The organizing team- headed by Saad Darwazeh- were very kind and well prepared to help any of the participants along the way. They provided us with professional mountain bikes, helmets, and all the liquids we can drink
It was 7:30 am. Our meeting point was Safeway -7th circle. From there we drove to Zaytoonah University. I was amazed but not surprised at the number of bikes they prepared for us. We got to try out the bikes and helmets for size and comfort and each one chose what suited them the best. After everyone was satisfied with their gear we got a quick briefing from Saad about the ride where he outlined the order in which we will be riding, and some rules and regulations to follow while riding and in case of emergency.
We then started out down a level road adjacent to the university heading in the Direction of Madaba. The road was smooth, paved with little ups and downs –which was also the case most of the way to a village in Madaba called "Granada".
Into the first 3 kilometers, my bike ran into a technical problem; the chain had gone loose. I tried to fix it but couldn't. However, I didn’t worry because Nader –from the organizing team- and the pickup truck carrying about 6 extra bikes were right behind the group. They stopped, gave me a new bike, and I was on my way again
Along the way, there were some resting points where we regrouped, talked, laughed and were briefed on the next stretch of the ride. One of the stops was Grenada where the group split into two: one headed by Saad and one headed by Nader. The Saad group were to continue to Mount Nebo, while the Nader group were to continue the circle and go back to the starting point. Although it was my first time and I was really tired, I didn’t like the idea of going back so I decided to continue to Mount Nebo with the "Pros"
I was so glad I went to Mount Nebo. The scenery along the way was great, and it was more challenging than the first part of the ride. The way back was even more challenging and fun, but I had to give up and hitch a ride on the pickup truck after covering 40 kilometers in total … not bad for a first time. Inshalla next time I will go all the way
By far the best part of this experience is that we did all of this and were back around 12:00 noon -Most people spend this part of Friday morning sleeping. This is by far the best thing you can do between 7:30 and 12:00 on a Friday morning. I strongly encourage everyone to at least try it.
Jordan Cycling Club blog is: http://cyclingjordan.jeeran.com/
e-mail: ptc[at]go[dot]com[dot]jo
Some pictures I took along the way:
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September, 18, 2006 11:45 PM