FAQs

Q) Can I race on a Mountain Bike?

A) Yes, but only in the B-Races or Time Trials.

Q) My road bike is being repaired. Can I ride a Road Race on my Time Trial bike instead?

A) No. Time Trial bikes are too dangerous for riding close to a group of other riders. It is permissible to use a road bike fitted with clip-on time trial bars in a road race, but the rider is not to use the TT bars at any point. This is a reason to be disqualified.

Q) I’m only going to be in the Kingdom for a limited time but still want to race with you. Can I hire a race bike in the city?

A) We do not know of any shop currently offering that service. We have not heard anyone have a bad experience flying their bikes out to Saudi though and bike transportation bags would generally be a lot cheaper to buy, than renting a bike. Organizing Committee member Mohamed Benzouhaier Maalej (+966 56 355 8668) does have some lower-spec bikes he rents out and is an excellent ‘fixer’ for unusual bike related needs.

Q) Can I buy a good quality race bike in Riyadh?

A) Yes you can, but “good quality” means different things to different people. The range of brands and types of machines has historically been much smaller here than say, if you lived in Brussels, Milan or Sacremento.

We suggest you have a look at our sponsors as a starting point. They are friendly and just as passionate about cycling as you are! We do know that in 2023 that several new bike shops will be opening in Riyadh and offering top-spec bikes and accessories. Perhaps the need to travel to other cities in the region to get your “high-end fix” will be a thing of the past?!?

Q) My bike needs some mechanical attention. Who do you recommend?

A) Go have a look on our sponsors’ page. There’s some good mechanics working there and prices are very reasonable.

Q) I’ve got some older equipment that I’d like to sell. It’s in good condition and works perfectly. Could you help me sell it?

A) Yes, there’s a good chance that someone in our cycling community could be interested. Contact the Organizing Committee using the Contact Form and we’ll see if we can help. We won’t help publicize bad equipment that is unrealistically priced.

Q) Can you change the start time of a race because of…. [insert your reason]?

A) We take a large amount of factors into account when establishing the race schedule. Weather and seasonal temperatures, prayer times, clashing events, travel distance, amount of sunlight. The planned race times are set after all those factors are considered. We are always open to consider feedback for next season’s planning.

Q) I’ve never done a bike race before. How do I get started?

A) Hi! It’s great that you have this interest. We have all been in the same position as you. We suggest you come along to one of our races and have a look. Introduce yourself to a Committee Member, or just chat with other riders. You’ll get lots of advice and encouragement and you can then work out a plan about how to start racing. Naturally the B-Race is the best place to start your racing career. Also look at the section in the FAQs called “advice for new riders”.

Q) If I chose to go in the A-Race at the start of the season, do I have to do all the A-Races, or can I chose to switch to B-Races later on (or vice-versa)?

A) You can choose to change between A and B-Races anytime you like, as many times as you like. As long as you indicate at registration time for each race event, which race you want to join in with, that will work perfectly well. Just remember to start with the right group and remember that you may not be earning Championship Points. This does not apply to Junior racers. You are only permitted in the B-Race.

Q) Are supporters allowed at races?

A) Definitely yes. Families with children do come along to cheer on the riders. We encourage people to come with flags, bells, hot coffee, picnic chairs, cameras and anything that will make more noise and spur their rider on to greater efforts.

We only ask that you leave your pet dog/cat/falcon/camel at home. Animals running in front of riders is highly dangerous and has caused many accidents in bike races in other countries.

See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3p0dmeecwE

Q) Do you organise triathlons too?

A) No, but our sister club Riyadh Triathletes does and they’d love to hear from you. Tri here www.riyadhtriathletes.com 😉

Q) Do you organise events for mountain bikers?

A) No. We don’t organise canoe races either. Mountain bikers can participate in our B-Races and Time Trials if they want to, but it is similar to trying to win a swimming race whilst wearing a Thobe or Abaya!

Q) I’ve got a timing chip from Riyadh Triathletes (or any other org). Can I use it at your races?

A) No. The Riyadh Triathletes chips use a different (passive) technology to register a time. They just don’t work with our (active) system. Unknown chips will not be recognised in our results, so please just go to the registration desk and use one of our chips. We ask for a 150 SAR returnable deposit. Easy.

Q) Can I lend my race chip to someone else for just one race?

A) No. One chip identifies one person. Sharing race chips could interfere with Championship Points allocation. It could be a reason to be disqualified from a race or even the championship. Day visitors can easily get a race chip on race day. Please do not lend yours to anyone else.

Q) There race seems a bit long for me. Can a friend ride half the distance and then I do the other half?

A) This is not possible in the A-Race. If you want to do this in the B-Race, please tell the Course Director or Logistics Manager at the registration desk beforehand. This way, we can ensure that no Championship Points are allocated.

