“Great fun but very hard to get to start (~40k from Abu Dhabi proper), and no bag drop”

“1st time experience it’s was thrilling ”

“I was surprise to see so many People in élite or goup 1. I ll recommand à classification using chip time and 5 min spacing between waves or redingote by age group. Excellent overall organisation. Thank you”

“great experience and good support”

“not much ppl in water station to give water for the riders i miss many water station coz of that ”

“It was so unforgettable experience,!!!”

“I enjoyed it so much this year. Thanks for organizing this event and looking forward for the next one. Thanks! ”

“Need more arrangements really dangerous ”

“Great event. It exceeded my expectations.”

“way way too dangerous. saw 8 crashes ”

“People without experience caused a lot of crashes ”

“In my age I could do an international level race … love it ”

“The departure buses organization could have been slightly better. Loved everthing about the event”

“Really enjoyable Gran Fondo. The friendliness of your staff and the race pack clearly deserve a 12 :-))) Overall really well organized though race pack collection ahead of event required some logistal planning. Bus transfer back to the starting point worked well - given the buses were quite big it might be an idea to take all bikes inside and hold them from the seats. Bag drop and shower at finish area another opportunity?! ”

“Thank you for the great experience ”

“the web site ist much too complicated. What is the reason to have two or more homepages? It is not clear who is the organiser, who is encharged to answer questions. Where to find the results. The homepages are much to much overloaded. The basics are not clear communicated. If you want to have more participants in the older age group you have to either shorten the distance and/or also shorten the minimum average speed. Otherewise it was a great and well organised event.”

“Great job, Abu Dhabi! Your grand findo racing event was fantastic – thrilling and well-organized. Looking forward to more exciting races in the future!"”

“Well organized, the support is excellent ”

“Very Good organisation and very Good Marchal ”

“I got a flat tire at the 73 km mark. I found myself stranded on the side of the road, waiting for the support car that has been mentioned in the Road Book. But guess what? No one showed up! The only vehicle that bothered to stop was one of those cars with the Abu Dhabi bike logo, and all they did was tell me to get away from the road because it was open for cars. They didn't even have the decency to ask if I needed any assistance. And as if that wasn't enough, the buses didn't even bother to sto”

“Event was great very enjoyable and well organised. Only areas for improvement were - can the start be used for packet pickup? Saves time travelling around AD? Bus return was a bit chaotic. ”

“I was one the people who cant reach the finish line because of the cut off time, the thing is that we , (the people that were at my bus) felt kind of kidnapped in the bus because they didn’t let us go down the bus once we reach the finish line area. No one knew what to do with the people that were in the buses. So, for further races, you should keep that in mind.”

“It was a nice experience. A Well organized event”

“It was incredibly dangerous. The neutral start TO THE STARTLINE was not neutral at all. Then the neutral start after the actual start was not neutral at all. There were too many crashes, at the aid stations the volunteers did not seem to know how to hand out bottles to cyclists coming at a decent speed. Also, all groups should not start together, people were stressing to get up to the elite thus causing crashes. Not sure if I'll do it again.”

“It was very well organized Food in the end could have been better ! ”

“It was a well-organized event, but there were way too many crashes. It is just too dangerous and risky compared to other races. Something needs to change. I have done Prudential Ride London 100miles. (3x) I also did the Cape Town Cycle Tour 103km (3x) and Spinneys 92 (3x). I have done L'etape du Tour de France 2x (135km +4km elevation and 145km +4.2km elevation). Also the Khalifa University Challenge. This was by far the worst. I won't participate again unless changes are made.”

“I’m not sure how to remedy this, but there were WAY too many crashes, a problem that is present every time this race happens. Having all the speed groups leave at the same time is one big reason as people who have no business being in faster groups, that they didn’t sign up for, all weasel their way up or try to catch the faster groups, which leads to crashing. Some riders need to be penalized for dangerous riding caught on camera and for causing crashes through overly aggressive maneuvering.”

“1. Despite announcing the race from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain it was later revealed to be from Al Bahia instead. The start was 50km from Abu Dhabi that was not a nice surprise after the race slot has been already bought. It’s strange that the route was not reverted to start from Al Ain and finish in Hudayriyat, the iconic place and where all the supporters could gather easier. 2. Communication on the event details was very poor. It was late and not clear. It was impossible to plan things in advance.”

