Cairo here I come

Photo: license plate of the bicycle that took me on my first ride

The first post was published on my blog on 5/4/2008 and the second on 19/4/2008 (proof that the law of attraction works!)

Life before C.C.C. :

I long for my bike, for leading a healthier lifestyle, commuting without contaminating the environment nor contributing to the crazy traffic and noise. I envy the inhabitants of cities with bike lanes and alert drivers, and women who can wander around on a bike without getting the attention of passersby, and anyone who can be in a street without the risk of damaging their lungs.It's been 6 months since Madrid, 6 months without getting on a bike except for the odd trip outside Cairo, 6 months of missing my favorite exercise and means of exploring the world, 6 months of envying anyone who can ride a bike anywhere.

Life after C.C.C.

This weekend, I finally found great riding buddies, the members of the C.C.C. Cairo Cycler Club. Funny enough, in Madrid, my biking buddy and I were part of another imaginary cycling community whose members we jokingly referred to as C.C. I felt the similarity in acronyms was a good omen.

Even though I have roamed the streets of most cities I visited as a tourist , I had never been on a bike in the streets of my own city. As a kid, my bike was my greatest companion in summers spent outside the chaotic city; a liberating means of transport it was... Come September, school and Cairo it was goodbye to bikes, except for short drives in the limited space at the Gezira club. Older friends who have known in their childhoods a quieter cleaner city have explored the streets of their neighborhoods by bike though, especially the guys; I envy them.

So, back to my biking in Cairo account; I found out about the group on wednesday, thanks to Facebook, one more Web2.0 tool which helps birds of a feather to flock together. I can't imagine my life in Cairo without the communities and circles which have formed thanks to such tools. Anyways, back to the subject, I kept checking facebook every two minutes to make sure it isn't an illusion, and spent the whole working day with a goofy smile on my face (my office mate is by now used to all sorts of facial expressions, humming and talking aloud).

In all truth, my week at the office had been plain boring, now after the weekend rides, it feels light years away. Those bike rides transported me to a parallel universe...

On Thursday night I called up a couple of friends known to welcome new activities and we went to meet the group. On Friday morning, I was so worried that I wouldn't find the bike rental open or any bikes left, yet I was somehow wishing for it. The thought of a bunch of girls and guys wandering in the monster of a city that earned the world's best drivers' award was kind of scary. Nevertheless, the minute I was on the blue milkman's bike storming out of Am Salah's shop heading towards the meeting point I was FLOATING (word's going around that I fancy Am Salah but that's just a rumor).

The ride from Agouza to Abbasseya was a bit surreal, with each of us going in a different direction and at a rather slow pace on prehistoric bikes. It was particularly eerie when we passed my old school, it felt like drifting through both time and space at once. It was also amusing to ride along with my friend sharing the latest gossip in Shari' Ramses without a care in the world, as if we were simply going down Gran Via (on the flanks of which we had both lived once), completely oblivious to the surroundings. We were women riding bikes in downtown Cairo, a rather conservative part of town where men outnumber women 4 to 1 (while the real population ration is 1 to 1)

To make it more movie-like, we met another group riding from Masr El Gedida to Abbasseya and gave passersby a scene of 20 young people cheering the achievement and taking photos with their bikes lined up against the walls of Ain Shams University. It was a good day, full of adrenaline (particularly on the 6th of October bridge which I don't recommend even to my worst enemy). We went back home safe and sound (there's lots of brakah in this country) and energized in spite of having inhaled significant amounts of polluted air.

The Saturday ride was quite pleasant and with great team spirit (the group kept switching bikes and taking turns walking a sick bike). Around the beautiful island of Zamalek, the ride was quieter, less polluted and we were less of a traveling circus (accustomed to foreigners living there, passersby must've assumed we're khawagat and gave us more subtle comments and more discreet stares).

