RashAfter getting properly exposed to all the cyclists in Jordan, I would have never imagined how big the cycling community can be. Comparatively speaking when compared to the swimming, running or triathlon groups the cycling community is by far the biggest one of all and you cannot even imagine how much it has grown over the last couple of years. Thankfully, through my experience, I’ve met some amazing cyclists, genuine hearts coming from literally all walks of life (in terms of age, career and whatnot) and all you need to do is to get yourself out there and you will be welcomed by open hands.
Tips & Tricks – Getting to know more cyclists in Jordan
What’sApp & Strava are the greatest tools to use in order to start getting involved within the cycling communities in Jordan. We all know what What’sApp is but incase you haven’t heard of Strava It’s like Tinder for athletes. You can keep tabs on what other people are up to getting details of the routes/paces that they have accomplished. You can also compete with other people or keep tabs on yourself by viewing who did specific road segments the fastest and if you have achieved a PB (personal best) on these segments or not. The main aim in order to get the most out of training with others is to get on all the whats’App cycling groups. Generally speaking each group has a couple of regulars who never miss out a session (eventually you can become one of the lads) but also some people can be present in multiple groups as in reality everyone is welcome to join. In my case it’s really lovely to see what every group is up to on a given day and having the choice of either having my own session or joining others depending on what my training plan is on that given day.
Training sessions are always announced on both Strava and Whats’App. So if you are not on the Whats’App groups yet you can always hop on Strava and see what every club is up to whenever they post a ride. Once you actually get to a session physically you will eventually start meeting the people hence get more involved and get added to these random groups to make life even more easier. Also when just going on rides in general (whether solo or not) its a good idea to keep yourself out there as more people will start noticing your presence and get you more involved.
PS. Most groups have a “social” and a “training” whatsApp groups. Its probably a good idea to mute them all as you will probably start hating your phone if you don’t.
The cycling groups
Rum Team
The most noticeable group present in Amman at the moment. Lead by the wonderful Tony Abu Zeid & others. Genuine people from all ages and skills. The most organised & well established with a huge number of cyclists and a good number of fancy bikes. Some serious photography skills. They usually host a regular Monday/Wednesday early morning training rides (about 50km each +- starting at 5am) and a long ride on Fridays. Sometimes these long rides are split into two depending on the levels of cyclists but they are more into just enjoying their day having breaks along the way, enjoying the views and having a couple of coffee breaks here and there. They also embark on a couple of biking initiatives around the world to raise money for charities usually for local Jordanian causes with the aim of just cycling and having fun.
Social Links:-
Rum Team – Instagram, Rum Team – Facebook Group, Rum Team – Strava
Elemnt Team
Smaller group directly associated with Cycling Jordan. Lead by Aref Dadan. Feels slightly more low key and comfy. Organising regular fun long rides on Fridays trying to be more creative with the scenery along the routes. Regular midweek sessions pop out randomly not too early in the morning starting at either 7 or 8am. Also into just enjoying nature, the scenery and having regular coffee breaks along the way.
Social Links:-
Elemnt – Facebook, Elemnt – Strava
GBI Group
A relatively new group directly associated with Nader Bikes (split from rum). Lead by Capt. Nader the ex Jordanian national team coach who is one of the legendary players in the sport. A fun group also looking to tackle some long distance challenges and travel across countries on their bikes. Can be competitive and sometimes fun depending on whatever they have to organise. Can get you involved with the other Northern bound cycling groups from Irbid. They only work through What’sApp no Strava in their case. Communication is mostly based in Arabic on what’sApp.
Social Links:-
Team Dynamic
Very low key group that I honestly don’t know much about. Lead by Mohammad Hajeer who has been cycling for a very long time in here who I think used to be a mountain biker or maybe a mix of both.
Social Links:-
Team Dynamic – Strava, Team Dynamic – Facebook
Cycling Federation / Tri national teams
A ton of internal drama and politics. Not much needed to be said.
