May 20, 2021:  During the Holy Month of Ramadan, hundreds of children from different schools across Abu Dhabi took to the streets, the parks and the cycle tracks on their bikes as part of the Ramadan Rides challenge set by UAE Team Emirates and ADNOC.  

 

The challenge, which encouraged kids to be active every day during Ramadan, inspired more than 700 school children, of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities, to collectively ride over 5000km. 

 

The 10 participating schools which included: Sas Al Nakhl Campus, Ruwais Campus, Ghayathi Campus, Madinat Zayed Campus, Canadian International School, Hamdan Bin Zayed Girls School, Al Bateen School, Al Afaaq School, Al Dhebianya School, and Al Rabdan School helped the kids log their rides and distances and share images of their experiences on social media to celebrate the initiative. 

 

UAE Team Emirates’ Emirati rider and current national road champion Yousif Mirza said, “It’s great to see so many children cycling during Ramadan. I am proud to be a part of a team that is encouraging our local community to get out on their bikes and stay fit and healthy. It’s important to grow the sport of cycling amongst our youth and challenges like this are a great way to do that. Since the recent success of the team in last year’s Tour de France, I have seen even more children taking up cycling – all enjoying riding and having fun. I hope that more success on the road for the team will result in more children in the UAE taking up the sport and cycling becomes even more popular.”

 

The Ramadan Rides challenge builds on the work already done by the UAE Team Emirates through its Youth Academy programme, which was launched in 2018.

 

The in-schools academy program, which has been put on hold due to Coronavirus restrictions has already engaged over 2,500 children across 25 schools and contributes to the team’s goal of growing the sport and promoting a healthier lifestyle in the UAE.