“It’s hard to put into words what cycling means to me,” Mohammad Suqair begins, “I would love to do it every single day.” As anyone who has a love for cycling can attest, it is not just a pastime but a passion. “When I was a child I fell in love with cycling,” Mohammad continues, “the first thing I remember wanting was a bike. Now it’s an addiction. Whenever I feel stressed I take the bike and go.”

As more and more people have taken up this two-wheeled pursuit, cycling and cyclo-tourism have seen a significant surge in recent years. And with this global love affair with cycling showing no signs of putting on the brakes, destinations are increasingly opening up to the sport ­– and nowhere more so than AlUla.

In fact, it’s no wonder that Saudi Arabia’s only UCI World Tour event, the AlUla Tour, has made its home in AlUla. This five-stage race is the region’s most important bike competition, with 16 international teams competing for a chance to win this prestigious title. The route features hundreds of kilometres of stamina-sapping climbs, snaking hairpins and smooth freewheeling descents to challenge the world’s top cyclists. The event also encourages the public to take part, with Junior Races and guided cycling tours, as well as a cycling camp aimed at inspiring the next generation of professional cyclists.

Mohammed knows first-hand how both exhausting and exhilarating cycling around AlUla can be. “The routes can push you to your limits,” he explains, “it can be very difficult, very tiring, but it’s worth it, you have to go through the pain to get to go downhill. When I go downhill it’s a rush, you feel a lot of joy, it feels amazing.”