When a young German started selling bicycles in the corner of his brother’s car repair shop, he had no idea that decades later he would be considered by many as the face of cycling in a faraway land.
However, that was how Wolfgang Hohmann — known to most as simply Wolfi, a name also given to his shops— began his career, that brought him to Dubai 20 years ago where he opened his first shop in the UAE.
Since then, he has had a front row seat from which to observe an explosion of interest in cycling across the country, which has led to the UAE being viewed as an international hub for the sport.
It's a very different story today to when he first arrived in Dubai.
The best cyclists in the world come here to use these tracks and they are amazed by the quality
Wolfgang Hohmann
“When I first came here in 2002, I had a 40-foot container, half of it had furniture and the other half was bikes,” said Wolfgang, 50.
“I opened the container in front of my first store on the Sheikh Zayed Road and walked into an empty showroom and that was the start of it all for me.”
The shop, which is well known to anyone in the Dubai cycling community, is the first of four he now has in the Emirates.
The cycling infrastructure in those days was in its infancy.
“Back then, the facilities weren’t what we have now. There were less people living here and the interest was quite small,” he said.
“I remember our first riding group, the Dubai Roadsters, we had maybe five or six people.
“Now in Dubai, if you look at the Al Qudra track alone, there are thousands of cyclists there at the weekends, people have to arrive around 5am to be sure of finding a parking space.
“It’s almost like being at a concert every week when you see so many people gathered in one place.”
The UAE today is well regarded within the global cycling community for its investment in the sport, with more facilities being added each year.
Dubai has plans to expand the emirate’s cycle tracks from 463km to 759km by 2026 as part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, with paths mapped out for 29 city districts.
Abu Dhabi has plans for a 109km cycling track called the Abu Dhabi Loop, as well as a 3,500-seat velodrome, to be built on Hudayriyat Island.
The emirate also received the accolade last year of being named as a Bike City by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), becoming the first location in the Middle East and Asia to receive such status.
The interest in cycling was a much different proposition when Wolfgang first arrived in Dubai from Freiburg in Germany all those years ago.
He said he made it his personal mission to try to persuade people to take up the activity.
“I think it took almost about 10 years to make it work,” he said. "I was telling people who were into cycling to just bring one person along with them to the cycling groups and it grew from there.
“That was how the business grew. There was no Facebook or Instagram back then.
“I’m extremely proud to have helped build a community and play a part in bringing people to the sport.”
Cycling enjoyed a boon during the pandemic when most public activities were banned due to restrictions.
“If there was any winner that came out of Covid-19, I would say it was the sports industry,” said Wolfgang.
“A lot of gyms and other activities were closed off to most people. There was an unbelievable demand for cycling and goods such as indoor trainers.
“It really confirmed for me how important sport is and how it can help people to survive.”
A large part of the surge in interest in cycling in the UAE was down to the facilities, he added.
“The best cyclists in the world come here to use these tracks and they are amazed by the quality,” said Wolfgang.
“There’s nowhere else in the world where you have so many cycle tracks of this size that you can ride on with your friends.
“The community is only going to continue to grow and grow.”
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
HOW TO WATCH
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