“Amazing sport and excellent organising by Abu Dhabi Sports council, very safe and enjoyable route. Superb Award ceremony ”

“NEUTRAL zone was like the flamme rouge! Appoint a driver who knows how to maintain a NEUTRAL speed for the NEUTRAL zone.”

“Not good there is by group but useless im a group 2 din the price is over all?”

“Good organization, In my opinion the width at the finish line was not sufficient and a bit dangerous for arrivals in groups”

“A number of riders including myself thought that the mass start was unsafe. We feel it would be better practice to have the groups leave at 2 minute intervals thereby encouraging smaller peleton groups to ride together. In the middle peleton there were over 150 rides at one stage which caused a number of large accidents.”

“Dear sirs, I would like to propose to separate women’s group from man’s in some time gap. At the race women catch only in the men’s peloton, they haven’t any their own one. It would be much safer and more interesting to see women's race and team work. If you do so, you’ll see many new women team on the start line. Best regards, Daria”

“You have already about 100 women’s in peloton. It would be great to separate women group after the man’s in 10 min gap for ex. Because now women only catching in the men’s peloton, have no personal race with strategy and command work, so it will be more safety and interesting, and you'll see many new women commands next year. I have connection with at least 3 strong women comands in Russia and Uzbekistan and i am ready to invite them next year.”

“The broom bus was not briefed properly. We were held inside the bus for 30 mins at the finish line, for no reason. We were treated like hostages. The handling of the bikes inside the trunk was also terrible. They toss it like garbage. Deep scratches on my bike. Next time. Please get someone who absolutely know what they are doing. The event is amazing. The bus ride is sketchy. ”

“Good circumstances and well organized event. However, the race itself was tough, super chaotic and contained a lot of crashes. ”

“Was Amazingly organized!!! Well done!!!”

“Top 10 to category 40 44”

“Grateful for the organization. The route needs amending though. Less highway perhaps. Other than that I really enjoyed the ride.”

“I thought there were not enough support cars available for the pelotons at the back. On the return bus journey a number of people were using the seats for their bikes which limited availability of seats.”

“Nice route, although dangerous bumps in the first and final kms. No service to drop a bag and carry it to the arrival. Nobody in the organization knew where or when to catch the buses back to Abu Dhabi Somehow I don’t appear on the results, so either my chip wasn’t working or there was some sort of glitch ”

“No proper start arrangement. Not safe at all”

“I enjoyed the race, it was tough, but at least i managed to get my teammate to the 2ed place However I'm little disappointed that i have no results and no timing, it's really weird!!! ”

“Fantastic event,very well organized with a really big event feel to it.”

“Sent all my complains and questions through email”

“Very well organised - only suggestion is to mark the water stations more accurately (sometimes they were more than 500m past the signs) so riders can get in position within a large group (it was tough to see ahead as there were no tents or flags to judge off). Once ther the volunteers would offer a bottle on an angle or without leading the cyclist's moving hand so im most cases the bottles were dropped !! I know this is difficult - and cyclists hate to slow - but there is a trick to it ! thx ”

“Very well organised but by far the most dangerous race I've ever done.”

“Great event. Well organized. Very enjoyable. Couple of comments 1. Groupings were a bit off. The course is faster than someone new to the region might expect. Worth remining at sign up. 2. An out and back route would be easier from a logistics perspective. Bus ride back was a drag. Although the finish line venue in Al Ain was lovely. ”

“It's was a good race actually it just that lots of crashes and crashes are part of the game ?”

“The race organization and information presentation was well put together. All the information was there and this event highly organized. Well done to the organizers ”

“Overall the event was ok, I would rate alit more as a draft race rather than a real Granfondo as we are mainly cycling on motorways. The transport back to Abu Dhabi by bus was very very poor with 40 years old bus and very expensive bicycles thrown into the boot of the bus and it took 2 hours to arrive - really bad ”

“Super event course a little boring”

“It is so frustrated that teams can start with elite. How it is possible to win for someone who start individual with this riders from teams? How is it possible to compete with other girls who start with their mans colleague and ride all race in the end of group... ”

“Amazing experience and great race. Fully organized. Will join again for the next season. ”

“The overall organisation was great, nothing to complaint, however two suggestions, 1) Water stations, I believe the larg boreks they were suppling were pointless as many riders were not able to grab them. And if they did they had on sip and throw the bottle away. I think it would be better to have more stations supplying smaller bottles to have a sip or two and carry on with cycling, 2) I have experience 4 accidents in the road while people cycling very irresponsible, i know this is difficult ”

