So How Is It?
What’s it like racing in Saudi Arabia? Well, we’re in the mountains, for a start, so no seas of sand dunes, though stages 1&2 of the Abha Trophy had some pretty sandy traps in them. Stages 3&5 are in the mountains proper though. Today’s stage 3 went from nearly 3000m down to 1000m - mainly downhill, with a big kicker of a granny ring grovel at the end.
It started on loose, dusty jeep tracks, with plenty of loose rocks to catch you out (ahem…) for 10km and then went into a mad, but fun dry and rocky riverbed for about 10km more. Then came the grovelling climb before another loose, sandy descent to the finish. I’d reckon the nearest riding I’ve done to here has been in Moab and in Arizona. Arid and rocky, sunny and hard work, but great fun.
Oh, and our Singletrack Flickr page now has a new, catchy address http://www.flickr.com/photos/singletrackmag/