From sprint triathlons to road racing: A huge race in the Dubai sporting calendar is the Spinneys 92 road race. A cycling race I have taken part in the last couple of years, but when the race set off on December 11 from the Autodrome in Motor City, I decided to give it a miss. One guy who I work with and an avid cyclist, David McKinven, took to the start line and gave it a blast.
This sort of cycling race is great for the ultra-competitive who are wanting to battle it out for the top spots, but also opens up the opportunity to all riders of all levels to challenge themselves to complete the 92 kilometres.
Cyclists take on the Spinneys Cycle Challenge.
The Cycle Hub team took the top spot for the women with Amy Wright taking the honours and in the men’s race, Jacob Tipper, guest rider for Ride Team, took the title. Congratulations to both of them and to everyone who raced, gave it their all and completed the Spinneys 92.
Road racing is something I have little experience in as I took to the world of cycling only four years ago. Whenever I do ride in groups it really highlights the reason why cycling is a team sport. For example, Team Sky's main man in the Tour de France, Chris Froome, sits behind his team for most of the stages. This is because he then expends less energy and is fresher to attack when he needs to. Sat behind a group whilst riding means you can save up to 40 per cent energy.
The cyclists who sit in front of the main rider such as Froome throughout the stage are called domestiques. These riders are incredible – they work until they cannot give anymore. They then drop back and if they have done their job right, the main rider takes the glory. The domestiques must have sore legs! So they commit themselves to a lot of hurt and pain for someone else to usually take the top spot. This is why you need such a strong team for cycling.
Riding at the front of a pack can take 40 per cent more energy.
Road racing is also very skillful. You need to have great bike handling skills and be able to react to attacks and anything that may happen in a split second. Us triathletes get a bad reputation for not being able to ride in groups as a lot of our training is done alone. But training alone can make you stronger, if not physically then at least mentally, especially when we can spend six hours going round the desert.
If you are interested in starting to ride in a group there are plenty out in Dubai who you can ride with. It's the perfect way to start getting fit and has a great social side to it as well. At The Cycle Hub we have a weekly ride for all abilities that goes from the first Al Qudra car park at 7am on a Saturday morning. For more information about the ride please follow The Cycle Hub on Facebook as the information is on there or contact 04 425 6555 or carl@thecyclehub.com.
Race report by David McKinven
Only one cycling event in the Middle East captures as many as 2,000 participants. The Dubai Spinneys 92 stands out as one of the great races. The 2015 event saw more than 1,700 riders take to the streets of Dubai, passing through well-known areas such as Motor City, Meadows, Springs, The Greens and traversing roads such as Hessa Street and Umm Suqeim. These are areas which cyclists wouldn’t usually dare to ride, but on this special morning it is the cyclists who own these roads, guided by police escorts for safety.
David McKinven on the start line.
The 92 is a truly welcoming event with distances for juniors (3km) and beginners (53km) as well as the main 92km event for both ladies and men. The race features categories for elite riders as well as amateur groups. Your starting position is determined by either your previous times or by the times gained on any of the build-up rides held in the months prior. These build-up rides are a great way for beginners to work their way up to the full 92km. The build-ups start at just 35km rising to 45, 65 and 85km every few weeks. They also offer a chance for more seasoned riders to measure their performance and maybe be seeded into the ‘A’ group, a badge of honour for most as this means a race average of over 40kph is likely.
After so much build-up and excitement in the community, the start line of the challenge almost crackles with static as people prepare to pit themselves against the almost 100km course alongside their peers. There is no prize money on offer but the riders take great pride in their times so there is a lot at stake here. The start line chatter ranges from pre-race nerves to a jubilant banter as the riders slot themselves into the correct area for their category. Elite male and female riders make up the first two followed by A, B, C and D riders. “Did I remember to put my tool kit in?” “This year I’m going for broke”, “I hope I can manage 92 km”, “Should I go to the toilet now?” are just a few of the comments overheard moments before the race was under way.
There are a few ways to go about a ride like this and the large starting groups quickly split into smaller groups of riding intent. Some choose the more passive approach and stick to a grouping of similar ability riders who become almost like a family by the end. They take turns in holding a comfortable pace and share the load when the ride gets harder. These groups will house the more social riders who like to work hard but also like a good conversation.
The other style of a smaller group (which includes myself) will try to go as fast as possible. Waiting for no-one these riders quickly lengthen the group into a single file line followed by the body of the pack. The fastest riders will take turns at the front, pulling the others as long as they can keep up. Individuals will slip off the back of these groups only to be swept up by a following group moments later where hopefully the pace is more manageable.
A single file group of riders with Jumeirah Lakes Towers behind.
My overriding memory of this year’s Spinneys 92 has to be as we passed Studio City on our way up Umm Suqeim and headed towards the Al Qudra cycle track. The sun was beginning to light the sky and the chilly morning was finally letting up. I had moved to the front of a large group to safely pass the roundabout that I knew could be a dangerous spot so early in the ride. As I raised the pace to around 40kph with open roads in front of me I caught a glimpse of something in the sky. Above our pack of brightly-coloured, lycra-clad cyclists was a flight of geese in the classic V formation headed in the same direction like a comedic avian parody.
After 60km of racing, as we neared the Tecom area, my body began to struggle. All of a sudden I realised that I had worked too hard in the previous section and was barely hanging on to the pack. Concentrating too much on the riding and forgetting to eat or drink is a mistake I have made before. I quickly replenished myself from the smorgasbord that is my jersey pocket. After this brief refuel I felt the energy return and was able to react to the pace of the group.
We had begun our return journey eastward on Hessa Street towards the finish in Motor City, when I became aware that many riders were slowing. The final push up the flyover saw the group break into much smaller sections. Now with a smaller, fast group I entered the Autodrome with just 3km left to race. Tiredness was showing all around as riders grunted through the pain of cramps racking their legs. The organisers had been particularly cruel by including the largest climb of the racetrack in these final 3km but this suited me as I passed the stronger, heavier riders. Now riding in the front of the pack I offered some encouragement to fellow riders who were giving all they had. Rounding the last left hand corner my legs argued as I raced for the checkered flag. I crossed the line having been beaten by better sprinters but happy with the effort I had given. I, and many others, had completed the Spinneys 92km challenge in a respectable time and gained some stories to tell for the weeks to come. All this before breakfast.
The Spinneys Cycle Challenge is one of the highlights of the cycling calendar and this can only grow as the number of cyclists in the Middle East grows with it. We must applaud an event which tries to include all ages and genders whilst celebrating the joys of cycling.
