Having left mid-afternoon from Gatwick on the Friday, you will arrive early morning in Jeddah on the Sunday. (2am KSA time / 11pm UK time).

Your driver will be at the airport to collect you (& bike) to bring you to the hotel in the city.

The day is dedicated to recovering, sorting bikes and introducing ourselves to Jeddah. Therefore, there will be no alarm in the morning but a cycle tour of Jeddah, led by a local, is planned in the afternoon, taking us into el-Balad (the old town) and artist district. (Exact tour tbc).

Jeddah is known as the cultural and artitistic capital of Saudi. Hence, we will spend our evening at the cinema, watching the replay of a 1970s Egyptian film, ‘Return of the Prodigal Son’ / ‘Awdet El Ibn El Dalin’, in black and white (and with English subtitles).

Having settled into the city we will join the local cycle clubs for morning loops of the F1 track.

The rest of the day is dedicated to exploring Jeddah, visiting meusums, the floating mosk and snorkeling in the Red Sea. (Exact tour tbc).

The evening will be enjoyed at a restuarant overlooking the Red Sea. hopefully joined by members of the local cycling community.

Having left Jeddah early in the morning we will have approx 400km to cycle over two days. We are hoping, the local cycling club will join as a part of the pelloton for part of the first day’s ride.

The route enters the desert, is relatively flat and will have various stops for cyclists to rest in the shade with the support car for food and water.

Rest Day

Medinah is the one of the oldest and most important cities in Islamic history. It is infamous for its tranquility and therefore makes a great location for our rest day.

The city is only recently open to tourists and offers stunning architecture, rich history, global cuisine, and a peaceful atmosphere outside the mosque's central area. We will spend our time learning about the cultural signifcance of Medina as well as the history of Islam. There will also be time for group yoga led a certified personal trainer.

Note we ask that both men and women have long trousers and shirts for their time in Medinah.

With approximatly 360km to complete in two days, we will now be enetering the more mountanous desert leading to AlUla.

Offering stunning views of the mountains and the Mars esc desert. Do expect more climbing but never drastically steep. It will involve more gradual ascent.

Having completed the epic challenge of cycling to AlUla, we will end the trip with a (cycling) bang! Taking on Stage 4 of the Saudi Tour, the "Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid" stage, seems like a fitting introduction to AlUla. It is the steepest stage with a 2.9-kilometer climb with an average gradient of over 12% and sections up to 17%.

The rest of the day will be led by a guide as we go exploring by 4×4 jeep. This includes visting the ancient tombs of Hegra, the ancient inscriptions of Dadan and the worlds largest mirrored building, the Maraya thearte, which is likely to be hosting an event that evening.

The flight we strongly suggest taking departs AlUla at 14:00, with a twelve hour layover at Jeddah airport, before heading back to London (arriving at 7AM in Gatwick). Hence, given the airport’s proximity to the city centre, we will have time for a final meal in Jeddah.

Having a flight in the early afternoon allows us to continue exploring AlUla in the morning. The morning will be spent visting the AlUla old town, understanding the oasis’ city history on the Middle Eastern spice route and having the opportuntiy to buy gifts and souvineers from the souks (traditonal markets).