Throughout the weekend, one could almost touch the perfect yet worn out architectural jewels of downtown Cairo, feel the same wind moving the boats in the Nile wondering how ugly Cairo would be without its magical river, smell ta'meya (felafel) and freshly baked bread and simply thank God for weekends and for the fresh juice shops scattered around the mighty capital.

We got to rent bikes for 2 pounds an hour from kind people who live day by day (el yom b-yomoh as we say) thanking a gracious God even when they have just enough to get them through the week. We met on the bridge a mother of two who smiled at us earnestly for a whole minute and then said "just take care and don't get hurt". Such kindness is seldom found in big cities, but this is a city with a million faces (and that is a story I have yet to tell).

Feeling the authentic spirit of Cairo I curse the suburb where I work with its manicured lawns and giant malls which takes me away from all this magical chaos. It is true that mine is not the cleanest nor the quietest city (you get to realise this much more when you ditch the car) but I love it. It could sometimes be overwhelming and exhausting because of all honking and pollution, but it somehow grows on you. Even the human noise which used to drive me up the wall, I have come to appreciate the Urban noise ...'attaba 'attaba 'attaba, kolo b-etnein gneih, ya 'assal, mesh tefatah ya homar!*

Countless people have come to this city, struggling to adjust at first and homesick when back home. I'll tell you why soon. Now I have to go meet a friend before it's another working week.

I am thankful to my grandma who taught me how to ride a bike (though she'd probably regret it if she knew I'm riding in those crazy streets), my friend who got me biking again (gracias C.C.), and needless to say the gang who encouraged me to bike in my chaotic city (you guys rock!).

Notes
*a micro-bus komsari (the local equivalent of a train inspector) yelling the destination for people wanting to hop on (amazingly enough there are no formal maps nor line numbers in the informal transport system and it works better than the formal one) - a shop attendant in a market advertising that all items are for two pounds - another young man throwing a sticky compliment (telling the woman she's like honey)- one more driver rolling down the window throwing away a well deserved insult to this guy who suddenly decides to switch lanes (and who probably got his driver's license without taking the test thanks to our corrupt system).
*Inspired by El Warsha theater troupe's sketch أصوات القاهرة

Cairo Cyclers

We go in circles around the town,
At the crack of dawn, when the world is calm,
***
Riding on bikes some new, others borrowed,
We’re cycling our way to a better tomorrow,
***
Some ride for fun, others for exercise,
Some ride all day, others ride through the night,
***
We gimps our city in a different point in time
For the view is very different atop a rolling bike
***
So if you see us on the street, as you happen to pass on by
We’d really appreciate it, if you stop ... wave ... and smile :)
***

By Sherine Meshad, 15/5/2008

Revolution at the Korba Fest

By Chitra Kalyani

First Published: May 13, 2008

"Wasaa lel agala!” so goes the slogan of the Cairo Cycler’s Club (CCC) — “Make way for bikes!”

Founded in October 2007 by Ismail Marmoush and Ahmed Hamzawy, the Facebook group now has a following of over 650 online members. Last Friday saw over 50 members turning up at the Korba Festival, paving the way for a revolution in Cairo.

Remarking on the rise of fuel prices and growing pollution, they chanted “Mafeesh benzin! Mafeesh dukhaan!” (No petrol! No Pollution!) Quite logically, they asserted, “Make way for bikes!”

The group travelled to the event from as far afield as Maadi and Obour, after gathering at meeting points in Zamalek, Ain Shams and Heliopolis. Many of them took the long route back home on two wheels.

“You put a lot of effort, in work, in life, and you don’t see change,” said Yehia El-Decken, a group member. Decken, who runs a travel agency, saw the CCC as a vehicle for “social change,” which is “doing something that is actually working.”

“We tried to do something and it actually takes place. When we do cycle together, it's not so much about direct benefit — it’s affecting the entire
community.”

When asked whether members were joining for health benefits, Decken said, “I don’t feel — driving behind a car — that the air is healthy for me. But I feel if we all do this, cycling together, then it will be healthy for the city.”

