as if might have to go to the Qudra track. Question: where is the best place in Dubai to buy cleets and the associated cycling shoes (bandages available for when I forget to un slip my feet before stopping!)?
Ian, best go to a recognised bike shop (couple in Motorcity) and speak to them. Some shoes only accept certain makes of cleats and the cleats come in a wide range of prices (go all fancy on c/f cleats). Some cleats are more suited to advanced riders i.e. less sideways movement of the cleat when cleated in.
Some shoes I found whilst fitting on the sole, left too much space above so too much movement in the shoe (remember, when you are cleated in, you will be pushing down and pulling up with your feet, so shoes need to fit nicely.) As such, it could be a bit risky shopping online, unless you find the show first.
Be prepared to be shocked at what you will pay for a pair of shoes and a set of cleats!
I will be up at Quadra inshallah at end of september having not ridden a bike in 7 months or so!
fitting is a must with shoes it seems, which is annoying as the sales are on in the uk bike shops. you can buy full carbon cleated pedals for about £80 from wiggle or chain reaction cycles.
not ridden since may and not done any exercise in chad at all - 50% because i'm not allowed out the complex at night and 50% because i don't fancy being run over if i did. can't wait to get back on the bike. doing a triathalon in october and need to get my ass into gear!
if you go out of the top of jvt onto hessa st you can go over the flyover to motorcity complex and do loops of the perimeter road, then once you're fit enough carry on upto qudra and do the stick and back. if you start early [6am] there's hardly any traffic. i found the roads ok up to about 10-11am on a weekend.
not ridden since may and not done any exercise in chad at all - 50% because i'm not allowed out the complex at night and 50% because i don't fancy being run over if i did. can't wait to get back on the bike. doing a triathalon in october and need to get my ass into gear!
if you go out of the top of jvt onto hessa st you can go over the flyover to motorcity complex and do loops of the perimeter road, then once you're fit enough carry on upto qudra and do the stick and back. if you start early [6am] there's hardly any traffic. i found the roads ok up to about 10-11am on a weekend.
Iain
Go and look at the bike shops here but be prepared for the price of things
Its a bit cheeky but go and try the shoes on somewhere and then look at the prices on line, you may be suprised
Check out :
Evans cycles
Merlin Cycles
If you want to try some Shimano shoes on for size , give me a shout. Im usually a size 9 , thats what I ordered and they come on slightly small
Chris is leaving the standard pedals on the bike, if you are going to buy some cleats decide if you want road ot mtb cleats,if road one of the options are SPD-SL cleats, go for the yellow ones, 6 degrees of float.
I have just ordered some new pedals, so my old ones will be going spare
Be prepared to fall ff at some point , when you forget to unclip. This will usually be in front of people
Get yourself some decent padded shorts, worth there weight in gold. There are some good sales on at Merlin at the moment, Lusso gelpad bib shorts are highly recomended as are the Extendo range
http://bikes.merlincycles.com/search?view=grid&...
Cheap cycling tops available from Direct sports UK, by cheap I mean 5gbp, and there is nothing wrong with them
http://www.sportsdirect.com/cycling/cycling-clothi...
Go and look at the bike shops here but be prepared for the price of things
Its a bit cheeky but go and try the shoes on somewhere and then look at the prices on line, you may be suprised
Check out :
Evans cycles
Merlin Cycles
If you want to try some Shimano shoes on for size , give me a shout. Im usually a size 9 , thats what I ordered and they come on slightly small
Chris is leaving the standard pedals on the bike, if you are going to buy some cleats decide if you want road ot mtb cleats,if road one of the options are SPD-SL cleats, go for the yellow ones, 6 degrees of float.
I have just ordered some new pedals, so my old ones will be going spare
Be prepared to fall ff at some point , when you forget to unclip. This will usually be in front of people
Get yourself some decent padded shorts, worth there weight in gold. There are some good sales on at Merlin at the moment, Lusso gelpad bib shorts are highly recomended as are the Extendo range
http://bikes.merlincycles.com/search?view=grid&...
Cheap cycling tops available from Direct sports UK, by cheap I mean 5gbp, and there is nothing wrong with them
http://www.sportsdirect.com/cycling/cycling-clothi...
Edited by jason90 on Saturday 19th July 10:55
Edited by jason90 on Saturday 19th July 12:15
I need to get back out once Ramadan is done for a few early morning stints.
I've finally finished the rebuild of my old bike, which started about 9 months ago, so it's all sparkly new and fresh.
On a side, I'm looking at building a full-suspension bike with a bit of cash I've got lying around. Does anyone head out (during winter) in to the mountains?
I've finally finished the rebuild of my old bike, which started about 9 months ago, so it's all sparkly new and fresh.
On a side, I'm looking at building a full-suspension bike with a bit of cash I've got lying around. Does anyone head out (during winter) in to the mountains?
Be prepared to cry at the price of shoes/cleats out here - maybe also look at Adventure HQ.
As for falling off in front of people at Al Qudra when still clipped in, who on earth would do that....... ermm
Jason, am back from my ride mate so will drop you a text to give the bike bag back to you. Cheers for that
As for falling off in front of people at Al Qudra when still clipped in, who on earth would do that....... ermm
Jason, am back from my ride mate so will drop you a text to give the bike bag back to you. Cheers for that
Chessers said:
Be prepared to cry at the price of shoes/cleats out here - maybe also look at Adventure HQ.
As for falling off in front of people at Al Qudra when still clipped in, who on earth would do that....... ermm
Jason, am back from my ride mate so will drop you a text to give the bike bag back to you. Cheers for that
He's alive As for falling off in front of people at Al Qudra when still clipped in, who on earth would do that....... ermm
Jason, am back from my ride mate so will drop you a text to give the bike bag back to you. Cheers for that
, that must have been some rideNo rush with the bag , hope it served its purpose
Cheers for the info Jason. I will come round and talk to you about the pedals and shoes after I finish moving which is real fun in the heat and Ramadan. Luckily I will be in the uk early October dropping Jai off at uni so a spot of cycling ordering / collection may just be on the cards. So do I or do I not order the marmite jersey?
jason90 said:
He's alive , that must have been some ride
No rush with the bag , hope it served its purpose
Only just! I hated my bike so much that I left it in the UK for three weeks , that must have been some rideNo rush with the bag , hope it served its purpose
.Still can't feel several parts of my body, so will not be volunteering to take part again.
Bag worked a treat mate, well bike came back in one piece which is a result of sorts.
I've got a pair of uk8.5 giro factors that are as good as new with yellow Shimano (max float) cleats which have still got some life in them. They have them in adventure hq so if they fit you I am sure we could come to an agreement . They are 1200dhs in the shop but as others have said would suggest trying on a few pairs for the best fit.
Edited by DubaiJohn on Tuesday 22 July 12:24
Gassing Station | Middle East | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff