Qatar Sandstormers have organised a charity bike ride to
raise funds for war victims in Gaza. By Anand Holla
Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world. Bicycle design guru Grant Petersen certainly knew what he was talking about. Saving the world in their own noble way this Saturday, Qatar Sandstormers (QS), have organised a charity bike ride called #Ride4Gaza.
Aiming to raise QR50,000 at the event so as to help Gazans recover from the havoc wreaked by Israel’s recent 50-day military operation, Qatar’s only charity cycling team is inviting all cycling enthusiasts to join the ride and express solidarity. The event will be held near the Lusail International Circuit on Saturday at 8am. Be there an hour early though as the registration opens at 7.15am.
Managed by Sheikh Eid Charity Association, the charity project called All of us for Gaza (Kuluna Gaza) seeks to provide medical support to those affected by the recent bombings. More than 2,000 Gazans were killed and more than 11,000 were wounded, while 400,000 Gazans were displaced, and around 18,000 homes were destroyed and many more damaged.
Those interested in participating in the ride can also pre-order a limited edition Ride4Gaza race jersey for QR350, by registering and selecting their size by following the link on the Facebook page of QS (which is called Qatar Sandstormers).
All of the proceeds will, of course, go to charity. The QS has secured a private sponsor to cover the costs of the 125 such kits being sold at the event for QR350 a piece. With more than 70 cycling enthusiasts already having registered, the charity jerseys are running out fast, says QS.
Over the past three years, the QS has developed the sports sponsorship for charity model with companies such as Vodafone, Qatar Airways, RasGas, Aspire Zone Foundation and Salam International. The team, led by Marouf Mahmoud, has so far raised a total of QR400,000 in support of various charity initiatives.
Sports charity events are catching on in Qatar, and even more so the charity cycling challenges, says Mahmoud. “Qatar has the ideal weather for cycling through six months of the year – that is longer than it is for most European countries. What’s more encouraging is that since our best months are during winter, we have a long season to train before taking on any big rides abroad,” Mahmoud says.
For all its trail-blazing fund-raising initiatives, the QS modestly calls itself “an amateur sports team” that leverages its passion for cycling to raise awareness and funds for a worthy cause. While the Sandstormers started off with seven cyclists in 2012, it now includes more than 16, representing 11 different nationalities residing in Qatar.
Their passion gets them pedalling together at least twice a week; the longer rides reserved for Fridays. “We cycle to Al Khor and back, taking different routes so that we gain 100km rides. We cycle in Dukhan, ride to Sealine. We also train at Lusail, Ceremonial Road and at the Pearl-Qatar. We normally ride early in the mornings to beat the heat,” says Wajeeha al-Husseini of QS.
A regular participant at local and regional cycling events and races, the QS has also represented Qatar at the annual Global Biking Initiative (GBI) summer ride through Europe. In fact, it regularly represents its sponsors through Europe, most recently cycling from Budapest to Munich in seven days with a multinational team that represented Qatar.
Having partnered with local sponsors and collected donations from individuals raising hundreds of thousands of Qatari Riyals, the QS has pitched in for charities like Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) and the Beitak Beiti programme. In June, the QS held a successful Midnight Trail Encounter at Lusail, the late night biking encounter being a first of its kind for Qatar.
