According to several American and European surveys, the colour blue is most commonly associated with a couple of things including distance, confidence and infinity to name a few. While the colour also lends itself to a couple more interpretations, the aforementioned three are the ones that resonate most with the ladies comprising the Cycle Hub Ladies Team. All kitted in colour blue, they are confident, they can definitely go the distance and what distance would that be? Infinity and beyond. Let’s meet the entire ladies’ team!
Aimee Wright – Team Leader
I have been racing since I was 13, everything from criteriums, cyclocross, MTB, track, road, triathlon and duathlons. Growing up in Holland, I raced as a junior on the track and road. While living in the UK, I raced for a women’s team, competing in the National Road Series. I have been involved with cycling my whole life, due to it being a family business – my parents own a cycling holiday company in the French Pyrenees – so I spend my summers training and guiding guests around the mountains. The next event I am focusing on is the ADNOC Challenge; last year I won this event, so looking to retain my title.
Emma Dickie
I started riding a mountain bike when I decided I didn’t like catching buses to university and had no interest in getting a drivers’ license. Road cycling started when I moved to Dubai in 2008 and Ijoined the Cycle Hub Racing Team in 2015. Cycling for me isn’t just about riding a bike, racing and competing (although that is fun). I ride because I have the largest amount of passion for bikes and because cycling makes me feel ecstatic, it clears my mind, and it also gives me energy and it makes me feel fearless. I have met some of my best friends on bikes. Plus it is the most incredible way to travel and see the world. The greatest adventures I have had on my bike have been on a ride from China to Istanbul and another one across the Himalayas. The road from Hatta mountains to Kalba is one of my favourite routes to ride anywhere in the world – and it is right at our doorstep!
Sarah Maina
I started biking as part of my entry to triathlon one and a half years ago and bought my first bike a few months later. I started out doing easy rides around the Al Qudra track with friends on Friday mornings but added rides at the Autodrome on Wednesdays as I got more serious with my triathlon training.
I have joined races quite frequently during this past year as I love the thrill of racing and it keeps me working hard to progress for my next coming race; a great motivator! Also, every race brings new experience and knowledge about the sport and how I manage to push my body to the sweet spot of max performance without experiencing an energy crash, or finishing with energy left in the tank which is a bit of a challenge.
I focus on sprint triathlons but have started to join more bike races recently. So far I have joined two Team Time Trial races with the Cycle Hub Ladies Team placing 1st and 2nd, and completed the bike leg of the Ironman 70.3 Dubai in a relay team where we placed 1st.
As a triathlete, biking is my strongest discipline so being part of the Cycle Hub Ladies Team was a great opportunity for me to join another kind of racing: with girls only, in a team and going all out in one discipline. We have a great team spirit on the team and manage to mix tough biking with a lot of fun.
Aimee Davidson
I started mountain biking back in the UK in 2007 and regularly rode in the manmade trail centres of North Wales and the rugged terrain of the Peak District. The sole purpose of taking up mountain biking was to change my lifestyle and shift some weight that I had gained in my university days. There was rarely a weekend when my husband and I wouldn’t be on our bikes somewhere in the country come rain or shine!
I moved to Dubai in 2011. I quickly realised that it was much easier to jump on a road bike than to drive out of town on an early morning to beat the heat mountain biking. I found various cycling groups online and tested them out, I was regularly dropped or finding myself hiding in the peloton just to keep up! It was time to up my game!
The Cycle Hub Ladies Team came around at just the right time. I had been a coached rider for six months and was starting to see improvement in my riding around the time I was asked to join the team. Being part of The Cycle Hub team is great socially, the satisfaction of promoting the brands and the support and encouragement from the rest of the team — male and female sides. Being part of The Cycle Hub team has given me the opportunity, confidence and encouragement to want to do well in races.
Mariana Marx
Growing up in South Africa, it is the perfect place for outdoor sports. I started with road cycling while in high school, representing my province. Moving to Dubai, I started doing triathlons, including a full Ironman and a few 70.3 events. I also enjoy a bit of mountain biking, here in the UAE and I like to explore the Showka and Oman trails. I was fortunate to participate in The Trans-Hajar Event and Cape Epic 2013. Working full time as the Director of Operations in Wild Wadi Water Park, I try to get out on the bike at least three times a week.
Lucy Woollacott
I was a competitive swimmer in my childhood and only turned to triathlon last year when I purchased my first ever bike from the Cycle Hub. I was totally clueless and didn’t know the first thing about cycling. My first triathlon season was a great success (helped enormously by my super fast bike!) and I really enjoyed developing new skills on the bike. I am now looking forward to racing with the Cycle Hub Women’s Team and continuing that development. I have two young daughters, and am an accountant by profession.
Liset Burguera
Hello. My name is Liset Burguera. A 30 year old hybrid from Venezuela and The Netherlands, which means born and raised in Venezuela to a Dutch mother and luckily passport as well.
Since I was a kid, I’ve loved sports – any kind! I would try a different one every two months (ask my mom, she wasn’t very amused). In Venezuela we don’t have very good sports facilities or trainers, so I was just climbing trees, rollerblading, doing aerobics.
It wasn’t until I moved to Holland that I discovered what “real sports” is about. I wanted to learn to Ice skate and lucky me… during one of my rollerblade afternoons, I met the most crazy and dedicated short track trainer in the world, who taught me all I know today about training. I was training twice a day, filling training and nutrition logs, doing heavy weights (specifically legs), BUT… I was very bad at it. I truly believe that you can only be good at short track if you were born with blades on.
However, the story doesn’t end here. Short trackers bike a lot during the summer season! Good for me! I learned not to be dropped and got a new passion; Cycling!
When I came to Dubai (almost three years ago) to work as Cabin Crew for Emirates Airlines, the first thing I searched was for cycling groups. I remember going to the Autodrome for a test ride and since that day I haven’t been off my bike.
Here’s some of the team’s achievements in the UAE…
The Cycle Hub Ladies Results
1st Ramadan NAS road race (Dubai)
1st ADNOC championships (Dubai)
1st Mirfa road race (Dubai)
3rd Dubai horse triathlon
2nd Hatta Endurance 6 hour MTB race (Hot 6)
1st Dubai Pulse ride MTB
1st BeSport Individual TT
1st Team – Emirates TTT
1st Spinneys 92 challenge
1st Elite female LIWA Challenge
1st Mini Dubai Tour – female race
Words + Photos by: The Cycle Hub Ladies