“The event was amazing; organization significantly improved from last year. Thank you to organizers and all the volunteers to make this happen. Organizers please kindly respond to messages on Instagram and FB. Thank you”

“Pros: - cool goodie bag - great race organization - nice medal Cons: - no bags drop off (super inconvenient for those who don’t live in AD; and don’t have support team) - those who don’t have anyone at Al Ain - can’t do anything at al ain - no shower, no change, no shoes - buses service was super slow”

“Great event. Well organized and well supported by critical volunteers”

“The race is very dangerous”

“Bag drop at the start wasn't advertised, not that I saw but it would be nice for the return leg to be able to change and freshen up when using the bus return. ”

“The start of the race was good however there are rooms for improvement. Such as one start without have 2.5k start. In addition minimiza the number of turns till reach the highway. Distribution of water was risky area need to be improved. ”

“I couldn't participate due to an injury, but I was there to cheer on my teammates. In my opinion, it was the premier race in the UAE. The only slight issue was with the start being delayed.”

“So many preventable crashes which were caused by inexperienced riders cutting in and across pelotons. This soured the race for many participants which was a shame ”

“Very well organized event overall. The return buses waited too long to depart back, and the cost could be lower. The jersey sizes were too small for normal similar sizes. Please organize a hot meal lunch next time! :) ”

“I loved it, but too many crashes. I selected 10, since the crashes gave me experience, but was more concerned on staying on the bike. I was in the elite group, and witness 10 crashes, and was in a crash at 10km before finish. Finished the ride, but spent the afternoon in hospital checking my ribs out, as thought they may be broke.”

“Very well organized. Just one note about the jerseys. I am usual XL but it was too tight. Other people couldn’t wear it because the same reason. Thanks ”

“Thank you for the wonderful organization ”

“Good organization but still to many cyclists which can ride a bike. Luckily not involved in any major accidents (had mechanical issues)”

“really impressed by the professional setup, like pro-race of the event. just bit frustrating by all the crashes that happened, not resulting from the organization but rather by the participants.”

“Thanks so much, this edition is very good than 2022, ”

“Surely doing it again next year”

“Much better organization than last year!! Congrats ”

“Amazing event! Very fast and flat. Second year of doing it! Great food after, massage ice baths presentations. Great chance of getting prizes especially if your in older categories. Absolutely love it. ”

“Well organized ride and route. I joined Group 5. How would I know my ranking as per my group? I cannot compete with the first 4 group as we are not competing with them. Just wanted to flag the bus ride back to the city. There was no proper handling of the bikes. There should be at least someone supporting on wrapping the bike in plastic and carefully placing them on the trunk of the bus. Also, the drivers are just letting everyone in the bus. No one is checking if we paid for the bus fee?”

“Dear Organizers! The event, route and staff were fantastic! However I had a really bad experience at km 17. I do not know why, but an obstacle was on the road, a bouy on the left side, nobody knew why. I was not able to avoid it and hit it in the elite group at 53km/h. Unfortunately the organizers put me on the bus to take me to Al Ain while I was very close to our car. With a dislocated shoulder I needed to travel to Al Ain, back to Abu Dhabi then again back to Muscat.”

“hopping nextyear ladies they are separate from the men my observation mostly got accident from ladies..”

“My bib number 3066 was not listed on the race results.”

“Awesome Organization, However some cyclists need to cool down and demonstrate sport spirit and being less aggressive,, there have to be consequences for those who delivered cause accidents.”

“Thank you to the organizers for fixing last year's buses and water issues. Awesome organizing, well done. It was a great race, hope those who had accidents would recover soon. Issam ”

“Well organised on the day, good marshalling, nice medal. ”

“Well organized, great attendance. Great support throughout and at the finishe. A very enjoyable ride.”

“Too many unexperienced rides riding together and causing accidents ”

“My race time was not recorded!! Same with another colleague of mine! ”

“the event was well organized???”

“1) The feeding zone marshals' method of handing out the water was dangerous, which caused many crashes. 2) The route is not to be a one-way direction. 3) The route is to be changed every year because it gets boring. Also, sweihan road surface is not well maintained for a bike race,. 4) Groups to be divided by mins and not a one-start 1000 rides.”

“more safety, please التموين سيئ”