Riding out the storm

BRAVE elite Bahraini cyclist Ahmed Madan came a cropper on a training session for this week’s Arab Championships suffering cuts and bruises after a collision involving a truck in Egypt.

Both he and Kuwaiti training partner, Mansour Al Sebubaie, escaped serious injury after being sent tumbling into the rubble at the side of the road. 

As a seasoned cyclist, Madan, 21, described his injuries as ‘not too bad, just blood and bruises – nothing broken!’ 

“At least I have a few days to recover,” he told GulfWeekly.

There are no easy rides in the world of professional sport. Only days earlier he needed urgent medical treatment for an unexpected gum infection.

After a successful training camp in Turkey that fine-tuned earlier hard work done in the mountains of Andorra, he fell sick just few days before he was due to fly out to Egypt. Fortunately, with the full support of Team Bahrain Victorious, he received immediate medical attention to help sort out the issue.

Madan will be joined by Ahmed Nasser, also 21, who trained with him in the juniors and U23 Bahrain team. They will both be competing in the Individual Time Trial today on a 15.5km course. They will complete the course twice in a race against the clock where each rider sets off at intervals – the lowest time taken wins.

Two days later, they will combine efforts in the road race over 8.5 laps of the same course. Bahrain only has two riders in its team compared to six from Kuwait in a race that is notoriously tactical, meaning they will need to form alliances on the road to succeed.

From the 16 teams competing he cites Algeria and Kuwait as being two of the strongest.

Madan is not a stranger to the Arab Championships. In 2019, when he finished fifth, he was riding a mountain bike. Now backed by Team Bahrain Victorious he will be aiming to ride up the placings.

The popular Bahraini said he remains confident that he can shake off his infection and injuries and make his nation proud.

As reported by GulfWeekly’s  sister publication, The Gulf Daily News, Madan signed a professional contract with the team last year, becoming the first Bahraini rider at WorldTour level.

His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sport chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa said that Madan was a great gain for the team, given his outstanding talent. He highlighted Team Bahrain Victorious’ goals of inspiring Bahraini youth and honing their talent in order to become professional sporting stars.

Madan has been racing for the Bahrain national team since 2018. He admitted the move to professional status was an opportunity for him to take his cycling ‘to the next level’ and learn from some of the best cyclists in the world.

Bahrain Cycling Association president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa said: “Ahmed came to the cycling scene through group rides and mountain biking, but he started to show his talent once he took up road racing. His passion for cycling is his biggest asset because it drives him to put in the necessary training to reach the top.

“He will hopefully lead a new wave of Bahrain cyclists that can compete at the highest level and bring success to the kingdom.”