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A few years back, I happened to be in Dubai for an exhibition and I managed to spear a day just for myself. More like half a day.

I woke up early, like 3 in the morning and drove straight to Al Qudra Cycle Track, a little outside Dubai city where they have built an 86 km long cycling track in the middle of a desert. I read about it earlier and felt instantly fascinated about riding through the desert, spotting wildlife, and sweating under the sun. 

Al Qudra Cycling Track is an 86 km paradise for Cyclists in Dubai and those heading there for work or travel. It is divided into multiple routes with Route 1 being a circuit of 50 km is the most popular among all other routes. Route 2 and 3 are short detours from Route 1 while Route 4, also known as The Stick keeps you in the sides of Al Qudra Road. Route 1 is the main loop of the ride I chose to ride it through on my own.  And trust me, even though I sound all excited about riding here, I was scared as hell thinking about being in the middle of the desert with no one around for miles and miles. 

It took me an hour to reach there and I rented a bike from the Trek Bike store available right at the entrance of the track. One needs to book the bike well in advance as they are generally sold out on most days. You can rent all kinds of bikes from here and I chose to ride the track on a sexy Trek Road bike which cost me 90 Dirhams then.

I felt more confident when Amanda and her boyfriend from Sweden also joined me for the ride. They were just a cycling enthusiast like me who chose to spend their day Cycling in the desert overspending in the city.

We rode through the track, experiencing the beautiful sunrise from the other side of the desert, crossing the dunes one after another and stopping by to take photos now and then. It was a magical experience that I find challenging to put into words. Right when we crossed halfway through the track, we shouted in excitement as we spotted wild Arabian Oryx crossing the trail. We saw one, and then two, and then an entire herd of United Arab Emirates national animals on the sides of the track. After taking a few photos we kept on riding till we reached the end of the way.

I returned my bike to the store and hopped on to the numerous food trucks lined out at the exit point selling delicious breakfast and perfectly brewed coffee. After spending a couple of more hours here at the track, I and my new friends drove back to the city in a shared cab.

On our way back we didn't talk as we all were overwhelmed with the emotions of riding through the desert, playing in dunes, spotting wildlife and much more which can be described in words. We felt content and eternal happiness. If you are heading to Dubai, the Cycling in Dubai Al Qudra Cycling track should top your things-to-do list.