Pedal.cc’s Chief Of Social: “Cycling Is About Freedom”

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by Sophie She

Huzaifi, Pedal.cc’s Chief Of Social: “Cycling Is About Freedom”

27 May 2024

Cycling is “more than just a hobby, but it is a lifestyle”, says one of the best representatives of Dubai cycling culture, Huzaifi, also known as Himli Uma and Fi. Being the absolute opposite of his complex name, Fi is a simple (in the best meaning of all), smiley person, whose life was once saved by cycling, as he mentions himself.

Together with Fi, we are discovering why people, who once got into cycling, never leave the culture and always find the motivation to wake up at 5 am for a ride. But we are also asking him a bunch of questions everyone wanted but was ashamed to (as ashamed as one is standing in a cafe, wearing bibs). So, not only will we discuss mental health, but in this text, you will finally get an answer on whether it is okay or not to drink espresso before harsh cardio. And don’t forget to check out Himli’s tips on the original cycling destinations here.

To learn more about Pedal.cc (and find out what’s “cc”) — have a look at this material.

— Let us start with your story — how did cycling happen in your life?

— As a kid, I was a very active being. I loved to spend time outside, running around and bursting with energy. So, you may see a bike as a perfect fit for the task. Cycling has been with me since the old days when I was five or six years old. Thus, it is fair to say, I have been riding a bike for almost my entire life. But it transitioned from “cycling just for fun”, and now it’s something totally different.

In 2020 I lost my job (at that time, I was a cabin crew), and I was facing a lot of anxiety, wondering what would happen to my future. Every day, my spiralling kept getting worse. Suddenly for me, I decided to go back home to stay with my family and resume my old cycling practice and discipline. My dad is a very enthusiastic and strong cyclist, so we were cycling together no less than six days a week, and it was a pleasurable challenge for me every time. Then, I started to take my cycling practice seriously, because it helped me to heal myself, to be more grounded, and to be present.

After a while, I decided to get a job in Bangkok. One of my friends was running a big cycling store there, and I became a part of his team. It has been quite a journey for me to gain that experience and knowledge about cycling.

Aside from that, from a personal viewpoint, cycling is about the freedom of choosing the route, about the meditative states that one gets into outside, it is about the good health, the fitness levels that you are getting from that activity. This is what makes me fall in love with cycling. And I have been very grateful to be able to work and represent this industry.

— Can you tell me about the social rides? What are they, and why do you love them so much?

— Social ride, for me, is my method to make me feel a bit loose and less tense.

When talking about cycling, there is a lot of tension, a lot of discipline, and a lot of things that you need to achieve. The numbers, the watts, the training programme, the early wakes.

But social rides, in turn, are more about enjoying the ride, meeting people, bringing people together, and listening to different perspectives on your mutual journey.

Photo: Huzaifi's personal archive

— If you would put your own motto as a cyclist, what would it be? For instance, I know Pedal has this “Born to love the ride”.

— I haven't thought about it yet, but I think “Born to love the ride” is good enough, actually! It was already there before I joined the Pedal’s team. When I saw this motto — everything kind of aligned with what I felt at that moment when I first came to Dubai in 2022.

But on second thought, I think my motto would be “born to love the ride and inviting new people to cycling”. Coaching the new people and telling them how to ride their bikes. It is the balance between those two.

A cycling community is where people come together to spend their activities together, to release tensions in their daily lives, or to work out on their personal goals, like getting fitter on the bike or riding faster.

So for me, the balance between those two would symbolise cycling perfectly — the performance, fitness, and also this part of enjoying, socialising, meeting people.

That is actually why I do two rides a week — on Wednesday, we go for the tempo ride, when we ride really fast for a short period of time to increase our fitness, and to get that hit of dopamine after you exercise very hard. And then, on Sunday, we have a day, where you let loose, chill out, listen, talk, take photos and videos.

That is the best combo, I believe, to have it all from cycling.

