Author’s note
My great Arabian ride was almost 15 years ago and it is only at the insistence of friends like Alan Parker, Mel Green and Alan Booth that I am now getting it published. ‘The Ride’ was written shortly after completion and what you read has been taken almost word for word from the original account, some of the phrases and grammar have been tidied up. Any notes added later for clarity have been put in square brackets and italicised [like this]. Thanks also go to Jim Tvarian & Tim Woodhouse, fellow teachers at Wat Suthiwararam High School, Bangkok for their proof reading and for confirming what my wife, Goy, has always suspected — that I am crazy!
Peter Friar
Bangkok
Thailand
May 04
During my teenage years I was a keen cyclist – never on a ‘racer’ because my dad considered them ‘dangerous’ so I was never allowed to buy one! I bought my first ‘racer’ at the grand old age of about 35, mainly to do some gentle exercise and to keep my spreading waistline down but the cycling ‘bug’ again bit me again! After doing a few circuits of Widnes – Penketh – Widnes, I decided to venture further afield and joined the Runcorn CTC led by Alan Booth; who after my first long ride with them to the Sunspot café gave me some sound advice “Get yourself a strong pair of walking boots and join the Ramblers Association!”
In 1989, I accepted my second contract in Saudi Arabia as an aero-evac medic for Lear Siegler Inc. in Taif. I was met by the company personnel manager in Taif, a chap by the name of David Glynn. I found out that he too was a keen cyclist and was only born a few miles away from me – I was born in Prescot and he in Huyton. We were about the same age and, although I did not know him then, we cycled the same routes in our teenage years!
David and I started our cycling trips from our compound ‘Al Gaim’ about 11 miles from Taif into the centre of Taif every Thursday morning – just a gentle trip to the ‘House of Donuts’ for a cup of coffee and a few doughnuts! David used to buy the Daily Mail or Express (whichever was available) but I thought at about £5 per copy and a few days old for the Express or the Mail was, in my opinion, a bit too much! We decided to start going further afield and eventually doing a charity ride from Taif to Riyadh. If we were to do this ride, we would need at least two reliable drivers and decided to ask two company employees, Jim Paulin (Logistics) and Rich Weiss (Radio), who would accompany us on longer training rides and the ride itself. David would get the paperwork and various permissions sorted out and I would get the sponsorship. I came home on leave in July 89 after having arranged with Impsport of Lincoln to supply printed tops for us with ‘Taif – Riyadh’ printed on them. When I returned, David informed me that the ride was now Dhahran to Jeddah and could I get Impsport to change the tops! Without e-mail or fax it was impossible to do, I tried to convince them that Taif-Riyadh was long enough and we could save the cross-country ride till next year – I was out voted 3-1! Just a quick word on one type of permission that was needed, there are basically three police forces in Saudi Arabia –civil, military and religious (The Mutawa: guardians of morals & ethics). David and Suleiman pleaded with the Mutawa to let us cycle through the Kingdom wearing shorts and they reluctantly agreed!
By this time our training rides were now starting at dawn and ending about 100 to 120 miles away and being driven back in the GMC Suburban by either Jim or Rich. I feel that I must mention two amusing incidents that happened during training. The first was regarding out first trip to Jeddah. At the time, if you wanted to go more than 30kms away from your place of work you needed a ‘travel letter’ signed by your employer, which in our case was the base commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force base at Taif. Out company – Lear Siegler Inc.- provided management services for them. Having written out our letter, Suleiman our government relations officer took it to be signed. The conversation went something like this: -
Base Commander “Peter Friar – I’ve heard of him, he’s your medic”
Suleiman “Yes”
Base commander “Going to Jeddah – by bicycle? Is he mad?”
Base Commander “OK!” and then he signed it
The second incident was when I was cycling back alone. We had found a nice bakers shop at a place called Al Sail al Saghir which made the most delicious bread I’ve tasted in years! I was just passing the Army Barracks about halfway back to Al Gaim when I was passed by a black Toyota crew cab pick up truck (White ones are common but there are not many black ones!) A forest of waving arms shot out of the pick up and there was a lot of jeering. Fortunately the truck passed me and did a u-turn by Taif sports stadium, they were jeering when the passed me on the other side of the dual carriageway. A few moments later I heard a car horn behind me, looked round and it was the same truck! “I’m in trouble here”, I thought – do I pedal like mad, go off road or stop? The dreaded black truck drew level with me and slowed to my pace: a hand shot out of the passenger door and a voice shouted – in almost perfect English – “Do you want a Pepsi, my friend?” I accepted and breathed a sigh of relief!
