This is Part III (the final part) of our December 2010 Sinai MTB Epic ride.

The following day, we woke up a little before 8:00 a.m.

We packed out our camp...

Put our the gear on the support truck...

...followed by our bikes. The plan is to drive out to the ride starting point at higher elevation.

Then it was time for breakfast! A meal which experienced the fate of all other meals on this trip: Total Annihilation! (did I say that Bedouin bread is soooo good?!)

On the short drive to the ride starting point, we stopped to see Mossalam's home village. He told us about how Bedouins can spot and extract water from seemingly arid locations in the middle of the desert.

We arrived at the start point and quickly off-loaded our bikes and riding gear...

...and the rest of the riding adventure started!

After some "easy" riding through some valleys, we got to this...

It was time for some (or a lot of) hike-a-bike...

...which was rewarded by long stretches of fast singletrack and generally awesome riding! I will not talk too much about the riding now because you'll see it in a video.

All was going well and we were making good time as per the ride plan...that is until Mossallam broke his derailleur hanger. I was riding right behind him, pedaling up a gentle incline when I heard that horrible sound: CRRRAKKKK! and looked down to see his derailleur jammed between his rear wheel's spokes. Luckily he stopped before the further damage happened to his wheel.

With no spare hanger (yes, we were pushing our luck, non of us had a spare hanger), I converted his bike into a "singlespeed". Without horizontal dropouts or a chain tensioner, you can't really properly tension a chain to singlespeed properly, but in the middle of nowhere with no spare hanger, you just do what you can. Mossalam didn't seem to mind. After some cursing his spirits where up as if nothing happened. And, I might add, this didn't seem to slow him down. Maybe a little bit, not too much

At one point, the ride into a multisport activity: we had to go down an EXTREMELY STEEP "trail", simaltaneously trying to carry our bikes, not to slip off to the side and plummet down some 200 meters, and descend with any sort of dignity

Yep. It's steep.

Did I say steep? To compound the problem, it was also very loose.

That was followed by some more amazing riding that ended with us riding all the way to our beach-side camp at sunset. An amazing mountain biking adventure. While I don’t have any good photos of the rest of the ride, I do have what’s even better: a video!

Last Wednesday, four MTB Egypt riders (Kandil, Neal, Samer and myself) loaded up two cars with bikes and gear for a two-day adventure ride deep into the Sinai mountains. Here is a photo documentation (video coming soon) of the trip:

Wednesday afternoon we loaded up the cars…

3 bikes (mine, Samer's and a spare) and lots of gear, tools and spares crammed into Samer's Nissan...

...and Kandil and Neal's bikes + more gear in Neal's Jeep..

...and off we went! Destination: Neuwiba.

We made it to the beach-side camp to spend the night. After a quick dinner, we went to bed dreaming about the adventure ahead…

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise...

...and started preparing our riding gear. We couldn't wait to hit the trails!

Those straw huts are cute, but taller people will need to cut out holes to extend their legs if they expect any kind of comfort ...

Breakfast plates were wiped clean. Total annihalation was the fate of every meal that we had on this trip...

We loaded up our bikes and gear onto the support truck...

Four bikes, riding gear for four, tents, sleeping bags, food, water and everything we need for two days in the mountains was on this truck. The guy on the right in this picture is our guide. More about him later...

Then we crammed ourselves into our guide's Toyota. The bike on top is his.

And off we went. Sinai mountains, here we come!

A police officer at a checkpoint was apparently having a bad day and decided that we needed a "permit" to go where we were going. Such a party pooper! We spent a little over two hours waiting to obtain the piece of paper we need to get going again.

Clearance obtained, and we're on the go again!

Finally at the start point (at 1000+ meters above sea level) but about 3 hours behind scheduele, we scrambled to get our gear together and start riding. We didn't have adequate night riding gear and wanted to make it to our campsite (where we regroup with the support trucks) before darkness.

And it begins!

End of part one. Stay tuned for part two and three! (stories of epic trails and how our guide broke his bike!)

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.

svgallery=august6th2009ride

The ride was scheduled to start at 7:30, but waiting for a few first-time/oversleeping riders running late delayed the start about an hour or so. 12 riders, mostly beginners, started out on the main trail at Wadi Degla with the intent to make it to the end of the trail at the dry waterfalls (is there even such a thing as a dry waterfall?) area and back to the Maadi side entrance, a total of about 21km on a relatively level, mostly light sand and gravel trail.

As usual with beginner rides, there is wide spectrum of skill levels, which makes riding in a single group tricky. Some want to have a more spirited ride than last time, others want to take their time (which is what they should do on the first few rides). The decision came to split up into two groups: a “slow” group, and another, faster, one.

One rider broke a pedal early into the ride and had to hike back to the trail entrance. Six riders sped east towards the end of the trail. A stop was made near the end for a quick rest (which is really an excuse for picture taking). The group made it to the end of the trail, where a steep, rocky crevasse was the only way up to the wadi shoulder, where the Wadi Degla visitor center is located. The group decided to climb up and check it out.

Reaching the top of the crevasse, Hani had a “brilliant” idea:”How about we climb up with the bikes (not on the bikes) and get back to the western trail end via the “roller coaster” single track on the southern plateau. Not a group to shy away from adventure (despite the general collective “rookie” status), there was a unanimous “okay”.