Q) Is drafting permitted in time trial races?

A) No. It’s you and the clock in the “Race of Truth”. If you are passing another rider, make sure you are 2-3 metres to the side so you do not gain an unfair aero advantage. Failure to do this could lead to a disqualification from the race.

Q) Do you follow all the UCI rules, for example, the ones about sock lengths or permissible seating or hand positions on the bike?

A) No we don’t. The UCI provides a high level of regulation because there is prize money at stake and they have the resources to police those regulations. We value the spirit of fair competition.

Q) Are shaved legs mandatory?

A) Is this a joke question? It’s a personal choice to be smooth or rough-legged. Some do, some don’t. Good leg muscles are more important.

Q) Is bike riding safe in Saudi Arabia?

A) ‘Safe’ is a relative term. Statistics from the World Bank in 2019 show that deaths caused by road traffic injury were 36 per 100,000 people for Saudi Arabia. By comparison, Sierra Leone had a score of 33, South Africa 22, Spain was 4 and Switzerland was 2. More data…? UAE was 9, UK was 3, USA was 11.

Bike riding in cities is not yet a part of the local culture and road infrastructure does not support it. We really don’t recommend city riding. 

In the countryside it is quite different. Roads tend to be wide, the tarmac is pretty good and drivers usually give a little beep to say they are approaching and often are smiling or waving or videoing you when they come past (which doesn’t make you much safer, but at least they are looking!). Most rides are completely stress-free but riders should always be alert for the occasional car being driven like it is a missile.

There is good cell phone coverage along main highways and if you have a problem in the countryside, people are generally very friendly and will try to help. That being said, it’s preferable to ride in small groups rather than alone, and females will always feel more comfortable in a larger group of people. (It’s not so much that people disapprove but more a case of female athletes still being a rare sight – but this is quickly changing). 

Q) Does Riyadh Wheelers organize training rides?

A) No. We organize races.

Q) Why doesn’t Riyadh Wheelers organize training rides?

A) It’s about resources. Riyadh is a big city and riders are spread out. We work different hours, we speak different languages, we ride at different speeds, we have different ideas about what makes good training and expats in particular, come and go quite frequently. All of this makes it hard to have stable groups of riders (and would require too much effort for us to try and organize). Instead, we focus our efforts on great races and leave the training down to individuals.

Q) Does anyone do group rides in Riyadh?

A) Yes they do. There are many organic groups that form along friendship networks. You meet someone at a race, they speak the same language (sort of!), you live near each other and before you know it, you have the start of a group ride. 

There is one group that has become well established amongst Arabic speakers and they are always friendly and open to people who speak other languages. They are called the Riyadh Peloton and can be found on Instagram and Twitter @RiyadhPeloton and #RiyadhPeloton. Usually they announce rides on Fridays and Saturdays with planned distance and average speeds stated in advance.

Most of all though, we recommend coming to our races to meet other riders. You can also use the #RiyadhWheelers hash tag on Twitter to find other riders and ask about group rides.

Q) What languages are spoken at events?

A) Race briefings are given in English and Arabic. But we have riders from many countries taking part and it is a very supportive environment. Even if your English or Arabic is not good, we will try to help you.

Q) I’ve got some spare time and would like to help?

A) Contact us. Do it now! Seriously, we are always looking to increase our support team. Write to the organizing committee and tell us what skills or resources you can bring along.

Q) My company would like to sponsor Riyadh Wheelers. How does that work?

A) We have different levels of sponsorship packages on offer and can be quite flexible to work with you to find a good solution to your needs. Contact the Sponsorship Coordinator via the Organizing Committee and we will arrange a call to discuss this.

Q) I emailed you and haven’t had a response yet?

A) Messages sent to the organizing committee are sent to all members. So either there was a problem in the message being sent (you will receive an automated message if we actually received your email), or your question/comment is complex and we need some time to make a good response, or simply, we are all busy volunteers and haven’t yet been able to reply. We do try to give everyone an answer in 2-3 days, but usually we are much quicker than that.

You can also try sending a Tweet with the hashtag #RiyadhWheelers to see if someone in the wider riding community can help.

Q) What equipment do I need to get started?

A) Answer to be written but this one deserves a full blog post on it’s own

Q) I’m worried I am not fit enough to start racing…

A) We are happy if you come along and try your best. If you can run for 1 minute, you can probably cycle for 30 minutes on a flat road. If you can run a kilometre in less than 7 minutes, you will likely enjoy taking part in our B-races. You don’t have to complete the whole race distance. You can push your bike up a hill if it is too steep to keep riding. The path to athletic improvement begins with crossing the START LINE. Then you’ll get better. We want to give you all the encouragement and motivation you need to keep trying. The hardest thing is any athletic activity is getting started. When you are lean and fit, it is easy to do your sport. Overcoming your psychological worries at the beginning is much harder and we understand that, because we all had to start too.