There were many other training incidents – four punctures and a cracked rim (simultaneously) at a cattle grid just outside Taif; the time when David went by car to Jeddah, told me that he had bought two wheels and could I fix them for him. I told him that I could, not realising that his two wheels were 2 rims, 2 hubs and 72 spokes! Somehow, I managed it.
David rode a Bianchi bought in Taif. I rode a Raleigh Granada tourer – 48/36 with 12 to 24 rear sprocket. My rear wheel was a 48 spoke tandem wheel built by Alan Booth. I used two CatEye computers – one calibrated in miles, the other in kilometres.
Two disappointments were that Guinness did not recognise it as a world record – we gave them all paperwork they asked for but the feat, they said, was not noteworthy enough! The second was that neither Rolex nor Omega would supply a watch so that I could time the event Sponsors of the ride included John Geddes Cycles of Widnes, Ray & Audrey Sloan (Charlie Binghams, Widnes), Ron Kitching of Harrogate, DHL, Samir Photography, Jeddah, and Lear Siegler. I am indebted to Alan Booth and all members of the Runcorn CTC for all their support.
The Ride
Most of the team, myself, David Glynn, Jim Paulin and Rich Weiss along with Dave’s wife – Pel – left the Al Gaim Compound in Taif on Wednesday the 18th of November 1989 en route for Dhahran. We went in two vehicles: Dave, Pel and Jim in the GMC Suburban with Rich and I in the Chevrolet Impala station wagon. The first leg of the journey would take us to the company’s compound –The ‘Roc’ in Riyadh and we expected that this would take us about seven hours.
We could survey a lot of the route before nightfall, although the first 200kms were well known to us from our training rides. Dave and Jim took notes along the way as they looked for suitable stops and we would backtrack the distances when we got to Dhahran. The road from the car looked very different from the road we cycled along; it’s very difficult to judge gradients when driving, sometimes you can’t tell if you are going up or down!
About seven hours after leaving Al Gaim we arrived at The Roc where our company had provided us with a villa for the night. Mike Adams [LSI Riyadh] and his wife were there to meet us and after refreshments we retired to our villa for the night. The following morning, we were to attend a reception at UNICEF’s headquarters.
After a leisurely breakfast, Mike’s car led the convoy to UNICEF’s HQ where we were to meet the staff and members of the press. Mr Sabah Hashim Allawi made is most welcome and he introduced us to his staff and the press.
We talked to the press about all aspects of the trip and did our best to answer their questions. During the visit, Mr Allawi presented us with certificates, badges and T-shirts. After the formal part was over, a buffet was laid on and we chatted to all those present; one thing that surprised David and I was that Sujata Venugopal – a freelance writer- told us that her husband once worked in Liverpool and that she used to manage a supermarket not far from David’s birthplace. [I think it was a Lennon’s either in Huyton or Old Swan]
Pel had been invited to stay with Mike and his wife [I cannot remember her name but I think that she was Thai – Pel was also Thai] for a few days before flying back to Taif. Mike shown us out of Riyadh and onto the Dhahran road. The road was new to me and we could survey the whole of it in daylight. The fuel gauge in the Impala was reading almost empty and Rich and I wondered if we would reach a filling station before we ran out of gas. The miles rolled by and there was no sign of life. Both of us wondered how long it would be before we were running on fumes! There was a group of buildings on the horizon but as we neared it, it turned out to be some form of workplace. I has visions of pushing a fully laden station wagon when, much to our relief, we saw a filling station.
Night was falling when we reached the company compound in Dhahran. Bob Winklepleck [LSI manager, Dhahran] met us and this was a chance for Rich to renew old friendships – he had transferred to Taif from Dhahran. Two of his old friends – Jose & Dina Ortiz – offered to get up early next morning to cook breakfast for us. Despite our protestations that we would be up and away early, they insisted and how could we refuse such a noble gesture? We had some last minute shopping to do, get something to eat and get the bikes sorted. I worked on the bikes and the others got something to eat. I did not go hungry as the team brought back three enormous hamburgers for me. Jim and Rich went to the airport to pick up the final member of the team – Suleiman al Nemary, a Saudi National and LSI Taif’s government relations officer. He was to be very important to us later during the journey. [He also provided us with a great display of skill and/or foolishness by exiting the Suburban’s window, climbing onto the roof and when he reached the tailgate squatted down and started talking to us – we were travelling at about 20mph at the time!]