For member Inji El-Abd, the world looks different from atop a bike. “I noticed the city more by bike. It makes you more aware. I like the pace.”

Overall, the crowd reacted positively, but gave the “occasional smart comment,” said El-Abd, amused by the “classical” question, “Howaa entu Masreyeen?” or “Are you Egyptian?”

"It was good we got Sawy’s support,” said El-Abd, referring to Mohamed El-Sawy, director of the Sawy Culture Wheel, who helped design and produced t-shirts for the group, also providing parking slots for bikes in Korba.

Founder Marmoush felt transformed, “I felt like it’s not me — shouting ‘wasaa lel agala!’ — it’s totally not me.”

Marmoush’s cousin, who arrived at the event cycling all the way from Obour city, was shocked to see the otherwise sober Marmoush, shouting out slogans and leading the cyclists with zeal.

“I felt like somebody else. It was life-changing,” said Marmoush about the event. “All these people and all these cameras, and this wish coming true.”

Many members shared a common sentiment — they had previously felt “alone” in their desire to cycle or wield other forms of change. The cycling club had inspired many to buy their first bikes, and one member, who prefers to remain anonymous for the moment, was further encouraged to go ahead and publish her first novel, which will be launched shortly.

When co-founder Ahmed Hamzawy first followed Marmoush’s example in December, he took all his money and borrowed some from his father to buy his bike. Marmoush found this spontaneity and courage typical of the club’s active members.

Cairo Cycler’s Club was not the only organization trying to turn things around in Egypt at the event. Keep Egypt Clean also had a booth with the movement slogan “Be Positive,” targeting awareness regarding recycling.
Like CCC, Keep Egypt Clean also has Facebook presence in the form of a project with a following of over 5,000 members. Again, the number of active members is relative small at around 20.

“In real life the window is very narrow — your friends, the guys you see at work and the interest is very
narrow," said co-founder, Amr Hassaan, an engineering postgraduate student. “Facebook and online things make the reach of groups very wide.”

Keep Egypt Clean were invited to the event by The Suzanne Mubarak Foundation, who officially sponsored the Korba Festival
along with the district of
Heliopolis.

They distributed flags and flyers while also collecting materials to be recycled.
Interestingly, the dustbins carrying the slogan “Be Positive” used for the event itself were recycled from an environmental project in Ain Shams three years ago.

Keep Egypt Clean and the CCC also have in common the fact that they were founded as a grassroots movement. The group consists of Hassaan and Ahmed Nounou from Cairo University who joined forces with Ahmed Tawakol, who had launched the online Facebook project. Both parties conducted independent “trials” in environmental work on their campuses.

The volume of waste collected at the event was overwhelming. Hassaan said, “Although cleaners cleaned up [waste] three times, the amount was huge.”

Unfortunately, Egypt currently does not have the infrastructure to complete the recycling process, said Hassaan, and the material collected will inevitably end up in a common dump to be sorted later.

However, the target for Keep Egypt Clean was to raise awareness, which Hassaan positively concluded was “80 percent complete.”

The next project, he added, is “Mantaqetna Agmal” (A More Beautiful District), which entails cleaning up and beautifying a section of Ahmed Fakhry street in Heliopolis.

“The social standard there is relatively high, but the streets are not,” said Hassaan. “Also, there is a big garden that should look more beautiful than it does now. We will work on this.”

Environmental engineer Ahmed El-Dorghamy says initiatives for improvement have always existed, but since “this one was under Suzanne Mubarak, it made its way.”

Dorghamy enthusiastically participates in both CCC and Keep Egypt Clean, but had mixed reactions to the event.

Always running alongside them on previous rides, Dorghamy brought his bicycle for the first time at the Korba event. “I’m always running. It was my first time on the bike.” He has also previously given workshops and consultation to the Keep Egypt Clean group.

While he appreciated the groups’ efforts, Dorghamy was unsure about their audience at the Korba fest.
He regretted that no camera captured the fiasco after 11 pm, when security signed out, and Korba was host to a different crowd.