Q) Will bike riding help me lose weight?

A) There is no magic with exercise. Losing weight is a simple formula (with the caveat that some underlying health issues like Thyroid problems can complicate matters). If CALORIES IN are greater than CALORIES OUT, the body will store that excess energy as fat. Bike riding is a very pleasurable and sustainable way of increasing the amount of calories you burn, which, in combination with eating healthy foods to fuel your muscles, will for most people increase muscle mass and reduce fat deposits. As you get fitter and ride longer, you can experience dramatic changes in your body. Bike riding is a highly effective way of burning calories without suffering great pain, injuries or mind-numbing boredom. It could change your life!

Q) Is bike racing too dangerous?

A) Risk is always relative and there is no such thing as zero risk. Riders are much safer in organized races than they are out training on their own. If you fall while cycling, the most likely injury is cuts and bruises which heal well enough in a few weeks. After that, the most common cycling injury is a broken collarbone. Of course, if you ride without a helmet (not permitted in our races) then you can also get head and facial injuries. Serious cyclists always wear helmets, all the time.

Riyadh Wheelers have been racing for over 30 years and whilst there is no one who has been present for all that time, no one on the Organizing committee can remember anyone crashing in any of our races. By comparison, I have personally seen 4 accidents in the last year while on training rides. 2x the riders carried on, 1 rider decided not to continue as his bike was damaged but was riding the next week, and one rider had a broken collarbone and was back riding again 4 weeks later). Accident data shows that men are 5x more likely than women to be involved in a bike accident, which indicates that the amount of risk you face when cycling is largely under your control.

There’s one other kind of risk to mention, if you are concerned about pushing yourself hard in sport. Heart arrhythmias. A very small percentage of the population have irregularities in the nervous system that controls heartbeats and sustained and intense exercise can in some people, lead to sudden and critical problems. Some countries have laws that require amateur cyclists taking part in mass events, as well as professional cyclists seeking race licenses, to undergo medical screening to check for these conditions. That is not a requirement in KSA but if you are at all worried about this risk, you should see a specialist cardiologist.

Q) I am used to racing in other countries. Will I be too good?

A) No. You will just be the winner. We can live with that and would be inspired by your abilities. But unless you turn up, you’ll never be completely sure 😉 For a more accurate quantitative reference, have a look at this Strava segment at the location we do our flat time trials.

Q) What’s the best way to start bike riding?

A) Answer to be written in a full blog post

Q) I don’t have too much time to go on long bike rides. Are there ways to train more efficiently?

A) The simple answer is yes. Indoor trainers made by companies like TACX, Wahoo, Elite, Wattbike, Garmin etc. are brilliant tools for training at home. You can ride as long, easy, hard as you like. There are great software apps to make your training social, competitive, efficient and structured, goal-driven, whatever you want. If the weather is bad, if you are short of time, if you don’t want to be away from your family, don’t fancy getting all dressed up or you just want to watch a bit of Netflix while you train, then indoor cycling is a great option.

By far the most popular software is Zwift, but other apps like Sufferfest, BKOOL, TrainerRoad, Rouvy, CycleGo, FulGaz, TrainingPeaks etc. are all available (and there are many more than what we listed here). Our guess is that 80-90% of Riyadh Wheelers riders use indoor training in combination with outside riding and much of the ride data is posted on to www.strava.com so you can see what people have been doing.

Q) How can I meet up with other riders?

A) Come to our races and meet people. Have a look around social tools like www.strava.com to start finding riders in the area. Check out social media sites like Instagram and Twitter using hashtags like #RiyadhPeloton and #RiyadhWheelers to find riders. Go visit the bike shops on our Sponsors page and ask them.

Q) Is bike riding expensive?

A) If you are a millionaire then the answer is “no”. For everyone else the answer is “sometimes, but it doesn’t have to be”. Aluminium-framed road bikes can cost as little as 4,000 SAR new. Anyone who is serious about progressing with bike racing will probably want a much lighter, carbon-fibre framed bike. These can have new prices from 12,000 SAR (sometimes you can get deals that are lower), but you can also buy bikes that cost 70,000 SAR (and you’d be able to hand it straight to a Tour de France rider if they needed an emergency swap).

On top of a bike, you need helmets, some clothing, bike shoes (often overlooked but highly important), some tools. People usually find that they start at the lower end of the price ranges and as their love of the sport increases, so does the value it brings into their lives. And then they start to suffer memory loss about all the money they’ve spent!