• Al Qudra cycling track is the longest circuit in Dubai. AFP
    Al Qudra cycling track is the longest circuit in Dubai. AFP
  • Nad Al Sheba is home to a former camel track that now offers cyclists 13km of pathway, with views of Downtown Dubai and Burj Khalifa. Pawan Singh / The National
    Nad Al Sheba is home to a former camel track that now offers cyclists 13km of pathway, with views of Downtown Dubai and Burj Khalifa. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Dubai Autodrome in Motor City also offers a private 2.4km circuit that's good for beginners and veterans alike. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National
    Dubai Autodrome in Motor City also offers a private 2.4km circuit that's good for beginners and veterans alike. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National
  • A 19km bike track connects Al Khawaneej community to the Mushrif Park pathway. Pawan Singh / The National
    A 19km bike track connects Al Khawaneej community to the Mushrif Park pathway. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Bikers can head to Jumeirah Beach, where a recently completed 16km track extends alongside the shoreline. Sarah Dea / The National
    Bikers can head to Jumeirah Beach, where a recently completed 16km track extends alongside the shoreline. Sarah Dea / The National
  • Meydan cycling track is good for families. Victor Besa / The National
    Meydan cycling track is good for families. Victor Besa / The National
  • Dubai Water Canal has cycling lanes. Pawan Singh / The National
    Dubai Water Canal has cycling lanes. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Al Barsha Pond Park also boasts dedicated cycling lanes. Satish Kumar / The National
    Al Barsha Pond Park also boasts dedicated cycling lanes. Satish Kumar / The National
  • Al Warqa in Ras Al Khor has shaded cycling lanes. Satish Kumar / The National
    Al Warqa in Ras Al Khor has shaded cycling lanes. Satish Kumar / The National
  • The cycle track in Mushrif Park. Antonie Robertson / The National
    The cycle track in Mushrif Park. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Expo 2020 Dubai has 10km of cycling tracks, plus bikes for hire and shaded bike stops. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Expo 2020 Dubai has 10km of cycling tracks, plus bikes for hire and shaded bike stops. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Dubai Marina and JBR have dedicated cycling lanes. Satish Kumar / The National
    Dubai Marina and JBR have dedicated cycling lanes. Satish Kumar / The National
  • Hatta is a paradise for mountain bikers. Getty Images
    Hatta is a paradise for mountain bikers. Getty Images

Eight popular cycling tracks in Dubai, from Al Qudra to Jumeirah


Katy Gillett
  • English
  • Arabic

As the weather remains cool across the UAE, many fitness enthusiasts are taking to the cycling tracks.

Dubai has been pressing ahead with its goal to promote the city as a cyclists' haven, with plans to expand the tracks from 463 kilometres to 759km by 2026 in line with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

There are more than 20 dedicated cycling tracks laid out by the Roads and Transport Authority and Dubai Municipality. These are in areas such as Downtown Dubai, Dubai Water Canal, Al Sufouh, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Beach Road, Al Quoz, Oud Metha, Expo 2020 Dubai and Nad Al Sheba, to name a few.

There are also almost 800 bicycles available to rent from more than 70 bike rental stations in areas from JLT to Barsha Heights and Downtown Dubai to Al Karama.

Across the city there are closed-loop circuits, as well as public tracks that extend through entire neighbourhoods. There are also special cycling lanes in several public parks, including Al Barsha Pond Park, Mushrif Park and the Quranic Park.

Eight popular cycling spots in Dubai:

Al Qudra

The longest cycling track in Dubai is in Al Qudra and this is where you'll spot professional athletes alongside amateur cyclists. Surrounded by desert vistas, the 135km track spans from Al Barari to Bab Al Shams along Al Qudra Street.

There are two paths here: a shorter 18km one, plus a 50km path.

Bikes are available to rent.

Hatta

Hatta is a preferred spot in the UAE for mountain bikers. Getty Images
Hatta is a preferred spot in the UAE for mountain bikers. Getty Images

Mountain bikers will want to head to Hatta, where a dedicated 52km trail has four different levels for cyclists of varying abilities.

Bikes and other essentials are also available to hire.

Nad Al Sheba

This former camel track now offers cyclist 13km of pathway, with views of Downtown Dubai and Burj Khalifa.

It's located near to the Meydan Racecourse and features 4km, 6km and 8km loops, with a track for children, too.

The Dubai Autodrome

It may be a motorsport facility, but Dubai Autodrome in Motor City also offers a private 2.4km circuit that's good for beginners and veterans alike.

Al Khawaneej

A 19km bike track connects Al Khawaneej community to the Mushrif Park pathway.

Jumeirah

Cycle tracks are located in Jumeirah. Pawan Singh / The National
Cycle tracks are located in Jumeirah. Pawan Singh / The National

Bikers can head to Jumeirah Beach, where a recently completed 16km track extends alongside the shoreline, connecting the existing Jumeirah Street bike path that runs parallel to the Dubai Water Canal and the track in Dubai Internet City.

Expo 2020 Dubai

More than 10km of cycling tracks were designed specifically for getting around Expo 2020 Dubai and 230 bicycles are available to rent across 23 stations on the site, with more than 160 shaded bike stops in the area. These can be booked through the Careem Bike App.

Mushrif National Park

The first phase of a project to build a 50km sand bike track in Mushrif National Park has been completed. The track, which currently spans 20km, is set amid the area's foliage-filled forest, where there are about 70,000 trees.

Photos of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, cycling through Mushrif National Park:

  • Sheikh Hamdan, the Crown Prince of Dubai, cycles along the sandy bike track in Dubai’s Mushrif National Park. All photos: @HamdanMohammed via Twitter
    Sheikh Hamdan, the Crown Prince of Dubai, cycles along the sandy bike track in Dubai’s Mushrif National Park. All photos: @HamdanMohammed via Twitter
  • The 50km track is located inside the park’s forest, home to 70,000 trees.
    The 50km track is located inside the park’s forest, home to 70,000 trees.
  • The track is designed to appeal to both amateurs and professionals.
    The track is designed to appeal to both amateurs and professionals.
  • The track is one of many initiatives designed to encourage sports and recreational activities in Dubai.
    The track is one of many initiatives designed to encourage sports and recreational activities in Dubai.
In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).

Company profile

Date started: December 24, 2018

Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer

Based: Dubai Media City

Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)

Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech

Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year

Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

hall of shame

SUNDERLAND 2002-03

No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.

SUNDERLAND 2005-06

Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.

HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19

Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.

ASTON VILLA 2015-16

Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.

FULHAM 2018-19

Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.

LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.

BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Tips for taking the metro

- set out well ahead of time

- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines

- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on

- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers

'O'
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england euro squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)

Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

SPEC SHEET

Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support

Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR

Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps

Audio: Stereo speakers

Biometrics: Touch ID

I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)

Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular

Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue

Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)

Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
  • George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
  • Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
  • Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
  • Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills. 
Hunting park to luxury living
  • Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
  • The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
  • Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds

 

Updated: January 23, 2022, 12:47 PM