DUBAI // Christian Handrich jumped at the chance to join The National's #cycletoworkuae campaign on Tuesday and rekindle fond memories of riding his bike back home.
Mr Handrich grew up in Munich and cycled four kilometres to school every day for nine years and later to classes at university.
“In Dubai I cannot cycle the whole stretch from home to office, so I split it into twos,” said the German national. “The first stretch I use the bus to the Emirates Metro Station where I park my bicycle in the stands overnight. From there it is safe to cycle the 9.5 kilometres to my office in Oud Metha because the new infrastructure is already in place.
“I can only encourage anyone to try the same because it is also great fun and you see new parts of the city you do not even know existed.”
Mr Handrich, special projects manager at Ride Bike Shop, said the government had made great strides in making the UAE more cycle-friendly.
“Change will take time, it’s not immediate,” he said, adding that he saw many young children cycling around his neighbourhood in Dubai Silicon Oasis.
Staff members from Dubai Desert Extreme also took part in the #cycle-toworkuae campaign.
Vishal Bhatia, DDE head of marketing, said the morning ride around Oud Metha, where the company’s main office is located, was a wonderful experience.
“We were 17 people, and we started from the office and went around in a loop,” said Mr Bhatia, who cycles on a regular basis. “The sport is a very social one and very encouraging for kids, who are also given a competitive edge,” he said.
DDE is an agent for Giant bikes and has also recently launched LIV, which is a shop dedicated to women cyclists.
dmoukhallati@thenational.ae
