It’s been a rollercoaster ride of both experiences and emotions, all of which I had never dreamt of when I first jumped on my newly purchased road bike on Al Qudra, after relocating to Dubai at the end of 2013. Being a personal trainer and group exercise instructor, I come from a background of general fitness and have always been fit and healthy. So why suddenly take up cycling? Very simple: Because I wanted to be exercising in the outdoors, in the beautiful weather we have the majority of the year in the United Arab Emirates.
Little did I know when I joined a couple of Spinney’s Build Up rides and did noticeably well. And maybe more surprisingly, I felt a sense of competitive edge in me that I didn’t even realize I possessed. And what a journey it’s been since then. I decided to throw myself fully into the sport with the thought of “What if?” What can I possibly achieve in this sport if I dedicate my time, focus and efforts?
I haven’t looked back since. I have been racing elite since two months after taking up cycling and have gone on to participate in various international races and events too, including the UCI Amateur World Championships 2014 and Danish National Championships 2015.
So what does it take to become an elite cyclist?
Well, in the UAE there are still very few elite female riders and to ensure we get our own women’s only competitions, we must grow. Therefore we welcome any riders who have a decent level of fitness, bike handling skills and good dose of determination and willingness to grow and learn as an athlete to join as elite. Anyone can register as an individual elite rider with the UAE Cycling Federation and this license will also allow the rider to compete in international events.
To be an elite cyclist and competing outside the Middle East is a different ball game. The level of the riders increases and so does the commitment to the training of the individual rider. My training schedule as an amateur elite rider is 12-15 hours per week on the bike, mainly solo training but usually once a week with a group for speed and socializing. The solo training is often more of a mental than physical challenge. It’s lonely and it can be very tough to motivate oneself to push over the threshold and into discomfort over and over again. It requires some serious self discipline and stamina and it’s a skill to learn to embrace the hurt and learning how to deal with it. But this is necessary to improve both mental and physical strength. During a race, this feeling of being pushed to the limit, suffering and then having to push through it, will appear over again, and it’s helpful that this sensation is practised on a regular basis during training.
Being an elite cyclist does require a higher level of dedication and commitment to training, nutrition and sleep, especially due to the nature of being more time consuming than other sports. However, when the rewards are reaped, the hurt, the sacrifices and time spent during training, seem to disappear in an instant puff.
Being an elite female in a male dominated sport, especially in the Middle East, can have its challenges but certainly also rewards; as we are not always enough elite female riders, we race with the elite men. We will have our own classification, but the nature of the male racing field is faster and more aggressive. It does require a higher level of confidence on the bike, the ability to position oneself correctly to save energy, as well as building a level of strength and ability to ride at higher speeds matching that of the men. This can be rather intimidating for female riders and it is certainly not for everyone. However, the male riders are very welcoming and allow us to train these skills with them during their weekly training. This kind of training forces the female rider to step outside her comfort zone and fight harder to match the level of the male riders. It’s a great mental reward when this is being achieved and even more so when the female rider is being seen as a valuable player in the male field.
In order to get more of our own women’s only races in the UAE, we simply need more women to sign up as “elite”. And if we can have our own races, the nature of those will be less fast, less aggressive and less risky, less intimidating and allow all individuals to improve their skills and abilities in a safer environment. This will be much more inviting for female riders and can potentially help develop promising athletes and contribute to growing competitive cycling for women in the region.
In the scope for the coming season, together with BeSport, who has bike shops in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, we are working on an exciting project to build a female only elite team. The idea is to bring some promising, new, locally-based girls into the elite group and with the support of each other as well as local bike shops, we aim to increase the number of riders, bring more visibility and awareness to women’s elite cycling as well as supporting each individual in their growth as an athlete. Hopefully with the support also from other bike shops and the UAE Cycling Federation we can work together to grow and create opportunities for competitive female athletes.
We have already seen women’s only challenges in the likes of the Liwa Cycling Challenge and the very popular NAS Sports Tournament supported by Sheikh Hamdan, Crown Prince of Dubai, with elite female numbers around 20-25. In addition we have also recently had Arab female visitors from Iran and Kuwait competing in elite category and both placing top 5. This is a fantastic step towards building competitive female cycling in the Middle East. However there are many more cycling events and challenges during the season where the fate of the existence of a women’s only category boils down the numbers registered. Too few and we are thrown into the mix of the elite men which completely changes the nature of the race, the skill set and the strength required for racing. Also the women’s visibility fades and becomes less important to organisers and potential sponsors.
Some aspirations for female competitive cycling in the UAE would be to secure a women’s only category at all events organised through the season, which is highly achievable through attendance. A local women’s only race series for all females to learn and practice racing tactics and skills would help all female cyclists to prepare for the actual events too. And who knows what this can lead to? UAE’s first professional female team perhaps? Or following in the footsteps of Qatar and hosting a women’s professional tour of Dubai? The opportunities are open to the UAE.
In the meantime, where the ground work is done, we continue to invite women into cycling for whatever purpose the individual desires. From here talent can be developed with the support of each other. Being an elite cyclist myself and being part of forming women’s elite, we simply have to start somewhere, even if small. Therefore I do encourage female riders to come forward for the events, participate in a safer environment and let’s help each other build the stronger side of female cycling and ensure our presence and worth as athletes.
Helle Bachofen von Echt is a Dubai-based sponsored Elite Road Cyclist competing in both local and international events. When she is not training, she is helping others achieve their health and fitness goals running her own personal training services as well as giving indoor cycling classes. Helle loves travelling with her bike and you can follow her adventures and racing on Instagram @thegirlwhocyclesinthedesert.
Words By: Helle Bachofen von Echt
Photos By: Tonya Colson
