Participants enjoy 4th annual Tissot Cycling Race

AMMAN – Participants of the Tissot Cycling Race on Friday fought traffic and heat to make the event a success, according to organisers.

Although not nearly as popular as football or basketball, cycling has been getting more and more followers in recent years thanks to cycling groups which have mushroomed this sport in the Kingdom.

Participants were separated into two groups with male and female sub-groups —mountain bikes (17km) and road bikes (34km).

“The cycling community has significantly expanded since 2009 and I’m very pleased to see this change,” said Diana Al Qutub, the winner of the women’s road bike race (58m59s). Muna Jaber (59m36s) came in 2nd, followed by Haya Al Ghoul (1h12m02s).

In addition she is content that people are showing awareness to healthy life styles and slowly developing a cycling community. 

“I hope that more females take part in these cycling races in the near future and that the Kingdom will consider adding cycling lanes in their transportation infrastructure plans,” added Qutub, a science teacher and a dietician.

Tissot Cycling Race was launched in 2012 when Nader for Bikes and the Swiss watch giant agreed to promote cycling in Jordan through an annual event. 

The race became more significant attracting other biking groups like Cycling Jordan and Bike Rush which teamed up with Nader for Bikes and Tisssot to organise competitions for experienced cyclist and rookies alike. This year their joint effort brought around 230 regional and international participants.

Haitham Al Suleiman admits that he started to ride a bicycle “just two years ago”, but he soon became “hooked on the sport”.

“Cycling should be an everyday way of transportation like in other countries with friendly roads for us, “ he stressed.

Although Tala Mattar has been cycling for only three years it did not prevent her from exceling as a competitive cyclist. She clinched the first place in the women’s mountain bike category (40m48s). 

“Cycling in Jordan, particularly in Amman developed a lot recently, but not enough in my opinion. So far we haven’t received any formal support but in the long run I firmly believe we can fulfil our potential,” Mattar said.

“I often ride my bike with my dad and my family fully supports my decision to regularly cycle. Cycling can promote female sportsmanship and boost social acceptance of women,” she stressed.

For Rula Rousan sport is a way of life, particularly cycling and running. She has actively cycled for 15 years, winning second place this year (42m27s) in women’s mountain bike category, followed by Tjitske De Jong (42m55s).

“This is my second year of participation in the race. It gave me the chance to discover a new skill as a bike racer where in previous years I used to bike on my own not recognising my speed skills. The race also introduced me to new bikers and biking groups that arrange trips and training during the weekends,” Rousan stressed. 

Khalid Beno (33m9.2s) won the men’s mountain bike category, followed by Mahmoud Aboushi (33m10.7s) and Ahmad Al Aboudi (33m32.6s).

The race brought in international cyclists and American John Tullias was one of them. He won first place in the men’s road bike category (55m1s). Yousef Al Dabbagh (55m1s) came in 2nd, followed by Saif Al Hayajneh (55m3s). 

Tullias maintains that Jordan has a great potential for organising international cycling events.

“Jordan could be a Mecca for cycling because of its spectacular natural scenery. Local institutions should officially promote the sport at schools and more events like this,” Tullias added.