Poor infrastructure, police harassment, a die-hard bike community - what it’s like to be a cyclist in the Middle East

Behind all that money, cycling is growing in some regions while being outlawed in others.

Abdulrahman Alkhamees
(Image credit: Patrick Daly)

Go ahead and take a minute to think about what cyclists look like or where they are from. I bet you don’t picture someone who looks like me — a Kuwaiti man.

And when there’s talk about increasing diversity where it’s needed, such as in the sports industry, people like me aren’t showing up in those “diverse” ads. 

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Abe Alkhamees
Contributor

Abdulrahman "Abe" Alkhamees is a cyclist, adventurer and outdoor junkie currently living in Kuwait. Cycling helped him lose over half his body weight and turn his life around for the better. Abe is captivated by the way cycling brings people together, and the communities that are formed around it. He captures his cycling adevntures and the people he meets in a blog called The Paperclip, www.thepaperclip.cc.