We decided to take some video footage of such a (potential) feat: getting the bikes up to the plateau via the crevasse. M. Hanafi had a 2 GB memory card, and I had my small Casio camera for the purpose, but we needed all the man power and the idea of someone being given the luxury of being a camera man didn’t sit well with the group. Ayman and I came up with an ad hoc helmet mount which involved cable ties, string, a mini tripod and of course, my helmet.

The main challenge was to get six bikes up to the top of plateau, a problem solved by using the crevasse’s almost ladder-like formation which made it somewhat feasible. Employing a technique whereby two rides climbed up, were handed the bikes by their mates further down, who then took their turn to climb up and switch roles, the bikes where on top of the plateau in no time (well, it took about 20 minutes). We started the ride back after another photo op.

The rolling singletrack on the southern plateau is a great ride, but it demands a more advanced riding ability. Steep climbs and descents, cliff-edge, technical sections and rock fields quickly took its toll on the rookies, but their excitement gave them an energy boost and no one complained…until someone, who shall remain nameless , demanded that we descend down to the main trail. Honestly, it was not an unreasonable demand, this was only their second ride and I probably over-estimated the collective stamina of the group. Besides, a group ride is a group ride. One out, all out.

After a short moment of deliberation, it was decided that we exit the singletrack and descend down to the main trail. I, being the ride leader, decided to scout out a suitable decent point and signal the group to follow. Far to my right (north), I spotted what looked like a rocky embankment descending to a steep bluff, which would ultimately lead to the main trail via a short climb to the left of the bluff. Or at least that’s what it looked like from where I was standing.

I descended to the bluff and signaled the group to follow. The team assembled and we climbed down to a flat section which led to a very steep, rocky downhill section, which we descended with some difficulty because of the inability to gain a solid footing on the slippery rock surface. It was hard enough climbing down, let alone climbing down with your bike. The group made it down safely and in relief to see the main trail in sight. Laith was first to make it to (what looked like) the step-down to the trail, but a wide grin on his face told us something wasn’t right.

And indeed, something was very wrong. The “step-down” to the trail was actually a 10m high, 90% double bluff. We were locked in. We had the option of climbing back to the plateau or down to the trail, just not with the bikes. There was a collective “oh #$&^” moment and everyone had one thought : “What now?”

Then Ayman found a rope. Yes, a long, strong rope just lying there, a few meters away, neatly looped. What are the chances of that? It was a Godsend. We instantly split into two teams: one group climbed down and the other rappled down the bikes one by one. We finally made it to the main trail and sped towards the entrance, meeting up with the slower group halfway back.

All in all it was a good ride and an adventure with a lesson learned. This is desert and decisions to change the route plan should be only made when one is firmly sure that the alternate route is feasible and safe. It also shows that it is usually best not to ride solo on longer rides or new trails.

If we get a large enough group, we can split up into two groups by skill-level/speed..but again, this should be an easy ride.

Please bring:

- Your bikes (forget this and you’ll be running)
- Enough water (three half-liter bottles is usually good for the ride, stash more in your car)
- Food (candy bars, power bars, left-overs from 7alawet el mouled , anything to give you sustained energy)
- Ride kit: Your helmet, comfortable riding clothes, small repair kit (at least bring 1 inner tube, L.E. 8 from any bike shop)
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Meeting at the Wadi entrance at 7:30, ride starts 8:00

Transportation is always an issue, and I am trying to work on that. If you can provide any help please let me know.
Start Time: 7:30 a.m.
Date: 2008-05-23
End Time: 10:30 a.m.

Riders (left to right): A. Ali, A. El Haddad, Hani Morsi, M. Zaree, Laith, Ayman, Doaa, Ehab, M. Hanafi, Husam (not shown are Husam who was behind the camera, May and Karim who left early)

Ride description: We rode the main trail for an easy 6km in and back. A short beginner skills workshop was held and everyone introduced to trail riding basics.

Problems: None other than a semi-flat tire and loose handlebar on May’s bike, which were taken care of swiftly. “Someone” who shall not be herein named went off trail and demonstrated what not to do when you have weak brakes …thankfully, the injuries were minor (gat saleema).

Summary: Excellent beginner ride, good turnout, good weather and great company! What more could you ask for?! Another ride of course!

This ride that will introduce you to trail riding basics:

- Mountain bike preparation
- Riding position.
- Correct use of gears.
- How to Brake efficiently and safely
- Climbing and Descending techniques

You do not need to have any trail riding experience to attend. You will need to bring your own bike, helmet, water and some food.
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We will meet in front of the Wadi entrance at 8:00. We will go on an easy ride on the main trail and have a little “skills workshop”. See below for more information.

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Getting to and from Wadi Degla:

- If you have a car and need directions, check “Trails” on mtbegypt.com
- If you have a car and can take along one or more people with their bikes, and you are willing to do so, please let us know!
- If you don’t have a car or can’t find a ride, post on the wall or email mtbegypt at gmail dot com
Start Time: 08:00:00
Date: 2008-05-16
End Time: 10:30:00