The team was now assembled, bikes ready, cars refuelled and time for bed. Morning and the start of the ride were only a few short hours away. I went to bed with a thousand and one thoughts on my mind. Have we done enough training (or overdone it)? Have we got everything? Is our paperwork in order? Sleep came easily to me that night and it was not to long before I was awake and raring to go ……. but first to Jose & Dina’s for breakfast!
With breakfast over, it was time to get ready for the ride of our lives. We rode around the compound to warm our muscles up. It was before dawn on a November morning but the humidity was too much for me – even at 4 a.m. I had intended to wear skin bib tights but even those felt too hot for me. [Taif is about 6500 feet above sea level with no humidity – I was accustomed to the heat but not the humidity at sea level] I, then, made the big mistake of changing into my shorts and putting sun block on my legs – hopefully I would not get burnt but I only have to look at the sun and I turn red!
After posing for the obligatory photographs and ceremonial handshake, it was time to set the pedals in motion and head west, first of all to Riyadh, then Taif and finally Jeddah and the Red Sea. No one had cycled so far in the Kingdom before and we hoped to be the first to cross the Arabian Peninsula by bike. The route was one long road and we knew that we were in for a great time. [As we set off, the words of the old Faron Young country song ‘It’s four in the morning’ was playing in my mind’] The early morning pace was kept deliberately low as we left Dhahran and climbed into the hinterland. Dawn on the first day broke and the temperature started to rise. At the top of the next hill, I saw something that I did not expect to in the Kingdom –fog! [That’s a slight exaggeration – but definitely a heavy mist] We stopped and looked all around us. The condensation was already making our clothes stick to our bodies!
There’s not much to look at in the way of scenery apart from the ever changing colours and an everlasting grey ribbon of tarmac. The road continued its upward climb but there were a few nice descents along the way. Only two things marred the first morning – David had a puncture in his rear tyre and there was a sandstorm. We were able to do something about the former but, alas, we could do nothing about the latter! After a few kilometres of the storm, we took shelter in the lee of the Suburban and grabbed a bite to eat. Somehow during that morning I strained a calf muscle and my legs had turned a lovely shade of bright pink but only on the side that was facing the sun! It’s very difficult to ride when you are getting sandblasted. The storm subsided and we had a favourable wind. Hopefully this wind will follow is all the way to Jeddah.
Along the Dhahran to Riyadh road, there were few signs of life or habitation. Almost all the truck drivers who passed us blew their horns and waved, car drivers did the same and with all the waving we were doing I thought it would not be too long before my arm fell off. Many people had told us that we must be crazy for cycling in the Kingdom because of the traffic and the heat but apart from a very few minor incidents we never found it so.
The hours passed in comparative comfort and at dusk we had covered over 250 kms (155 miles). There was a parking place just ahead and we pulled into it; we had been advised not to camp in the desert but to find well lit places like villages, filling stations and the like. Suleiman went on ahead and scouted the place but came back and told us that it was not safe for us to stop and that we should go on. [I can now reveal the extent of ‘not safe’. A marauding Bedouin tribe – the al Otabi – had been hiding in the desert, coming onto the Trans-Arabian highway and robbing and killing people. The Royal Saudi Air Force had scrambled fighters to try and capture them but were never successful! Did the team know about this at the time – Yes!] My body groaned in protest –‘We’ll be safer a few kilometres up the road’. Little did I know that a few kilometres would turn out to be about a hundred. “Look on the bright side”, said David, “We’ll have less to do tomorrow!” The spirit was willing but the flesh was decidedly weak, the calf was painful and the sunburn made its presence felt.
