Tens of thousands of cyclists ride on skyscraper-lined superhighway in Dubai

For a few brief hours, the skyscraper-lined superhighway that cuts through the centre of Dubai emptied of the cars always clogging it to give way to tens of thousands of cyclists.

The annual Dubai Ride on Sunday saw bikes race down Sheikh Zayed Road, a 10-lane asphalt jungle that gives drivers a view of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and other sites such as the Museum of the Future.

This year’s ride began before sunrise in Dubai.

As dawn broke, cyclists posed for photographs along the motorway and cheered as they zipped along.

United Arab Emirates resident Maria Guillerma Imboy said Dubai Ride is the largest cycling event she has taken part in so far in the UAE.

She said: “We’ve always done this biking routine where we go to Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, but this is my first time going in this kind of festive Dubai Ride, this is the biggest that I joined, the biggest so far.”

Resident Saikoushik Parasa said he could not miss the opportunity.

He said: “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to ride on this Sheikh Zayed Road.

“It’s always a busy road but then for this event they actually blocked the road off and then gave us the opportunity to ride on this main road of Dubai and of course I would never miss this opportunity to come for this ride.”