Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
HOTEL executive Haitham Assem has returned from his momentous charity cycling mountain challenge with a collection of stunning images, a serious appreciation of team spirit and the motivation to tackle more sporting adventures.
He successfully climbed some of the most fearsome routes featured in the gruelling Tour de France race after training for the endeavour in the spare bedroom of his family’s 14th floor apartment in Juffair, as highlighted in GulfWeekly.
Egyptian expat Haitham, 33, complex director of marketing at The Westin & Le Meridien Bahrain City Centre, was part of a 20-strong team from Starwood, the hotels’ parent company, supporting its Road to Awareness fundraising campaign cycling challenge in the French Alps in aid of a children’s charity.
“On our first day, one of the participants said ‘we come here as individuals and will leave as a team and friends’ which was very well said and true,” said Haitham, pictured right and below with some of his colleagues.
“I did experience the enthusiasm, team spirit and friendship among the participants and it was very inspiring to get to meet up with a group of people working in the same company, who despite many having never met before, shared a passion for a good cause and a love of cycling.”
The participants were made of staff members from across the board, from junior hotel positions to a regional president. A support team also played an important role motivating the riders, cheering them on and helping to keep moral high despite the aches, pains and tough terrain.
The French challenge started from Carpentras to Monte Carlo and covered 450km over three consecutive days.
The team climbed the feared Mont Ventoux, close to 10,000m in height, plus the legendary Col d’Allos, the Col de Pra Loup and the Col de la Bonette.
Mont Ventoux, a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, is the largest in the region and has been nicknamed the ‘Beast of Provence’, gaining fame through its use in the famous cycling race.
Col de la Bonette, which rises to 2,715m, is a high mountain pass near the border with Italy and one of the highest paved roads in the French Alps.
Besides being surrounded by beautiful scenery, arriving at a monument for Tom Simpson, a British rider and ex-world champion who collapsed and died just 1km from the top of the Mont Ventoux in the Tour of 1967, gave Haitham ‘goose-bumps’ as it indicated how close he was to achieving what he described as ‘every cyclist’s dream’.
“The entire three days were challenging,” he admitted, “and there was that one climb each day that was particularly tough; day one - Mont Ventoux, day two - Col d’ Allos and day three - Col de le Bonnette.”
Haitham’s passion for cycling was only ignited a few years ago when he called for some medical advice about feeling lethargic and was advised to get fitter. He jumped on a bike and never looked back.
Now a regular cyclist he joined in weekly group rides around the island and as soon as he received confirmation in April that he had been selected for the challenge he started an intense training plan over a period of three months, both indoor and outdoor.
He invested in a smart indoor trainer selecting the destination that he wanted to cycle hoping it would be as similar to the reality of the ride as possible. The indoor routine helped his body increase its endurance levels.
His four-year-old Adam loves cycling too and proved to be an invaluable cheerleader, encouraging him to keep going. As well as his son, his other great supporter was his wife, Adriana, plus many work colleagues, including complex general manager Anna-Marie Dowling, who met him daily at the gym.
“The training did pay off,” he said, “but there is nothing quite like the reality of Mother Nature! The weather was a key player, heading to Mont Ventoux it was hot and the direct sun set a temperature of up to 36C. Then it was raining and really cold heading to Col d’Allos and, finally, it was snowing and freezing at Col de la Bonette with a temperature of only 8C.
“I was obviously in pain during the ride and at the end of every day. Imagine being on a bike for nearly 10 hours, climbing up and down? Fortunately we had a great support team that provided help with stretching moves to release muscles tension and also massage.
“But I would do it again and again. I was very proud to suffer for such a good cause of helping thousands of children to get to a better way to experience the world by simply providing them with a basic need in life, water. I raised almost €1,150.
“I have personally gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about mountain cycling but, most importantly, I gained a determination to ‘keep peddling’ no matter what it takes and to challenge myself even further.
“After the three days I felt great and super active, like starting a new chapter in my life!”
So much so, Haitham has been checking out a few upcoming professional triathlon events in the region which he is currently considering participating in. What this space …