I knew there was nothing by the roadside but I could see trees, houses and countless other things, no I was not hallucinating; it was just the desert playing tricks on me. David and I kept between the two cars and we scanned the horizon for any signs of life. We did see what appeared to be a filling station, only to be disappointed when we got there. President Bush [the father not son] may have talked about ‘a thousand points of light’ but we saw them! [He made this reference in an election speech] Distance is difficult to judge in the desert and it’s twice as hard at night! Again, disappointment met us as the road went one way and the lights another. It was probably a power station or something similar. The heat of the day was now gone and it was getting a bit cool. Legs were now very heavy as we spotted trucks pulling off the road in front of us; this was it, it had to be! It was time for a final spurt and a good nights rest. Seventeen hours and 349 kms (216 miles) after leaving Dhahran we had reached al Wasia and the end of our first days ride. It was too late in the day to bother with putting up tents so Suleiman booked us into the hotel. The room was big enough for the five of us, nothing spectacular and at only 80 Saudi Riyals (£13.50); it would serve its purpose
Six o’clock the following morning, we had breakfasted and were ready to start the second day’s ride that would see us through Riyadh and towards the interior of the Kingdom. Dawn had just arrived as we set off –uphill! Why can’t we start the day with a descent or at least a flat stretch of road? Unfortunately. This pattern of early morning starts would be the norm. Riyadh was just over 100kms away and again there was little sign of life [along the highway]; there were not even camels to witness the curious sight of two foreigners on bicycles. The wind had dropped and the humidity had been left far behind in Dhahran. We only had a few stops that morning as we pushed on towards the capital city and the going was fairly good. Suleiman had gone on ahead of us to meet with Mike Adams who had frozen some cases of bottled water that we left with him – hopefully these would stay frozen until we reached Al Gaim. We had decided to take water with us as we were used to drinking one brand and any other brand may cause us stomach problems! Our route was to take us around Riyadh’s ring road and we did not see a lot of the city. By now, I had great difficulty in standing, let alone pedalling and was very glad to see Suleiman and Mike.
Lunch was over and was now time to take our leave and continue our trip. Riyadh is built on a hill and it is now time to ride down the escarpment [We rode a few small hills in the morning-if my memory serves me right they were nothing spectacular] but now we had to ride the roller coaster of three steep rises and falls. The start of the roller coaster indicated a 7% descent, I prefer to have my hills marked ‘1 in 8’ and can’t tell you how steep 7% is! Cycling is all about reward and punishment. After a ‘punishing’ mornings ride we were about to get our ‘reward’; 6 kilometres of sheer exhilaration with speeds of over 80kph [Top speed on the third escarpment was about 66 mph but I think it sounds better if I say about 110 kph!]: straight down from the top through steep cliffs on either side with motorists looking on in sheer amazement. We stopped at the foot of the [last] escarpment for a rest and to have photos taken, both of us wanted to do it again but reason and sanity prevailed! With the roller coaster over, it was time for heads down, tails up and go!
The road continued its undulating snake ever onwards and it was not too long before we saw the first indication that ‘home’ was in sight: a sign that said ‘Taif 732 kms’ Well, not really within seeing distance but a sign to say that we were well on the way! After yesterday’s long ride, we decided to have an early finish. At about 5 in the evening, we were having a rest and it was decided that Jim and Rich should go on ahead to find a suitable campsite. We needed permission to camp so Suleiman penned a note for them to take along. Suleiman accompanied us and it was not too long before we spotted a collection of buildings and wondered if this was to be our night’s stop. As we rode up to it, I mentioned that Zalim was only about 300kms away and we decided to go for it the next day: I was to find out how wrong I was the next day! [The small town of Zalim on the Taif-Riyadh highway was the furthest we got from Taif in training] The Suburban was parked in one corner and the tents were almost put up. It was not too long before we had set up the camp, cleaned the bikes and were sitting down to our evening meals of sausages and beans.Suleiman was in his element that second night, under the desert sky and puffing on his hubbly-bubbly pipe. He was smoking a herbal mix that smelled a bit like Christmas pudding. He wanted me to try and I agreed but only if I could wear his goutra and iqaal and have my photo taken. The goutra is the coloured head square and the iqaal is the rope circlet that keeps it in place. So there was I, lounging on Suleiman’s bed ‘neath the desert sky and puffing merrily away on the hubbly-bubbly: just like a scene from’1001 Tales of the Arabian Nights’! Suleiman’s bed was next to the Suburban and he had gathered some stones to throw at the wild dogs that could be heard in the background. Fortunately they did not come near, in fact the only visitor we had was in the early evening. A small mouse approached the campsite, inspected us closely before he went back to his home later that evening.
