Name: Hanny Elmessiry

Age: 47

Where are you from?: Originally, Alexandria, now Cairo, Egypt.

What do you do for a living? Partner and President MENA region for an Equity Investment and advisory firm

When and why did you start cycling? Always had a bike, but started MTB 2 years back

Road, off-road, or both? I do both, (20-80) but my heart lies with off-road (80%)

Tell us about your bike(s)!: started out with a Jeep bike, not knowing about weight/frame, size etc., went based on full suspension and looks. When introduced to the MTB Egypt and my friends Omar and Kareem, my eyes were opened to the world of specifications, which made me purchase a Trek Rumble Fish, 29’er full suspension, during my trip to California after extensive research and opting for this versus a Trek super fly, Carbon, where I got concerned about breaking the frame, plus fact is I could wait for a special order, wanted to roll in California before hitting our Wadi

Favorite ride(s) (road or off-road): The Sinai trip was out of this world, but locally, the North ridge was more challenging and different

Do you practice other sports?: Yes, daily swimmer, 5 days gym and three days a week running

Tell us about your cycling-related injuries/accidents: Most interesting was on the North Ridge with Neal only, ahead of the pack to quickly get my car for in injured friend, where I did not listen to Neal’s advice of not taking the slope, I did and started skidding body first, protection gear slid off my knee, then when settled saw my Trek coming at me, stopped by my body, then rolled on top of my head. That day I slightly dislocated my shoulder and appreciated the gear and helmet

Anything else you want to tell us about yourself? Glad to have know you all. Have actually given a new meaning to being in Egypt, and my way of life. Now looking forward to out of Egypt experience next.

Name:

Marwa Moez

Age:

Turning 25 on June

Where are you from?:

Egypt-Philippines.. I’m half-half!

What do you do for a living?

I inflict pain on people.. Just kidding! I’m a dentist..

When and why did you start cycling?

I used to bike around a lot when I was kid.. but it was back in 2008 when I first started MTB.. it’s a common sport in the Philippines and I kept hearing a lot about it from my friends.. so I gave it a try and MTB had me at hello! =D

Road, off-road, or both?

Both, but I’d always choose off-road over road!

Tell us about your bike(s)!:

So far I’ve only rode hardtails. My bike in the Philippines was a GT, and now I’m riding an Orbea (with poor rigid suspensions).. Can’t wait to upgrade!

Favorite ride(s) (road or off-road):

Off road! the trails in Baguio City, Philippines and of course now, Wadi Degla! I love the rollercoaster and that descent at the end of the full corporate loop! =D

Do you practice other sports?:

Basketball! I joined my school’s team in junior year and continued playing it through high school and college.

Tell us about your cycling-related injuries/accidents:

Just the regular hematomas & bruises.. Thank God!

Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?

I Love Dogs! So when I get old & wrinkly, you’d probably still see me at Wadi Degla, but I’d be rollin’ with my dogs! Hopefully not on a wheelchair! LOL

This week, a team of seven Egyptian amateur cyclists fly to Nairobi, Kenya to take part in one of the stages of the famous annual cycling event, Tour d’Afrique.

Riding in the Wadi over the past several weekends, I bumped into these guys on their weekly training session. Their excitement is contagious. We’re rooting for you, Team Egypt! Bring us back great stories of epic cycling adventures, and take lots of pics!

The team is also making use of their expedition to raise funds for the injured demonstrators of Egypt’s January 25th Revolution. For more information on how you can contribute to this great cause, see their facebook page.

Name: Neal Afifi

Age:34

Where are you from?:

Living in Cairo

What do you do for a living?

Self employed. Partner in a Business Services and Consulting Company.

When and why did you start cycling?
I had a very late start in my life. I started in 2008. I always liked cycling and always enjoyed being outdoors, so  once, while jogging in WadiDegla, I saw several mountain bikers descend from the horizon and I knew right then that mountain biking was the sport for me. It is the perfect combination between a good workout, being outdoors, excellent scenery and exploring the unknown J I have no problem whatsoever to wake up at 6am on Fridays to go for a ride.

Road, off-road, or both?
Off-road only. I love the feeling of exploring unknown territory and creating my own track. Deeply philosophical, right?

Tell us about your bike(s)!:
My primary bike is a pretty mean Full Mountain Specialized 2006 Enduro. It’s quite a heavy bike, but it can withstand quite a beating without complaining. My backup bike is a generic 19.5” Kellys XC hard tail. That is the bike I started up with before switching to the Enduro. I’m not a big fan of upgrades or modifications to my bikes. They both have all the original components since the day I bought them. I’m not against the idea; I just never had the time to get into that.

Favorite ride(s) (road or off-road):
My favorite segments in WadiDegla:

1. Balcony heading West (towards the quarries and back). Excellent switchbacks and a great track if you like ridges
2. South ridge (from the visitor center back towards the main camp site). Excellent switchbacks.
3. Roller Coaster (the famous segment of the corporate loop). Very fun. Ideal for beginners
4. Box Canyon (Degla to Hof). The canyon itself is fascinating. Try to avoid the military areas!!

