Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Ignoring societal hurdles and disapproval, a group of Saudi cyclists are not only hurtling down the barriers, but are hoping to set a trend that would prove healthy with utility cycling. The group is making their presence felt in one Saudi city by using their bicycles to get around the city, while also promoting the fact that cycling for some of their short trips could prove to be a healthful exercise in the course of daily life. Several Saudi youth have ignored society's reactions toward their biking habit, and have purposefully pedaled their intentions. With the numbers of bicyclists growing they decided to assemble their own small community to promote the phenomena of cycling in the Kingdom. The Saudi cyclists created in 2012 ‘Darraj Hasa', a group whose aim is to encourage people to ride bikes — in a country where riding bicycles has become a rare exploit — in order to make cycling a part of their lifestyle habits so they can enjoy better health. The group, which started with six cycling members coming together in Al-Hasa, has grown today into a more than 300-strong club. Ironically it was their random meetings when they rode their cycles in a bid to stay in shape and healthy that brought them together. When the group had more members, they started on their main goal of building a strong cycling culture by turning people's interest toward cycling. Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Majed Al-Turki, the group's public relation personnel, said the slogan of the group is ‘The Bike Brings Us Together.' He said, "Our aim is to have a bike in each house at least. We participate in public activities and festivals and biking events inside or outside the Kingdom. We meet once a week, depending on our schedule. "With the growing numbers of members, some of the riders meet more often and go for rides on their own, not the group schedules." Al-Turki said, recently, around 110 members gathered for a cycling event, and it was the biggest gathering since they are implementing their mission. "The group's efforts are a positive impact on changing society's perspective toward cycling. By using bikes in our daily rides and by participating in many events, we will succeed in encouraging people to be part of this culture and make cycling part of their daily habit. We also some good examples of people that started cycling and have lost weight," he said. Al-Turki said that some society members still view cycling with a colored eye, but he believes that the perception of the society would alter sooner or later.
