The pair will cover a distance of more than 500km over four days, visiting schools around Qatar to raise awareness of road safety and the health benefits of physical activity. They will not be assisted by a support car during the ride and will camp overnight in three different locations.
The ‘Cycling Around Qatar’ ride is set to conclude on Friday, at Aspire Zone.
Sixty-year-old al-Hammadi is a well-known figure when it comes to promoting sports in Qatar. He regularly takes part in cycling, marathon and other endurance events that include Samla, and his adventures around the world include crossing Japan from north to south on a bicycle.
Daniel is also an endurance sports enthusiast and certified coach. The 37-year-old Frenchman who lives in Qatar has successfully completed numerous marathons, ultramarathons, ironman events in Qatar and around the world. He met al-Hammadi during a charity cycling ride in Europe three years ago.
Earlier this year, Daniel completed an unassisted solo run around Qatar covering a distance of over 477km. Now, the pair has decided to go on this ride together with the main aim of contributing to the community in Qatar, especially schoolchildren, raising awareness of road safety and the importance of physical activity. “We want to show them (kids) that leading an active lifestyle is good for your health, and also to raise their awareness of safety on the road. It will be a great experience for us,” Daniel said.
Day 1 will see al-Hammadi and Daniel covering a distance of 60km between Doha and Al Thakira, then they will go for a 150km trip to Al Jumayliyah tomorrow. That will be followed by a 130km ride to Salwa on Thursday, before completing the ride on Friday with a 150km ride that will end at Aspire Zone, according to a press statement.
During the ride, the pair will visit schools in different cities around Qatar. They kicked off the campaign yesterday with visits to two schools in Doha, Ahmad Mansour School in West Bay and Lycée Voltaire in Al Waab. Children at both schools were eager to learn every detail about cycling and the planned trip.
“That’s exactly what we wanted to see - all these young kids asking every kind of question about the bike, road safety, cycling and our ride. They can now go and explore this sport. I am sure that it will make a huge difference in their lives,” al-Hammadi said.
