The cyclists will not cross the Saudi-Arabian border


Categorie: nieuws engels
The participants of the cycling tour Rome-Mecca will not cross the Saudi-Arabian border

Noordhollands Dagblad 16 september 2009

By Eric Molenaar

 

Wervershoof – The participants of the cycling tour Rome-Mecca will not cross the Saudi-Arabian border by bicycle, but most probably by aircraft.

 

The decision is made yesterday to skip the route alongside the coastline of the Red Sea, because the organization don’t expect to get permission for that plan.

Plan B is now to cycle to the Saudi-Arabian border, to return to Amman by bus and to take a flight to Jeddah with the bicycles. The flight is already booked.

Next week Tuesday the bicycle tour of 3795 kilometer starts, after an audience with the Pope. In total 21 riders will make the complete tour and 5 riders partly.

The route part in Saudi-Arabia was still unclear due to the fact that the authorities, for security reasons, will not allow a group of cyclists to enter the country from the north border.

Organizer Leo Schmidt from Wervershoof expects that the Saudi-Arabian authorities in Ryad will give permission for plan B which is now worked out. From Jeddah, almost 100 kilometer west of Mecca, the group will cycle to Mecca and continue for a touristic tour. “

“Also a prominent family living south of Mecca whom invited us to join for dinner, can perhaps mediate in this matter.”

Turkish and Jordanese cyclist who will join the Dutch riders along the way, can perhaps still cycle to Mekka with this new itinerary.  For non-Muslims this holly city is off limits. Yet because of the international and “Episcopalian” quality of the group, the banner of the cycling tour will perhaps still fly at the finish line. This might signify the bridge between Christianity and Islam that still is the intention of this enterprise.

Frank Elshof from Delft is one of the participant, and on request of the publisher Meinema, he will write a book about the journey.

Mr. Elshof is by trade an anthropologist. He will combine the narrative of a journal with the description of biblical and historical places, and dialogues with various people the company of cyclist will meet.

The book is expected the beginning of next year.

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