In 2008, four ordinary guys with a passion for riding and looking for new challenges decided to take on one of the toughest off-road rally races in the world, the UAE Desert Challenge.
The Challenge is 6 days of riding over 2200kms in a vast desert called “The Empty Quarter”. The terrain is some of the most inhospitable and challenging this planet has to offer.
The UAE CC team make use of a variety of different routes to cover all the various types of terrain we can expect to encounter in the Desert Challenge. Rides can last anywhere from 2hrs to 4 hrs depending on the distance and difficulty of the terrain.
Fransua Rachmann: Sean is finally back in the saddle and we did a short training ride on one of our oldest and easiest training routes. Darryn and I went on this route last weekend for his first ride back after his Achilles tendon injury. Even though he is not going to do the Challenge, he just couldn’t wait to ride again!
Sean Curnow: Welcome to the eleventh update for the UAE Charity Challenge Team.
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is less than 2 weeks away now. The race begins with a Super Special spectator stage near Abu Dhabi city on the 27th March to decide the starting order. The official race then starts on the 28th March with competitors departing Abu Dhabi and heading out for 5 days into the Liwa Desert and the Moreeb area of the Empty Quarter (Rub Al Khali), the world's largest uninterrupted sand mass boasting some of its highest dunes.
Sean Curnow: Al Jaber L.E.G.T. Engineering & Contracting (ALEC) has committed their support to the UAE CC 2010.
ALEC started in the UAE in 1999, with a firm vision to raise the level of design and construction services and has consistently evolved and grown. Today, ALEC is a preferred contractor for the execution of major construction projects.
Sean Curnow: The Radisson Blu Hotel on Yas Island Abu Dhabi has committed their support as the official Hospitality Sponsor for the UAE CC 2010. The UAECC Team will use the Radisson Blu Hotel, Yas Island as their official base before and after the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2010.
Enjoying a prime location on the beautiful Yas Island, the new Radisson Blu Hotel is a perfect base for business travellers, for business events and for visitors wanting to explore Abu Dhabi.
Fransua Rachmann: With the Desert Challenge just around the corner, friends of mine invited me to join them for a practice weekend in the Liwa desert over the 26th / 27th February 2010. They are also getting ready to do the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and since Paul is traveling and Sean is still not riding with his collarbone on the mend, I thought it was a good idea to go and see what the terrain looks like.