As he distributed flags at the “Be Positive” booth, Dorghamy was attacked by a crowd “like the queues for bread,” fighting to get the giveaways “as if I was giving meat for free.” In an ensuing scuffle, someone tried to steal his shirt, the CCC top he got at the event.

Still, Dorghamy found it important that the “Be Positive” booth revealed a different Heliopolis, showcasing books with stories behind the street names and buildings in the area, while CCC promoted better health and more exercise.

“It’s nice to have Korba closed. I wish it would just be a pedestrian area. It’s really crowded all the time.”

Marked as an event for peace, the Korba Festival this year has also hosted a number of youths thirsty for change, and willing to work for it. Like Marmoush of Cairo Cycler’s, said, quoting Gandhi, they “are the change they want to see.”

One Never Forgets How to Ride a Bike

If the choice for an early Friday morning is either to sleep in late or to wake up at the crack of dawn, get dressed in a hast and rush down the street to meet up with a bunch of early birds each pedaling through the empty streets of Cairo, I think most of us would opt for the first decision. After a long 9-5 week, the weekend offers a long awaited time for rest and recuperation.

Those select few who go for the second choice though know that nothing can clear the mind and re-energize the soul as well as a chance to experience an unspoiled Cairo, one with big empty streets, a gentle teasing breeze and a calm demeanor.

With that in mind a few of my friends and I ventured to meet up with a group of early risers promising a biking tour. With no bike and rusty knees we yawned and grumbled throughout the drive over the 6^th of October bridge, once we actually met with the group and managed to secure some bikes (some in acceptable conditions others in suspicious state), the day looked bright and sunny.

The saying “you never forget how to ride a bike” came to mind when after years of walking, driving and riding, I found my self on top of an old blue bike (in surprisingly good shape). pedaling through the streets of Cairo was just an exhilarating experience. The air seemed fresher and the trees a little greener and the cheerful, laughing mob just added to the experience.

I am not sure if it was the early hour, the gracious weather or just the novelty of the scene, but very few sneered at us, mostly car drivers were surprisingly gracious to a school of bikes crossing the street, and most passerby’s were amused at the site of the colorful flock of bikes sweeping though the empty streets.

Needless to say I now state on every media possible that I am the proud owner of a brand new bike. I can’t wait for the working week to be over so I can wake up bright and early, hop on my bicycle and meet up with my new mates to experience the exhilaration of good workout while enjoying my unspoiled homeland.

So if you forgot the joy of biking, how you couldn’t wait to go round and round … we are here to remind you that nothing compares to a bike ride!!

© Sherine Meshad, 15 April 2008

When You See Us, Please Wave Hello :)

By Mary Shenouda

If you happen to be an early bird on a Friday, for work or leisure, and you happen to pass by Agouza corniche or by 6th October Bridge, you must bump into us between 8 and 10 am. When you meet us, please stick you hands out of the window to wave hello, and we promise to wave back :):)

That’s the Cairo Cyclers Club members, the crazy bunch who prefer an early-morning biking exercise to sleeping-in on the first day of the long-waited weekend. I must say, that’s when Cairo becomes the most admirable city in the world!

I’m not going to mention how the fantastic group started – it’s all available in the Media Coverage they’re generously and freely getting by all the intrigued – or shocked or whatever – on-lookers who wonder why a bunch of 8 or 10 young men and women would be together on bikes, on the bridge, in the middle of cars, on a Friday morning! I guess that’s how I felt when I first heard about it from Chitra – a serious activist and a big dreamer of how this group will change the face of Cairo , Of course I was more than happy to help, especially that getting pretty little Na3sa out of her long year deep slumber was a tempting idea (actually more to avoid looking like a coward than anything else, but oh well, I had to give myself another good reason :):):))

Na3sa is my sister’s beloved red bike in case anyone’s wondering.

