DUBAI // Every Friday a hardcore pack of bikers heads out to villages, wadis and mountains in search of breathtaking views, the open road - and the perfect breakfast egg roll.
The bankers, businessmen, engineers and advertising professionals ride powerful machines ranging from Harley-Davidsons and BMWs to classic Royal Enfields.
Summer is no deterrent for this tight-knit tribe.
"Sometimes you feel like you're in an open sauna and a big hair dryer is on your face," says Marco Moller, 40, a technical manager with an industrial kitchen equipment company.
"But on a bike the entire countryside is up close and striking. So even if it's hot and uncomfortable, we continue to ride in the heat."
The riders log in about 150km to 200km over four hours every Friday. In summer they set out at 5am to beat the heat, still in their protective heavy jackets, helmets and gloves.
Their rides take them into small villages such as Tawi Nizwa on the Dubai-Hatta road, or Fili on the Kalba road, and on to the Hatta mountains, Fujairah and Musandam.
On every trip they stop at the small, tin-roofed restaurants that serve up their breakfast of choice, egg rolls, which are omelettes rolled into Indian flat bread. A favourite is a tiny shop in Wadi Sawka, on the Sharjah-Kalba road just before the narrow mountain stretches begin.
Resting on worn plastic chairs, they tuck into their snacks and gulp down tea while chatting with villagers who come out to see the bikes.
"Many bikers can't understand how we bear the heat, but it's not about riding fast, it's just about enjoying the ride," says Ivo Kapitzki, 52, the vice president of a German car company.
"We enjoy riding on Musandam's winding roads, watching camels cross the desert, and it's also about searching for the best roll we can find. The villagers find us approachable for a chat, unlike people sitting in cars."
The biking scene has greatly changed in the past few decades, says Vijay Pillai, 59, who has been riding for 30 years.
"Back then there were not many roads and people were not used to seeing big bikes," says Mr Pillai, the owner of Max Garage, which services and restores classic cars. "Now it's catching on with a variety of people of all ages and there are regular routes to follow.
"Still, it's only hardcore riders who ride through the summer."
Most of their families write off Friday mornings as strictly reserved for riding. While spouses never join their husbands in summer, some get involved when the weather cools.
"I think he lives for Fridays," says Mr Pillai's wife Nazneen, who was recently caught in a sandstorm with her husband and two friends on a week-long biking trip to Oman.
"Riding is his passion, his love. He enjoys the open space and being in control of the bike."
Out on the road, the working week seems like a lifetime ago.
"It's a stress buster after a long hard week; the heat cannot dampen our spirits," says Riyaz Neem, 40, who runs an advertising agency.
"It's the pure thrill of riding with like-minded people and rounding it off with a roll and chai [tea].
"It's a humbling experience that, just a half hour out of Dubai, we can ride through small towns and quaint villages as opposed to passing fancy glass towers on Sheikh Zayed Road. It's a slice of life in the UAE you don't always see."
The group often meets at Classic Motorcycles, a workshop off Sheikh Zayed road. Their Facebook page is Royal Enfield Dubai.
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
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Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
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Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
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Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
The Details
Article 15
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
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Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
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Don't get fined
The UAE FTA requires following to be kept:
- Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents related to receiving goods or services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents issued
- Records of goods and services that have been disposed of or used for matters not related to business
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Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
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Transmission Eight-speed automatic
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MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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World Cup warm-up fixtures
Friday, May 24:
- Pakistan v Afghanistan (Bristol)
- Sri Lanka v South Africa (Cardiff)
Saturday, May 25
- England v Australia (Southampton)
- India v New Zealand (The Oval, London)
Sunday, May 26
- South Africa v West Indies (Bristol)
- Pakistan v Bangladesh (Cardiff)
Monday, May 27
- Australia v Sri Lanka (Southampton)
- England v Afghanistan (The Oval, London)
Tuesday, May 28
- West Indies v New Zealand (Bristol)
- Bangladesh v India (Cardiff)
