With a population of 238,000, the UAE’s smallest emirate has caught the cycle bug over the past 12 months with the community becoming heavily involved since the inception of Ride Ajman in 2016.
With Dubai and Abu Dhabi at the fore of the UAE’s top health and fitness events, Ajman is slowly emerging as one of the new boys on the scene with Ride Ajman and the renowned Desert Warrior Challenge.
At the helm of this development are Ajman Tourism, the partnering hotels and the local people, who work tirelessly to promote an active lifestyle in the community.
Ride Ajman and the introduction of future new exciting sports events will benefit everyone in the emirate in the long term, according to Francis Desjardins, General Manager of Fairmont Ajman and hotel partner to Ride Ajman.
“After last year there was a belief that we needed to bring the community together to participate in the event in order to continue growing it. It’s the same with the Desert Warrior Challenge – we’ve been a sponsor for every event – there’s a reason for it,” he said.
“It’s supported the tourism in Ajman, so we can assist this event and bring more foot-fall into Ajman. If they see it for the first time, they could come back for a vacation one weekend and to really promote the destination. It allows us as a sponsor to use our social media channels to help promote the event. I think by doing it, it’s a win-win for everyone.
“We thought there was a niche market. There are a lot of running events, so with the cycling is still up and coming. There are still not many events. It was an opportunity but there is more events coming.”
Cycling is a sport that has grown rapidly over recent years, with the UAE now holding two UCI Tours in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In addition, there are several cycling tracks around the country to allow people to train and enjoy the sport.
Away from their strong support of Ride Ajman, Fairmont have an array of offers for visitors, most notably a golf and play package that allows guests to stay overnight and play a round of golf at Al Zorah Golf Club, with a meal and transport included.
A short 35 minute journey from Dubai, the Fairmont offers a beautiful beach, a vibrant town and some promising health and fitness facilities for its guests, which is ideal if you are planning on staying down before or after any of the big events.
“It’s just all about promoting the destination, for all of us to work together as a destination – from the hotels to the tourism board – it’s to get everyone working aggressively in a positive way,” Desjardins added.
“They have a vision – Ajman 2021 – to re-position and you can see they are striving to get there and they will get there. It is a beauty to see the commitment by them, being a small community to allow us to get closer to deliver such a big event.”
