Congratulation to the team of Omar Adli Al Sharif, Bruno Pozzi de Souza, Joseph Akiki, Oliver Sykes, and Patrick Andrew Skene who set the Oman Crossing N-S record in the 8x team category of Male, Standard bike, 18-49 age group.

This is a new WUCA and Guinness World Record.

 

Rider’s Summaries

Bruno Souza

  • Record attempt: Fastest crossing of Oman by a male team
  • Name of rider(s): Bruno Souza, Patrick Skene, Omar Al-Sharif, Joseph Akiki and Oliver Sykes
  • Start date and exact start time: 20 November 2022, 7:09am
  • Exact start location: Khatmat Milaha border post at Shinas, Oman
  • Exact finish location: border post at Al Mazyunah, Oman
  • Exact finish time: 28 November 2022, 11:59am

 

Summary:

For me everything started when I received an email from my company asking for a volunteer to help organize a sporting event in Oman. I replied to the email and a week later I was being debriefed on how two people from our Dubai office wanted to set a world record for the fastest crossing of Oman.

At the time I didn’t even have a bicycle but the prospect of not only helping organize an event of such scale but also take part in it was too good to pass, so I jumped at the opportunity and started training. It was just too epic not to join, and chances like this don’t come very often. Being the first ones to do it also fueled my desire to take part in this and helped me keep focused on the training.

After many months and many hours of training we finally found ourselves in Shinas ready to start. We had trained throughout the summer, so the heat of November is hardly worth mentioning but the fact that we were constantly exposed to it surely shook the strongest among us.

One of my biggest concerns over this tour was what the conditions would be like at the camp. Fortunately, my fears were put to rest very quickly. Every day after our ride we camped in the desert and were served some really good food by our chef, we even had salmon with potatoes for lunch one day. It doesn’t get any better than that! I found out that 5 minutes showers are very possible if you know how to manage your water, and the 10 liters of water we had for us each day proved more than enough.

At the camp we also had at our disposal the excellent services of our mechanic Barteld who made sure that my Scott Speedster was always ready for the next day’s ride, so I didn’t have any problems during the challenge. Luckily the worse problems we had were flat tires on day 3 and a minor accident on day 4 involving two people from the mixed team.

My favorite part of the ride was during the first 2 days when we were going through the mountains. Not only because I enjoy the climbs, but they also provided a beautiful scenery. I had to be careful not to enjoy it too much at the expense of risking the safety of my team, because remember, we were riding very close to one another. From day 3 to day 8 we just road through the desert. The flat roads made for a somewhat boring landscape, and the tediousness was broken only by the occasional camel or car that passed by greeting us.

We were greeted by locals at nearly every petrol station we stopped at, after all, it’s not every day that you see 10 uniformed riders pass by. On one occasion, a Bedouin came to our camp and brought us camel milk which I was warned it was best to avoid unless I wanted to spend the night in the toilet. At that point I wasn’t willing to risk it.

The last day proved to be the easiest. I guess all of us were ready for the final push to the border post in Al Mazyunah. Once we saw the entrance gate to the post, we had to resist the will to sprint to the finish line because we wanted to finish together, as a team. Once we got there everyone felt relieved and full of a sense of accomplishment. We had cycled all the distance across a country, not something one does every day. The long months of training and planning had finally paid off.

Joe Akiki

  • Record attempt: Fastest crossing of Oman by a male team
  • Name of rider(s): Bruno Souza, Patrick Skene, Omar Al-Sharif, Joseph Akiki and Oliver Sykes
  • Start date and exact start time: 20 November 2022, 7:09am
  • Exact start location: Khatmat Milaha border post at Shinas, Oman
  • What were conditions like?
    • Sun had just risen, weather was not particularly hot or cold, no rain.
  • Why did you want to do a record?
    • I’ve always wanted to do a cross-country cycling trip. When I became aware that no record has been set for crossing Oman i accounted for the added logistical arrangements and aimed to set the first record.
  • What equipment did you use? Anything special?
    • In addition to the regular camping gear used, ive used my road bike, garmin bike computer, and bike lights for cycling.
  • What did you eat & drink?
    • We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at camp site. Breakfast mainly was eggs and toast bread. Lunch was the large meal of the day composed of carbs (rice/pasta) and protein (chicken, meat, fish). Dinner was not too heavy and was mainly cold cut wraps, beans, or salad.
  • What was the best part?
    • The views, seeing the excitement and cheering of the locals as we cycled, bonding with the team, and seeing how much cycling my body could handle.
  • What was the hardest part?
    • Cycling in very cold mornings and keeping high spirits to complete 9 days.
  • Did anything particularly unusual happen?
    • We had multiple punctures in a single day as we cycled on a road that had nails on floor. On another occasion the mixed team had a minor bike crash consisting of 2 people with no major injuries, so we stopped and supported them. Nothing else unusual.
  • Exact finish location: border post at Al Mazyunah, Oman
  • Exact finish time: 28 November 2022, 11:59am

