Old Bastakia

Cycling in Dubai!

Dubai Police Chief who loved racing bicycles!

Jack Briggs was Dubai Police's last expat Commander in Chief from 1965 to 1975. Jack lived all his working life in the Middle East. He spoke and wrote fluent Arabic, translated books by Dubai's Writers from Arabic into English and lectured on Arabic Affairs in UK Universities.

But cycling was Jack's passion. That is cycling on a racing bike in road races and time trials, not trundling around on two wheels admiring the scenery! Jack had no one to race against in Dubai so he convinced some of his young Dubai policemen to give the sport a try. There were no racing cycles in Dubai as it used to be so Jack placed an order for six racing bikes with the Bike Shop in his UK home town where he always bought his bikes. But how to get the cycles to Dubai?

Have Bikes! Will Fly!

Dubai's Royal Flight had taken delivery of a Boeing 747 SP. Jack got to hear the Boeing 747 SP was flying to UK for maintenance checks and hitched ride. Jack collected the cycles from his local bike shop then flew back to Dubai in the Boeing 747 after its maintenance checks together with his cycles.

Shortly after arriving back in Dubai, Jack received news of UK Newspaper headlines -

"Dubai's Ruler sends his personal Jumbo Jet to collect six bicycles"

Jack's local bicycle shop had told their local newspaper about the bike sale. Soon the story spread to UK's national newspapers!

Cycling Competition

Cycle Road Racing started in Dubai as a consequence of Jack's passion for cycle racing. Road Racing became a recognised sport in the UAE supported by both National and Expatriate Riders. Sadly Jack passed away in 2006 at the age of 86 while riding his bike in Dubai.

Read about Jack Brigg here.

Dubai Cycling Links

• Dubai Roadsters
• Wolfi's Bike Shop
• Dubai's Cycle Tracks
• Where to go on your bike in Dubai
• Spinney's Coast to Coast Challenge

Sheikh Rashid