Words By: John Young
The third edition of the Wadi Bih Mountain Bike Challenge was held on Friday, 11th January 2013 in the Musandam mountains of Oman starting from Dibba. There was a great turnout of about 100 people, who came to escape the skyscrapers and hustle and bustle of the cities of the UAE to test themselves against gravity and experience the fresh mountain weather and the great outdoors.
There were very strong winds that day with rain at higher altitudes resulting in riders descending coated in mud and shivering. One of the few days in the UAE when one is looking forward to some sun. Luckily, the rain was not severe to start a flash flood, which could have washed out the wadi!
The grassroots event could not take place without the input of help from a number of companies’ organisations and individuals that all deserve many thanks: The Golden Tulip Hotel in Dibba, Absolute Adventure, Adventure HQ, Wolfi’s Bike Shop and OutdoorUAE magazine did a great job this year at helping support the event. The individuals that need a mention are Helen Rodd for maintaining the website for the event and providing some rational sane advice. Louise Galbraith is a stalwart supporter of both the Wadi Bih run and the Wadi Adventure race, and a big thank you is due to Louise and especially for all the help on Thursday and Friday.
It was the second year for the 30km Out and Back cycle, which proved a success and encouraged some mountain bikers and less competitive extreme mountain bikers into the wadi. One small glitch was the fact that the distance was actually about 18km to the turn, for a total of 36km.
The 1,000m hill climb event was held for the third year and the previous course record was broken by four riders. The gradient is fairly steady in the wadi until just before the end when there are a series of steep hairpin bends, which is a brutal test of stamina and endurance.
Well done to all the riders, and hope to see you next year!