Oliver Sykes

  • Record attempt: Fastest crossing of Oman by a male team
  • Name of rider(s): Bruno Souza, Patrick Skene, Omar Al-Sharif, Joseph Akiki and Oliver Sykes
  • Start date and exact start time: 20 November 2022, 7:09am
  • Exact start location: Khatmat Milaha border post at Shinas, Oman
  • What were conditions like?
    • Conditions were dry and hot, wind from multiple directions throughout.
  • Why did you want to do a record?
    • I wanted to do a record to inspire my 2 young daughters to push themselves and take up exercise. My 7 year old loves the Guinness World Records books and we get her one every Christmas.
  • What equipment did you use? Anything special?
    • Equipment used was standard cycling and camping equipment. Nothing unusual.
  • What did you eat & drink?
    • I ate sports fuel (stroop waffles, oat bars, some energy Gels) and Pringles. I drank water, hydration drinks and some carbohydrate drinks (e.g. gatorade).
  • What was the best part?
    • The best part was cycling through the Wadis and beautiful baron landscapes, particularly earlier in the morning when the sun was up but not too hot.
  • What was the hardest part?
    • The hardest part was cycling into headwinds.
  • Did anything particularly unusual happen?
    • Nothing unusual happened.
  • Exact finish location: border post at Al Mazyunah, Oman
  • Exact finish time: 28 November 2022, 11:59am

Omar Al Sharif

  • Record attempt: Fastest crossing of Oman by a male team
  • Name of rider(s): Bruno Souza, Patrick Skene, Omar Al-Sharif, Joseph Akiki and Oliver Sykes
  • Start date and exact start time: 20 November 2022, 7:09am
  • Exact start location: Khatmat Milaha border post at Shinas, Oman
  • What were conditions like?
    • Sunny, dry, mild temperature.
  • Why did you want to do a record?
    • To inspire our young Omanis and make my kids proud.
  • What equipment did you use? Anything special?
    • No.
  • What did you eat & drink?
    • Gels, electrolytes, snacks.
  • What was the best part?
    • Teamwork, beautiful terrain.
  • What was the hardest part?
    • Long hours on the saddle.
  • Did anything particularly unusual happen?
    • No.
  • Exact finish location: border post at Al Mazyunah, Oman
  • Exact finish time: 28 November 2022, 11:59am

Patrick Skene

  • Record attempt: Fastest crossing of Oman by a male team
  • Name of rider(s): Bruno Souza, Patrick Skene, Omar Al-Sharif, Joseph Akiki and Oliver Sykes
  • Start date and exact start time: 20 November 2022, 7:09am
  • Exact start location: Khatmat Milaha border post at Shinas, Oman
  • What were conditions like?
    • Conditions were dry and hot. Wind was mostly light but came from different directions throughout the day.
  • Why did you want to do a record?
    • I wanted to push myself physically and see if I was able to do it.
  • What equipment did you use? Anything special?
    • I used a Cannondale Synapse Road Bike, Lake cycling shoes, and padded cycling bibs. There was nothing particularly special about it.
  • What did you eat & drink?
    • During the cycling I ate energy gels and cold pressed fruit bars. I drank electrolyte and carbohydrate energy drinks.
  • What was the best part?
    • The best part was seeing so much of the country, bonding as a team and finally crossing the finish line.
  • What was the hardest part?
    • The hardest part was dealing with my saddle sores which made cycling very uncomfortable.
  • Did anything particularly unusual happen?
    • Nothing unusual happened.
  • Exact finish location: border post at Al Mazyunah, Oman
  • Exact finish time: 28 November 2022, 11:59am