Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi led hundreds of students in a cycling marathon on Friday to urge Egyptians to lower their fuel consumption to help the country's ailing economy, dpa reported. Dressed in sportswear and cycling gloves, al-Sissi was joined by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb and the ministers of defence, interior and youth and sports. "If you are driving a car you will pay around 4 pounds (0.55 dollars) for every 20 or 25 kilometres and Egypt pays 8 pounds," al-Sissi said in an address before the marathon began at 5:30 am. "So, if I could walk or used a method like this [bicycle], then in a day I will be giving Egypt 16 pounds. Imagine if 3,000 people decided to do that," he added. "We will not be able to build our country in any other way," he added. In the 2011-2012 budget, energy comprised 72 per cent of the country's entire subsidy allocation. -- SPA 19:22 LOCAL TIME 16:22 GMT تغريد
