By Isabel Ovalle
Qatar Chain Reaction (QCR) has about 300 members from different countries, including Canada, Germany, Philippines, Egypt, and many more. The group welcomes men and women from a broad age range, from cyclists in their 20s to those in their 60s.
Every Friday at 6am, they park next to the Golf Course and change their cars for a lighter, environment-friendly vehicle: a bicycle. Whoever was under the impression that Qatar is not the right place to ride, is wrong.
“We are a group of avid cyclists living in Qatar. We welcome all nationalities and abilities to come out and ride with us either on the road or off-road in the desert. We hold frequent road races, time trials and off-road races,” states QCR on its website.
QCR has two groups, the general crowd, which usually rides along the Corniche, and the fast guys who usually ride all the way to Al Khor, travelling up to 100km. Despite extreme temperatures in the summer here, the cyclists ride all year round. When the heat starts, the members just start riding a little earlier, at 4.30am.
However, the number of cyclists goes down noticeably during the hottest months. For instance, in December, 20 to 40 cyclists gather, while in July that figure goes down to around 12.
In 2005, the few bike riders in Qatar back then decided to go out together and started holding competitions as well. But it wasn’t until 2009 that the group became organised. It now has a website and Facebook page, and frequently collaborates with Qatar Cycling Federation (QCF), which has cyclists participating in Qatar Chain Reaction races and viceversa. QCF also supports these amateur cyclists with equipment.
During the week, riders regularly train on a service road near the Losail International Circuit, where the national team also trains. Others also go out to the National Ceremonial Road, near Al Rayyan Sports Club, to practice.
Despite dreadful traffic in Doha and Qatar in general, Eduardo Arambarri, one of the founding members, explained that they haven’t had too many problems with cars. “We don’t usually cycle in the city, because that’s where all the bad drivers are,” he explained.
Another one of their routes, which they take four or five times a year, is the one that leads to Dukhan; “it’s quite a nice highway ride,” said Arambarri.
These bike riding aficionados use both mountain and road bicycles. The first one they usually make use of when they go to the desert to cycle or race.
This Friday, Qatar Chain Reaction is having a race at Inland Sea. It is a 40km route with mountain bikes and there will be a lot of participation this time.
“We have also reached locations in the desert that locals didn’t even know about,” said Arambarri. The cyclist added that most people didn’t imagine there could be a group like theirs in Doha. When they find out about it, they still fear it will be too dangerous to ride a bike in the city. “They don’t realise that on the road, wherever it might be, there are always cars,” he stated.
Nevertheless, there are certain safety measures one should keep in mind. Such as wearing a helmet at all times — the group won’t allow people to ride with them if they’re not wearing one. In addition, Arambarri recommends always carrying a mobile phone and money, in case of getting stranded. Last, but not least, bring abundant drinking water and preferably wear colourful clothing.
When riding at night, it’s important to always have lights, otherwise it will be very difficult to see the road and for drivers to see you.
Arambarri said the number of the group’s members was growing every year. “We also have people who want to join only for a few months, because that’s how long they’re going to be here, and they ask us where they can rent a bike, but there’s nowhere. It could be a good business opportunity,” he quipped.
