Olympic Cycle Track - A Great Sporting Facility
Ashgal, the public works department (PWD) of Qatar gifted another cherished gift to the residents of Qatar on the National Sports Day (celebrated on the second Tuesday of February annually) of 2020 - February 11. It holds the record of being the longest asphalt track for bicycle rides and is named Olympic Cycle Track. It is 33 kilometres in length (32.869 specifically).
The track is 20 feet wide. All along the path it is fenced on both sides - so no one can enter or exit the track, except for 3 access points around the start (Lusail City - adjacent Qatar University Metro Station) and 4 access/exit points around Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor (where the inaugural match of the world cup 2022 was held). Thus it connects two major stadia of the country - Al Bait and Lusail (where the World Cup final was played). It has 29 underpasses and 5 bridges to ensure a hassle-free ride.
Though Doha appears rather even topographically, the ride offers you adequate toughness by way of regular climbs and inclines. It is freely accessible 24 hours of the day. There are 3 electronic display stands presenting the data - one each at the beginning, middle and end of the track. Yesterday (Sep. 28th) it indicated 123 cyclists at the start (Lusail) and 102 at the other end when I covered the points. Finally, when I returned, the first one had counted 202, with a total of some 12900 plus cyclists for the year.
The track, in general has a buffer area on both sides - on the Northern side (right as we go towards Al Khor) - generally 10 ft wide patch, with grass or sand, and similarly on the other side narrower in many places, but in many places much wider zones as well. But for a few 100 metres, the entire stretch has avenue trees on both sides - now having attained an average height of 12 feet, planted 10 metres apart. Roughly a total of 6000 plus trees. When they grow bigger, it will be a real shady green patch in the desert, and may contribute to the efforts to go carbon neutral!
Safe! Till midnight and perhaps, even beyond, cyclists are riding men and women. The track is suitable to let the bicycles take a speed of 50 km per hour even! There is no fear of any motor vehicles bumping you off - at some points, the high way goes closely parallel, but with adequate distance and safety measures that they don't ram into you. There is no fear of stray dogs or similar animals chasing you. I saw one cat by the side of the track. The entire stretch is safe, and practically, there is no fear that someone will do you some harm - bindaas!
A Green Patch on the Drab Desert Land - The trees planted are typical of the Indian subcontinent - Alstonia Scholaris (saptaparni), Hibiscus telleucius, Thespesia populnea, Azadaricta indica, Cassia fistula, Ficus religiosa, Ficus benglensis, Cordenia sebestena (Geiger tree), Pithecellobium dulce (jungle jalebi), Cascabela thevetia, Terminalia brachystemma, Cericidium parkinsonia (Palo Verde) and some sort of trumpet flower.
The entire stretch is adequately illuminated with lights at fixed distance on both sides, though in certain stretches, they were not functional. Still it was amply visible, and though I could not use the headlight of my bicycle, as the holder had disappeared in the repair process, I could see very well. The turf is perfectly maintained all through. There are 5 or 6 access points for the ambulance, which are closed. There are some mechanisms for opening them by authorised personnel.
The entire stretch is neatly maintained. However, the human habit of littering was seen here too - not expected of a fitness-conscious crowd. Toffee wrappers, water bottles....However, very minimal. All along the 33 km strech there is not a single outlet to get any stuff, no provision for water or toilet, which I felt could be a very useful addition. Every kilometre is clearly marked beginning with 1000 mt till 32860 mt, at each point distance from both directions being shown. A few wooden benches are found here and there, for resting and relaxing.
Planning the Ride It had been a preparation for over a week, and a search and for over three days - First, I got our former student, Nikhil Jose (a student of the first batch of RISE, Rajagiri) who is a very senior executive with a medical firm in Doha. When he came to know of my enthusiasm for bicycle, he brought his own bicycle, saying that he was not using it regularly, and let mee use it. It was 2 years back. He had promised to take care of the repairs if any, as he knew someone who does that well. Yes, I did manage with the minor repairs or replacements like a puncture (usually requiring replacement of the tube). However, since taking this to a shop and getting it ready for a ride was not an easy task to be accomplished in Doha, on the very first day of my arrival in Doha, I called up Nikhil and sought his help. He readily obliged, and came to our residence. After updating ourselves, he took the bicycle and brought it back by Thursday so that I could go for a ride on Thursday evening.
From Sport to Commuting
Doha - Qatar being, generally a level land, should be quite suitable for bicycle rides - definitely during the months of November to April (March). However, the problem is that it is promoted more from the angle of sports and fitness. So most of the tracks, which come to many hundreds of kilometres in this small country, are not connected. And for the bicycle rider, getting across the highways and flyovers to reach another stretch is nearly impossible and dangerous as well. My plan was to ride to the Olympic Track. However, I found no way to reach there riding a bike; so riding presupposes that you have a motor vehicle (car) to reach you to the riding track. The beautiful Doha Metro does not permit bicycles to be carried on them - perhaps, if this is brought to the attention of the authorities from a carbon or sustainability angle, I trust they would definitely rethink it.
Personal Adventure @ 60
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When I completed 50, I had a great ride up the hill towards Shabarimala - a 90 km stretch. I thought of having one on a smaller scale as I approached 60.
