Whether it's the iconic image of Elliot cycling in front of the moon in Steven Spielberg's ET, or the young girl riding her bike for the first time in Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour's Wadjda, the image of cycling encapsulates a sense of freedom, fun and rebellion.
So perhaps it’s not surprising that a study published this month by Mindlab in the United Kingdom revealed that cyclists were found to be 13 per cent more intelligent – not to mention considerably “cooler” – than non-cyclists.
With that in mind, and in the run-up to our #CycleToWorkUAE event, we caught up with some of the country’s hard-core cycling fans to find out just why it is that they love to get on their bikes.
‘It helped me lose weight and changed my life’
Emma Woodcock, 45, who runs the Velo Vixens women’s cycling group in Dubai, cycles about 350 kilometres a week.
“Cycling started off as a way to lose weight,” she says. “I was 91 kilograms when my husband bought me my bike for my 41st birthday. My dad had died and I was really very unhappy.
“I’d never exercised, my whole life. I had quite a serious accident when I was 12, I went through a glass door and severed my quadriceps. I was then always excused from PE. I’d just never found anything that I was very good at.
“Initially it was just me and my husband Mark. We’d go out cycling in the mornings and, I think probably because I was still grieving, the sun would come up and all I could hear was the sound of the wheels – I call it meditation in motion. It was lovely and it helped to heal me.
“I lost 26kg in three months and I’ve never looked back. With cycling, you see yourself improve quickly, which is really motivating.
“Once you start losing weight, you start thinking about a whole different way of life. It’s not dieting anymore, it’s healthy living. You want to stretch, so you go to yoga. I can now get up the stairs without getting out of breath. It makes so much difference.
“And there are so many cycling groups, you’re not doing it by yourself. I’ve met incredible people that I absolutely think of as my family. I love them dearly.
‘It’s easy’
Emirati Roudha Alawadhi co-founded the Instagram group UAE Cycling Girls with pal Asma Al Janahi a month ago, with the aim of fostering a community of female cycling novices in Dubai. She only started cycling a year ago but was quickly hooked.
“I always joke that cycling is the sport for those who are too lazy to jog,” she says. “If jogging is too difficult, go on a bicycle. It’s easy and it’s much more fun than jogging.”
‘The sense of achievement’
Helle Bachofen von Echt, 35, from Denmark, is a spinning instructor and personal trainer who created the Instagram page The Girl Who Cycles in the Desert. Last year, she competed in the Amateur World Cycling Championship.
“What I love most about cycling is setting myself goals, working towards them and achieving them,” she says. “For me, to get on the podium is a great achievement. It’s about recognition and crossing personal barriers by pushing myself to the next level, again and again.
“I also love travelling to new places for races and cycling holidays, and meeting like-minded people from around the world.”
‘It connects me with nature’
Uwem Umana, 42, took up cycling as a child in Nigeria and has been cycling in Abu Dhabi since he moved here eight years ago from London.
He has cycled on-road with his wife, with their two young children on child seats on the backs of their bikes. He also cycled to work when he had a job as an English teacher downtown. These days, his routine involves cycling 18km at 4.30am every morning – and sometimes in the evenings as well – around Khalifa Park. He also still rides with his family at weekends.
“Cycling gives me the opportunity to contemplate,” he says. “Alone in the morning, I can see the moon dying out and feel the fresh morning stillness. As I’m coming out I see the starry sky – it connects me a lot with nature. I feel refreshed with the fresh air, so when I come back inside there’s a zest in me to start the day.
“I also like cycling because it’s something you can do alone, or in a group – unlike most sports where you need a partner or team to play with.
“There are no emissions, you don’t need to worry about a parking space and it’s a great way to move around town from A to B. And bikes here don’t get stolen as frequently as they do in the UK.”
‘A community to make new friends’
British expatriate Andy Whitaker, 41, is founder of the UAE’s mountain-biking club HOT-COG-MTB. By day, he runs the design agency Lavadesign in Dubai Silicon Oasis.
“The mountain-biking community is very warm and friendly and it’s an easy place to find great new friends,” he says.
“I got into mountain biking when I was 15 and lived on the edge of three national parks. It was much more exciting for me to escape into the hills and away from any road traffic. It’s like meditation once I’m out on the bike in the countryside, away from the crazy drivers. Nothing else matters when you are focused on the trail.
“Mountain biking is much more physical and an all-over body workout compared with road cycling, as you use your upper-body a great deal in manoeuvring the bike and when riding technical terrain and jumps. In addition, you spend time carrying the bike over hills and obstacles and its not always time spent in one position in the saddle.”
‘It takes away my stress’
German Wolfgang Hohmann, 44, co-founded the cycling group Dubai Roadsters and runs Wolfi’s Bike Shop on Sheikh Zayed Road.
“Something almost magical happens in my body when I’m cycling,” he says. “When I’ve been riding for 20 to 30 minutes, hormones go through my system that make me feel happy and relaxed. It’s just this repetitive motion that takes my mind away from the stress I had.
“Albert Einstein had the theory of relativity on his bike. My ideas are a little smaller than that, but I do have a lot of good ideas when I’m riding.”
‘It’s low impact’
Peter Pastijn is co-founder of The Room, a gym in Abu Dhabi, and a Power Specialist Master Instructor for its spinning programme.
The Belgian was a squash champion in his country for nine years and was number 64 in the world, then became Belgium’s national squash coach. He started cycling to complement his squash training.
“Cycling is a great sport for people who are not in their early twenties,” he says. “For a person of my age – I’m 41 – I think it’s one of the most beautiful sports because there is not the impact that you get from running, so there’s less chance of injuries. I love running but it gets my knees and back in trouble.
“And the strengthening of muscles, ligaments and tendons in cycling also lowers the number of injuries.
“The increased stimulation of fat-burning metabolism during long, steady rides leads to better body composition and health, as well as fewer sugar cravings and mood swings.
“And the heightened muscular and cardiovascular capacity leads to increased energy levels in daily life.”
artslife@thenational.ae
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
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More from Neighbourhood Watch
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket