MTB Egypt Rider of The Month: November 2013
Name: Yasmine Adel
Age: Adds up every 2nd of November.
Where are you from?: Cairo
What do you do for a living? I am a Project Officer at an international organization managing healthcare projects in several countries of the Arab region.
When and why did you start cycling? I got a bike 4 years ago, did road cycling and a bit of the Wadi’s valley, but that’s not real mountain biking. Luckily four months ago, a good friend of mine suggested we ride together so we started practicing on the valley and then we joined the beginners’ weekend rides.
Now I mountain bike an average of 5 times a week, before going to work and on weekends for longer and more technical rides. It’s an extreme sport requiring focus, fitness and the ability to manage your fears for body and bike to run smoothly on the trails. It’s physically and mentally challenging. The coolest thing is that I ride with people with different riding abilities so I get to learn skills and new trails. The MTB Egypt community is extremely supportive and helpful.
Road, off-road, or both? There is a Beatles’ song from the White Album called “Why don’t we do it in the road?” Love McCartney’s song but I prefer off-road ?
Tell us about your bike(s)!: A Peugeot hardtail. Still figuring out which bike to get next which is an adventure of its own.
Favorite ride(s) (road or off-road): Uphills on the long loop and rocky terrains like Puppy Canyon give me particular satisfaction. I like to feel in control while going over all those rocks and switchbacks. I find the rollercoaster very visually appealing with its yellow sands and Bone yard is the icing on top of the cake. It gives me that final kick before leaving the wadi and starting the day ? Love riding during sunset and sunrise and would love to ride during a full moon.
I am still not so comfortable going over narrow ridges with steep cliffs on the side but I guess with time I will get used to it.
Do you practice other sports?: I have been strength training and spinning for years, jogging sometimes. I recently got my open water diving certification (yey!) and I am starting basketball three times a week.
Tell us about your cycling-related injuries/accidents: Beside the “normal” indigo/green/blue bruises on my legs, I haven’t had The Crash yet. Hope it won’t leave scars or keep me away from MTBing.
Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?
Personal challenges: To do the Quarry and the Balcony without the walk of shame and to do Fatma’s Desperate Climb without stopping. Target: 1 June 2014. Would be wonderful if we can organize mountain bike rides in Sinai and get to mountain bike and dive on the same day ? We should also organize cleaning group rides and collect some of the trash on the wadi.
Speaking of which, who is Fatma?