— A funny must ask. How do you cope with wearing bibs? Do all people who are not in the cycling culture make fun of you that you guys look like boards?

— It is still funny even for me. At first, it was not the thing that I really liked, to be honest... In fact, the bibs actually help you to be more comfortable on the bike, helping you with a proper position. I am still not a fan of bibs though, especially walking into a coffee shop... Yeah, but I got used to it.

— You got used to it. After how long? A couple of years?

— Yeah, it is just that when you see your friends wearing them, you feel like it is okay. You are not the only one, you guys wear something like a uniform, and thus you may be cool?...

— What could be a good space for the improvement of Dubai's cycling culture? What would you say could be done better?

— I think the answer would be — to keep on building the community. When it comes to cycling during weekdays, people have their own group rides. I think right now in recent years, there have been a lot of organisations like charity rides or race competitions to represent what cycling is all about. They are working towards one goal, which is to represent cycling. If there is one thing that will enable us to do more — it is to be united as an all community. Most of the cyclists ride their bikes because of the community. Thus, it is more than just a hobby, it is a lifestyle.

Instagram: @pedal.cc

— What about the women cyclists and the persistent gender gap in the industry?

— Women have been a very huge part of the cycling culture. Their determination, and discipline. They enjoy sports, they enjoy cycling and already proved so many times that women are no less strong and competitive than men.

Frankly, there are more people who watch the men's tours than women. But I believe that is about to change, as society is finally coming to the point where people, regardless of gender, pay attention to their athletic abilities and achievements without double standards.

I believe the gender gap is getting smaller, and we are almost equal in this sport.

— How do you cope with heat and summer exercising?

— Progressive load. This means, you would not ride like crazy on the first day after a season break, you would not go straight onto the 100km ride in hot summer weather.

You ride more often, but short rides and progressively improve the challenge.

I have been training with the progressive load method over the years, so whenever I have a break — two weeks or one month — my muscle memory and metabolism are still there, and my body adapts to different circumstances quite fast.

Now, I commute to work by bike every day when the heat is at its maximum, and by this point, I feel like I like heat. Really, I do. It is better than the cold weather, for sure.

But I think that is where I come from, right? Southeast Asia. It is a hot country. But riding is improved by heat in fact. The amount of oxygen your body absorbs is maxed out in the heat, so it can deliver more air to your working muscles. We call it mitochondria when the oxygen is easily absorbed and then delivered to the blood vessels. Thus, when you train in heat, it helps your body to be stronger.

— What are your favourite cycling tracks in Dubai?

— I have got to give it to Al-Qudra.

— And if we are talking about the UAE?

— I love mountains, so JJ.

— How many bicycles do you own, by the way?

— Two.

— Okay, I am surprised. It is not double digits. Which ones, then?

— Both Officine Mattio, Italian custom bikes.

Instagram: @pedal.cc

— What is your favourite coffee when you go out cycling? What are you grabbing as a coffee?

— It must be cappuccino, definitely milk-based. But when I start the ride, I have one coffee, espresso or maybe a hot americano, at the very beginning. And then, when finishing the ride — flat white cappuccino, link and milk-based, to give a little bit of protein and mixtures to the coffee. And it must be hot, very hot.

— You are the old school, this is how I am gonna put it. So then, is drinking coffee before cardio fine?

— Yeah, it actually helps to optimise your performance. Whether it be focus or boost your endurance, boost your higher metabolism. But not on an empty stomach, though.

— Any of the favourite pastries on the ride?

— No pastries. Dates. Like old-school guys. Natural dates. On the long ride, I love to have dates and energy bars, which have the right amount of what my body needs. I also take gel on race day for faster absorption. No croissants, no danishes, just dates. But this is during the ride. At the coffee ride or after the ride my favourite combo is cappuccino with a croissant dip.

by Sophie She

Huzaifi, Pedal.cc’s Chief Of Social: “Cycling Is About Freedom”

27 May 2024

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