My name is Christian Handrich and I am originally from Munich, Germany. Since 2005 I have been working in tourism in the UAE and Oman where I turned my passion for cycling and tourism into my profession. From my experiences I can now already show many people a different face to this region on one of my cycling tours. I wanted to also share with all readers of Outdoor UAE some of the unknown hidden locations in the region, which are safe and offer a great cycling experience.
For the first route I want to take you along the Al Ain highway just 40 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi. Once you have left the busy road and parked your car just after the Al Khazna exit you will find yourself in a green and silent environment where only the voices of birds flying between the many green trees and shrubs can be heard.
Once you start cycling you will soon enter deeper and deeper into the huge plantation of trees which are part of the immense forestation program by which the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is greening the desert. Those millions of trees are now home to plenty of birds and other animals and the small traffic free roads between them provide the perfect spot for some wonderful road cycling whether you are looking for a sportive or leisure cycle with your family and children.
There are many roads running parallel to the main route so you can pretty much find the route you like, but you should at least try to take one of the outer roads, which get you in direct contact with the original desert environment and direct access to some beautiful sand dunes. But beware as sometimes the wind blows in the sand over the road which can of course also add some adventure to the ride.
There will almost certainly be camel encounters as there are many camel farms along the route. It is also good to experience original Bedouin culture and hospitality as the men from Pakistan or Sudan will greet you for sure with a warm welcome and more than likely invite you for some tea, if not entice you to get in closer contact with the camels and take a short ride on them. Letting them in return try to ride your bike can be a great fun for everyone. As there is no organized tourism in these areas and there are virtually no visitors, the people still have their natural kindness and the environment is clean.
Cycling further you will also pass by many working farms growing all kinds of vegetables and animal fodder.
The full round through the plantations back to the start will mean you have already covered 40 km on the bike. But when you cycle further through Al Khazna village passing the magnificent new school another empty road 
continues on the other side of the highway towards Al Ain. Just past the modern camel barriers turn right and after some 25 km of cycling through the desert and even passing some wildlife refuge (where you will sometimes see gazelles behind the fence), you will come to Al Remah where the tour ends in a surprisingly green setting in the Al Remah park again at the Abu Dhabi – Al Ain highway. Just relax on the lawn under the trees and enjoy your break after 65 km of amazing road cycling. Either you have somebody picking you up from there with the car or you cycle the same way back till Al Khazna and then right up to the palace where you have parked your car.
This will be then exactly 100 km and leave any cycling enthusiast for sure with a happy smile on the face for the rest of the 40 minute car drive back to Abu Dhabi city again.
About the author
Christian Handrich is currently living in Abu Dhabi where he manages the first cycling rental and tours company in the UAE. Soon they will also open the first professional bike shop in the Mushrif Mall in Abu Dhabi. For more information, pictures and GPS data please go to www.funridesports.com.
