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Want to unwind, how about a bicycle ride?

Businessman Abu Baker Al Sakaf and his Fun Ride Sports have brought new fun in town by offering residents and tourists an entertaining sport - bicycle ride.

Al Sakaf said that after spending long hours in an office, people need to relax and even though they might own a bicycle, it would be inconvenient to go back home and return with it to the seafront, which is one of the very few nice and safe places for cycling here.

So far, Fun Ride Sports has two stations along the Corniche, opposite Hilton Hotel and the Chamber of Commerce, where both adults and children may rent a bike. Next week, a third point will be opened, near Sheraton Hotel, thus covering the entire length of the Corniche.

According to Karen Se, who works at the bike rental booth near Hilton, this new enterprise is getting increasingly popular.

“Especially during weekends we get a lot of families,” she said. Some 200-250 bikes are rented on a weekend, while during the week 80-100 bicycles are rented each day.

The fee is Dh20 for an adult and Dh15 for a child for one hour. An extra half an hour costs Dh10 and the same amount is charged if the bicycle is returned to a different location.

At the moment, Fun Ride Sports offers three types of bicycles - mountain bike, city bike and children bicycles.

“The city bike is bigger and a baby seat can be fixed at the back, so it is preferred by local men, especially if they are wearing a kandoura. It only has three gears though, while the GT mountain bike, which comes in small, medium and extra-large sizes, is a lot faster and more powerful, having seven gears,” explained Se.

All in all, Fun Ride Sports has about 200 bicycles and the number will increase from next month, when it will also offer tandem bicycles, which can be ridden by two people.

“One of the nice things about cycling is that there is no age limit for it. Kids as young as three years old may rent a bike and toddlers can ride with a parent in a special seat, which we provide,” added Se.

Come rain or sunshine, weekdays or weekends, Se is always at her post. “I really like this job. I even learnt how to ride a bike myself, which is fun and something that I had never done before,” she said.

Bicycles can be hired from 8am to 10pm at the Hilton booth throughout the week. Half way down the Corniche at Chamber of Commerce location, bicycles can be hired from 2pm to 10pm during weekdays and 8am to 10pm during weekends.

• UAE