I’ve also cycled with the MTB Egypt team in Nuweiba (Sinai) and that was a spectacular track in the mountains.

Do you practice other sports?:
Basketball. Running. I do have other outdoor hobbies like 4×4 off-roading/safaris.

Tell us about your cycling-related injuries/accidents:
The notorious knee/shin scrape in WadiDegla: I was showing off and decided to jump at the end of a ramp (in the roller coaster segment of the corporate loop) and lost all control of the bike in the air and landed on my knee while skidding for 2 meters. That caused quite a big scrape and lost a lot of skin LMy advice: always wear shin/knee/elbow guards and practice to jump before you actually jump.

Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?

Not about myself, but a few things I wanted to say in general:

• It’s never too late to start a new sport or hobby
• Cycle safely. Follow the safety guidelines on mtbegypt.com. Wear protective armor. Never cycle alone.
• If you would like to go out for a test ride in WadiDegla, contact me directly or contact MTB Egypt and we can help you arrange that
• Go out and explore Egypt. There is so much to see and so much to do.

Sometimes we also ride bikes in the desert…at night.

Full moon night rides are great. Riding the same trails in the dark is like riding new trails. There is also a certain magic to the whole experience of being on a bike in the middle of the desert at night.

Name: Mohamed Kandil

Age: 25

Where are you from?: Obour City-Cairo

What do you do for a living? : Marketing Manger

When and why did you start cycling? : I’ve been cycling for as long as I can remember.

Road, off-road, or both? It was not until recently that I started off-road cycling and it’s really fun but before it was mainly road biking.

Tell us about your bike(s)!: Renault Eclaireur , all aluminum with Shimano Acera , It’s a good entry-level  bike that one can start mountain biking with.

Favorite ride(s) (road or off-road): In 2008 I made a bike tour for 4 days in Switzerland and it was like a dream, I love mountain biking in Wadi Degla. Anyway I love biking anywhere as long as the air is clean and the scenery is nice.

Do you practice other sports?: swimming , running, I’m thinking about taking Triathlon seriously

Tell us about your cycling-related injuries/accidents: Once I had a head-on collision with another bike, the funny thing is that I could see the other bike coming meters away , but every time I took one side of the road the girl on the other bike took the same side ,  so we kept swinging like this until we eventually crashed .
But mountain biking-wise I’ve been cautious till now.

Anything else you want to tell us about yourself? I love astronomy , night sky watching and I build model airplanes.

Name: Hany Nagaty

Age: 34

Where are you from?: Cairo, Egypt

What do you do for a living? Telecom Engineer

When and why did you start cycling?
I started serious cycling one year ago. It was when I knew about some cycling event in Europe where we should cycle 800Km in 7 days. So I started serious bike training for the event, and after coming back I’m still into cycling.

Road, off-road, or both? Both

Tell us about your bike(s)!: Specialized Hardrock MTB, And  I love it

Favorite ride(s) (road or off-road):Both
I love the off-road for the adventure and fun.
And I love going long distance on road to increase the fitness and endurance.

Do you practice other sports?:
Sometimes swimming and a little gym.

Tell us about your cycling-related injuries/accidents:
It was a silly accident; locking the front brakes and then going over the handlebars. I broke a finger. I had an important cycling event two weeks later and I couldn’t miss it, so I went cycling with my hand still in the cast. Thank God I didn’t fall during the event. My finger is now fine.

Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?
I hope biking becomes more popular in Egypt. I wish there are bike shops that sell descent bikes and accessories. And I wish (for sure this is day dreaming) Egyptian streets get bike lanes just like they have in Europe.

Name: Nora Mortagui

Age: 27

Where are you from?

Raised in Alexandria but currently living in Cairo.

What do you do for a living?

I work for a multinational in the human resources department.

When and why did you start cycling?

I started cycling in April, 2009 because I was looking to adopt an outdoorsy activity where I can continuously challenge my body & mind especially in a very male-dominated sport.

Road, off-road, or both?

So far, off-road, I have only biked on-road twice. But I am not biased to either.

Tell us about your bike(s)!:

My bike is a hardtail women’s edition 2009 GTw Avalanche 3.0. I just love it when guys see it and comment “oooh, but it’s so girly!”. Yea.

Favorite ride(s) (road or off-road):

Wadi Degla, so far J

Do you practice other sports?:

I regularly do aerobics, strength training & hiking but I’ll be willing to try anything else at least once.

Tell us about your cycling-related injuries/accidents:

Some time in the end of September 2009, I was riding really fast in the Wadi’s Canyon where I, as far as I can remember, attempted to jump a very small drop off at very high speed only to end up landing on the side of my front wheel, that got twisted, then I began swerving manically & ultimately flew off my bike, injured my right forearm from my palm to my elbow, where my palm turned blue then black, and pounded the triangular bone beneath my lower spine and hit the back of my head. After a month, I am still recovering from that fall but thank God for helmets!

Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?

Nah, I’m good.