Come Thursday evening, and I tried many ways to find the route to reach the bicycle track, but the internet was not giving any clue. Then I sought the help of our transport department, and they arranged for a vehicle (Innova) to drop me at Lusail, where the starting point was supposed to be. In between, Alan, our heartian alumnus, and my regular companion in the Middle East (UAE, Qatar, Saudi, Bahrain), and who had thrown this challenge before me, when I first arrived in Doha, also tried to be helpful by guiding us. But around Lusail Boulevard or the stadium, we could not trace the place. He directed us to go to Al Khor road and to find the track there. And we did, but found the track impenetrably fenced. Phew!! Again, Alan sends a location, and we found to our frustration, that we had to go another 14 kms back. And Alan had added some confusion by having given me the intro that the track is some 50-plus kilometres long, and the descriptions were not matching, making me think that we are in the wrong place. With the new directions, the Doha expert driver Vijendar confidently led me, but started missing one turn after the other, adding to the kilometres to be covered. After a few attempts, I sensed that we are not going to make it. And I called back the mission, after almost one hour of futile attempt. I also was not sure of the distance to be covered, whether I would require some support, whether track be through till the end etc.
Fortunately, I didn't attempt. We came to realise that contrary to our understanding the bicycle track is usable only on one side of the Al Khor highway - though almost the entire stretch has a northern wing of bicycle track, it is yet to be fully functional, and is not yet opened to the public.
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Another day of surfing didn't yield any results. The third day, our colleague, also a small-circle bicycle enthusiast Ashok, almost definitively found that the starting point was adjacent to Qatar University Metro station. That was specific, though on Friday morning, on our Friday outing we had passed by that, and Alan had shown it, the specific station was not clear. Now armed with that, we explored the possibility of fixing the bicycle into the boot of the Corolla car used by the Principal. We managed that, and the Principal himself drove me to the location - here again, there was confusion in the directions, google adding to confusion, but Waze, coming to rescue; we finally managed to arrive at the starting point at Qatar University Metro station. Seeing the well-laid track, the Principal got enthusiastic, saying that someday, he too would do the stretch. He left me to undertake the ride, promising to coming to Al-Khor if required, or at the starting point itself, depending on the need.
I found several people riding, most of them in the opposite direction; however, there were more people joining. All of them were riding at a pace greater than mine - I assume to some extent, on account of the bike as well. My broad-tyred (3 inches) Hummer was no match for the thin tyred race bikes. I had to struggle. Long absence and not using the bike - I had forgotten the speed system - it is a 15-speed bike, with 3 for the smaller front and 5 for the back. I got in grips with the system only after covering some 10 kilometres. I took a small break after completing 12 kms, had some passion-fruit juice I had prepared and brought. At 27th kilometre, Al Bayt stadium becomes visible - and like the 3 Kings who rejoiced while seeing the star again, I felt overjoyed. I didn't really believe that the distance was only 33 kilometres. I covered the distance with the break in 1 hour and 42 mts. Got down, stretched the legs, took pictures - Al Bayt in the background was not becoming very visible.
I walked 2 hundred metres, and began the ride back. It was tougher this time. Since the afternoon news of a young Malayalee having died during an Uttarakhand trek was there in my mind, I was observing my breath and any sign of exhaustion. Though I was not puffing or panting, I felt that the breath was becoming belaboured. After 12 kilometres, I took a break - to relax my flailing knees and thighs, I almost walked 1 km. It was becoming tougher and thighs and calf muscles were under great strain. I stopped again at the 26th km, and my store of water was exhausted. All the cyclists were going past me rather fast, but that didn't disappoint me. Lusail Stadium was visible about 28th km. It was gloriously shining like the big Arabian cap it was meant to be, with the four tall blue Hyundai towers standing behind it as sentinels. I stopped in front of it, and took a picture. Walked a bit more, and then made the final leg. This stretch took me 2 hours and 10 mts including the 2 km (app) walking bit.
Though this was not any big feat - as far as my record is concerned, or for any cyclist, still I thought my small crowd of supporters would have been there - at least with some water to replenish me - Yes, some glucose or a banana would have been fantastic! But none there. I was, or my lower half was really exhausted. I could not sit or stand. I lay on the cushioned bench, which was wet with dew - it was not helping. I lay on the cement floor of the parking lot, and tried to relax. My reconnaissance (read pick-up) team arrived 15 minutes later, and gave me some water. I struggled to be seated in the car - with muscles aching and exhausted. I feared whether there would be a muscular cramp, with salts having been depleted. But fortunately, no.
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It was heartian Santhosh who had come with the Principal (another heartian) to give me the ride. He was treating us to dinner at Al Saitoon. After many rounds of missing the route, we finally reached the destination, by which time, my muscles had relaxed, and I was free of the aches and exhaustion. That was amazing grace! And awaiting us was the seafood platter - a half platter was sufficient to fill the three of us!
Personally, a very gratifying way to celebrate 60, though for the rest of the world, this is just an aam baat!
Acknowledgements: Nikhil Jose, Alan Jerson, Ashok, Santhosh, Joshy Abraham
ബേബിച്ചേട്ടൻറെ വിരുത് ഇത്ര പ്രായമായിട്ടും ബേബിയായി ഇരിക്കുന്നു എന്നത് തന്നെ. ഒരു ബേബിയായി ഇവിടെയെത്തി - 57 വർഷങ്ങൾക്ക് ശേഷവും പേരിൽ മാത്രമല്ല, പെരുമാറ്റത്തിലും - ഒരു ശിശുസഹജമായ നിഷ്കപടമായ - പടം ആവശ്യമില്ലാത്ത ഇടപെടലുകൾ. 
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