Keeping roads safe for bikes

Cycle Safe Bahrain held its inaugural ride and attracted around 400 cyclists who joined together to deliver a message to fellow road-users to help keep them out of harm’s way.

The Friday dawn-busters formed the biggest number of cyclists ever to attend one event in the kingdom and organisers described it as ‘a terrific sight’ to witness riders of all ages on road bikes, mountain bikes and everyday bikes, coming together. 

The ride received royal approval and was held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, president of Bahrain Olympic Committee and captain of the Bahrain Royal Endurance Team.

 “It is a fantastic initiative,” Shaikh Nasser said. “The campaign will bring awareness to all road users - both cyclists and motorists - to share the road safely and respect each other on the road.”

The ride featured various levels depending on the cycling prowess of those who supported the initiative. Cycle Safe Bahrain also hopes to encourage more people on to the saddle, further promote a growing sporting culture in the kingdom and help reinforce the rules of the road that already exist.

Redia Castillo, general manager of PowerUp, led the programme of the event and said that the cyclists were supported by official pilot cars supplied by Nissan.

This is just the beginning for Cycle Safe Bahrain. The plan is to stage regular weekly events in different areas all over the island, not only for road bikes, but also for mountain bike enthusiasts and for families with children wanting to cycle safely.

Abdulmohsen Algosaibi, co-owner of TriLife who joined and led the Level 2 ride, said: “It was such a great day and we were overwhelmed by the support that we received. We hope that the message behind this campaign will be passed on to more people in Bahrain to keep its road-users safe.”

Kolja Koracak, brand director of Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team, and Michael Gilliam, director of the Bahrain Endurance 13 Team, showed their full support, as did keen cyclist and hotel executive Haitham Assem, who recently took part in a momentous charity cycling mountain challenge.

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, 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.

He continues to enjoy cycling around the kingdom and said: “This is just the first step and we plan to carry on with these efforts moving forward.”

He rode 40km on the day after starting off and finishing the ride outside the hotel - good training for his next 580km company challenge around Jordan in October.

Tips for drivers to allow cyclists to stay safe:

Do not follow too closely behind cyclists. They do not have brake lights to warn you when they are slowing or stopping.

To avoid collisions with bicyclists at intersections, remember the following:

- When turning right, signal and check your mirrors and the blind spot to your right to make sure you do not cut off a cyclist.

- When turning left, you must stop and wait for oncoming bicycles to pass before turning.

-  When driving through a junction, be careful to scan for cyclists waiting to turn.

Do not sound your horn unnecessarily when you are overtaking a cyclist. It may frighten them and cause them to lose control. If you feel that you must use your horn, tap it quickly and lightly while you are still some distance away from the cyclist.