It was about 8 o’clock before we went to bed and had arranged to be up at three and away at four. David and I were up at about 1-30am with Jim and Rich a few minutes after us. Breakfast was soon on the go; scrambled eggs and coffee set us up for the rest of the day. Everything was stored away; the campsite was left clean and tidy as we set off for Zalim and the first climb of the day. One of the first signposts that I saw told me that Zalim was too far away to be reached that day. The third day’s ride was marred by a strong headwind that blew and blew all day long. Making progress was very hard indeed but the terrain was fairly flat. I won’t say that we made good progress, let’s just say that we made progress! The scenery reminded me of English moorland – bleak and windswept – but there’s grass on the moors. The wind had dropped [slightly!] and the sand was not blowing. I was more concerned with the wind than the sightseeing but I saw some interesting sights. There were some irrigation schemes and an unexpected surprise – an artificial waterfall!
The irrigation schemes were fed with water pumped up from deep wells, which was then fed through a rotating pipe that looked like a giant lawn sprinkler. Around midday, after climbing up a long incline, we saw a stepped cliff. As we approached, we saw greenery on it and water cascading down. I don’t know who built it or why but there it stands – a mystery in the middle of the desert. It may have been the overflow from some unseen power station or industrial plant. On the opposite side of the road was a high wall of undeterminable length that may have had something to do with the waterfall. [I tried to find out more about this waterfall and the wall but never did find out.]
The wind did start to ease late in the day and it had long been apparent that Zalim was not going to be our overnight stop. Our speed quickened as the wind dropped and as night was almost upon us we found ourselves at Al Khasla and a small roadside hotel. Again, we decided to forgo the pleasures of camping and spend the night in a proper bed. Suleiman haggled with the owner over the cost of the room and got it reasonably cheap: cheaper, in fact, than the hotel at Al Wasia! bikes We had just finished cleaning our bikes when a policeman from a nearby checkpoint came to see us. David’s pedal was twisted and his rear bearing needed adjusting. I fixed the bearing and David changed the pedal – we had brought a spare bike along. The police were having a ‘goat grab’ later that evening and we were invited along. [The famous Arabian goat grab is literally just that – take one large serving platter (about 4-5 foot oval will do) lay a bed of rice and vegetables then put one whole barbecued goat on it. And then just literally grab pieces and eat]. Although we would have loved to go, the wind for much of the day had taken its toll and the invitation politely declined. Dinner was served in the hotel, four of us had chicken curry and Rich tried the camel curry. I would have been adventurous and tried the camel but decided to go with the things I knew and not try something that might disagree with me. Three days of riding had seen us travel 836 kms (520 miles) – more than halfway but we still had the best part of 700 kms to go. Now, if it wasn’t for the headwind, we may have been able to get to Zalim!
The fourth day, if all went well, would see us on familiar ground and into the Al Gaim compound. For once, we did not have a stiff climb first thing and the weather was favourable. I had the feeling that we were in for a good day’s ride! The scenery was much like that of the previous day but without the wind and we made excellent progress during the morning. The road had long since changed from a dual carriageway with three lanes on both sides and a hard shoulder to a three-lane highway with no hard shoulder but, fortunately, the traffic was fairly light. As we rode, David and I chatted and I said that I thought that we would reach Zalim about noon but he said that it would be more like one o’clock and indeed it was closer to one than twelve when we halted under a bridge in Zalim. Could we possibly make Al Gaim that night – 250 kms down the road? Well, the weather was in our favour, we were both feeling fit and we did know the road from the Pakistan Hotel about 50 kms away. If we could reach Al Gaim, that would mean that the final day to Jeddah would be a fairly short one and most of that would be downhill. The single three-lane highway became a dual carriageway again at Zalim and a few kilometres from the town saw the start of an incline that would continue up to the hotel. We were now in the hottest part of the day and this climb was the last thing that we wanted! There were only a few more kilometres to go before we reached the Pakistan Hotel and the top of the rise.After a break by the hotel, we knew that our goal of Al Gaim was in reach and I had just got my second wind. The road from here was well known to us from our many training rides but now we were going in the opposite direction than we were used to. The road was completely different to what we thought it would be like, there were ‘ups’ where there should have been ‘downs’ but spirits were high when we reached the ‘End of the Fence’; the central reservation has a wire fence running along the length of it and it ends abruptly about 160kms from Al Gaim. This was the stopping point of our first 100-mile training ride. It was now late in the afternoon and Al Gaim was only a few hours away or was it? Our next stop would be the Radwan turn-off and then make all haste for the compound and bed.
