The World's Biggest Bike and Run in Oman
Paul Pelletier / 27.11.2007
In partnership with Jalel Bouagga, the head of Sindbad Voyages, a specialist in travel in the region, and the explorer Jean-Paul Sounier, Gérard Fusil has just mapped out the route between the sea and the mountains in Northern Oman.
Truly atypical in a region of micro-oil producing states, the Sultanate of Oman, along with Yemen, is the only country in the south of the Arabian Peninsula to offer sea, mountains and deserts, in an area equal to half the size of France, with the country’s highest peak being over 3,000m, and a coastline of beaches of warm sand and cliffs, and over 1,700km of the most varied and stunning landscapes.
The open air geological wonders of the Sultanate of Oman fire the imagination of the world’s specialists. They delight lovers of the great outdoors due to the endless variety of landscapes marked by canyons, cracks, chiselled peaks, improbable paths, and water-filled oases.
From 9th to 14th December, the competitors in the world’s biggest bike and run will come close to the highest peaks in Oman and will cross stunning beaches, clamber up onto an amazing island and climb a wild mountain pass, drinking in the delights of the hanging villages as they travel along unexpected paths.
The event rules are starting to be made public: teams of two competitors, equipped with one mountain bike to use as best they can to race as quickly as possible during a five-day competition with eight stages, 262km, 5,589m of uphill gradients, and 5,790m of downhill gradients. The event is all about team spirit at its best, as in order to be effective team members must constantly think of each other, and give each other the chance to put in their best performance in the bike and run, as well as during the races in the wilds, which include major changes of incline, or swimming in the wadis.
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