Dusk was just falling as we halted at the turn off, a few minutes later we were off again but not for long! With the Suburban in front and the Impala behind, there was not far to go now. We had only been travelling for moments when we saw red flashing lights in the background and they were closing in fast: it had to be a police car and we thought that he was going to give us an escort but not quite! He pulled the convoy over and warned us of the dangers of cycling at night. We were strongly advised to halt for the night; in fact, he insisted that we stopped! Despite long and arduous negotiations between the policeman and Suleiman, the policeman would not budge so that was the end of the fourth day’s cycling. We discussed the predicament that we were in and could either camp at Radwan or load the bikes into the cars, drive to Al Gaim and return to the same spot tomorrow. ‘Al Gaim and the comfort of our own beds!’ Where we were pulled up would be easy to find, about 15 metres in front of us was a sign that said ‘Taif 105 kms’. It would make tomorrow’s ride longer but we could do nothing else – the police have to be obeyed!
At the compound, we stripped both vehicles; all we wanted to take on the ride to Jeddah was the Suburban. We would not need the camping equipment or changes of clothing. Time to head for my villa, a nice long bath and bed for a few hours. I must have set my alarm clock wrong by one hour and I was just about to have my breakfast when there was a knock on the door and David appeared! Hastily grabbing my shoes, gloves and breakfast of cereal and coffee, I got into the Suburban and we were heading back to ‘Taif 105 kms’ and our final day’s ride. To make sure that we did not miss a metre of the trip, we decided to start the ride beneath the bridge at the turn off. It was still dark as we set off and there was a bit of a chill in the air. Jeddah was about 300 kms away but there were some good descents along the way. As we rode along, we saw familiar landmarks – the truck weigh station, Haden turn off, Arafah rest area and the old Turkish fort. The wind started to pick up and, as usual, it wasn’t behind us. Our breakfast stop was to be a filling station just outside Hawiyah and then for the first time in days left the Taif Riyadh highway. We were now in the Hijaz mountain range that separates the Red Sea plain from the rest of the Kingdom and it’s the highest range in the kingdom: parts of it rise to over 8,500 feet. The next town that we were to pass through was Al Sail Al Kabeer. From the breakfast stop to Al Sail, there were three glorious descents and two minor climbs. Our speed picked up as we sped towards the town. One feature of the scenery here is the large sandstone blocks that may have been moved from the road as it was excavated: these appear to have been carefully and artistically placed there by the road makers – possibly their monument to the time they spent in the Kingdom. I may be wrong; these blocks may be in their natural position and are just the product of wind erosion. The long descent continued past the police checkpoint with the wind gusting up from the coast.
There are three routes from Al Sail to Jeddah – through Mecca, the snake road and the truck route. We are not Muslims and as such cannot enter the city of Mecca and the Mecca route is the shortest. The ‘snake’ is shorter than the truck route and as its name implies snakes down the mountains: it is fairly narrow and does not have the benefit of a hard shoulder and it’s about half the length of the truck route. The truck route is the main artery for the transport of goods to and from Jeddah. [We chose the truck route]
The scenery had changed from the drab sandstone of the interior to the multi-hued hills of the coastal plain: these reminded me of the multi-coloured sand filled lighthouse souvenirs that are prevalent in England’s southern seaside resorts. Traffic was fairly light and the only sound that accompanied for most of the day was the chugging of the petrol driven engines used to pump water to irrigate the crops.
As far as the landscape is concerned, this last day was the most interesting. We had started in the empty desert, progressed through the tree-line of the Taif area, through the top of the Hijaz mountains and were now approaching the fertile coastal plain. The humidity was starting to build up again; the finish of the ride must be near. We stopped for a light lunch just outside Jamoum and now it was time for the final 40 or so kilometres. The road narrowed again and we were faced with the problem of no hard shoulder; we decided to ride as close to the edge of the road as possible and have the Suburban in close attendance.Spirits were now very high as we entered Jeddah but where should we stop? City centre? Corniche? We never really decided that question, it was decided for us! Traffic was building up for the evening rush hour, my rear wheel bearing was extremely loose and I heard a ‘ping’ from my front wheel. We motioned to the support crew that we were stopping and that the Trans-Arabian UNICEF ride was over!
Five days, 60hours, 30 minutes cycling time and 1481 kms (920 miles) had passed since we left Dhahran. The only thing left to do as to load up the Suburban and head back ‘up the hill’ to Al Gaim but first to drive along the Corniche. Someone said that we forgot to pose for the ‘finish’ photographs – how could we have forgot that event?
The only reminders of the finish that we have are photos taken from inside the Suburban as we drove along the Corniche.
We had done it!