Starting the trip in Mohandeseen, a set of 7 bikes was ready to launch. All colorful and ready to go, a goupr of guys and girls were biking in a long row, one after the other, leading was an expert on roads, and trailing behind was my poor self – still warming up after the years of rusting bikeless.

Going up the bridge from Corniche was not a big problem at all, that’s what I eventually discovered; that car slopes in Cairo are generally good for bikes :). Once on top of the bridge, the rule of the “cluster” works quite fascinatingly. Cars observing one biker feel disinterested and can be even ruthless in blowing horns and lights. But seeing a group of bikers – females included mind you – was completely different. The staring drivers and wondering onlookers didn’t deter any of us, but we rather gave it a big laugh as we all arrived safely within less than 20 minutes in Ramses Square, and celebrated by taking pictures (soon to be posted on the group).

I must say that Cairo looked completely different that morning! The most amazing aspects of the big city came strikingly charming on that Friday morning. We all drive (or get driven) around Cairo, but the speed of the bike sets the scene at a totally different angle. The slow movement allows the eye to capture a totally new view. The nice morning sun reflections on the windows of the calmly settling Feluccas in the Nile; the few flying birds roaming effortlessly on the water, maybe waiting for a good fish catch; few fishermen collecting their last batch for the day; and even cars and motorcycles taking it easy and slow in this view.

On our way back, I learnt that some streets are NOT to be crossed ON bike. To cross Ramses street, we actually stopped the traffic for one minute, and many kind cars were happy to stop for the smiling enthusiastic bunch carrying bikes in the middle of the street.

Arriving safely two hours later in Mohandessen – forgot to mention we stopped for some 3asser 2asab in Zamalek, shockingly received by the owner who was wondering how so much business can exist at this hour in the morning – we were all totally excited and the day was only starting.

I must admit my bones were making strange sounds, but what the heck – it was greatest fun. I contemplated on the way back all the great change happening in the city if everyone learnt to get on their bikes instead of their cars, maybe one day a week, maybe two days a year, and how wonderful Cairo would once again become! I reminisced on the beautiful old black-and-white photographs of Cairo in the collection of Lihnert and Landrock; with the wide streets enjoying the company of very few cars, and many tress healthily adorning the sides of all of them. Imagine this fantastic heritage returning??

Contemplate for only one moment the massive transformation the city can undergo if instead of 10 million cars we had 10 million bikes?? Imagine the parking situation?? Imagine the health of people growing old and exercising every day on a bike?? Imagine the trees looking GREEN, actually bright normal GREEN instead of the brownish-pale green surviving the pollution of the big city?? Imagine observing Cairo from the Tower or from the Mokattam hill and being able to look all the way into the clear horizon, free from pollution or dust hanging in the air?? Just for a second contemplate the situation of the economy reducing the subsidies of petroleum and using the money to subsidize bikes and spare parts of bikes?? Imagine the reduction in road accidents when 99% of the population is on bikes??

The simple picture makes my heart warmer and makes me much more able and energetic to go on the ride … again and again and again.

Thank you all from the Cairo Cyclers Club for the wonderful gift of dreaming which you’re giving us all :)

For more details, please join the group and get ready for a Friday morning excursion in a newly-found Cairo of our dreams (you don't need to own a bike - Just call Chitra, and she will manage a bike rental - in very good condition - from a nice kind old man near the meeting point)

Waiting to see at least 20 people on the new route for next week. Get ready for the wheeeeels!

Cairo cycling: Just do it

By Sarah Marquer
First Published: Daily News Egypt. March 28, 2008

“We have to be the change that we want to make in this crowded city,” says Cairo-native and avid cyclist Ismail Marmoush.

The kind of individuals that like to make things happen by being proactive and motivated, Marmoush along with Ahmed Hamzawy and Chitra Kaylani are the co-founders of Cairo Cycler’s Club, a Cairo-based cycling group dedicated to the promotion of cycling, health and environmental awareness.

Fifty online members strong and counting, the Cairo Cycler’s Club is a community organization that began its mission in January 2008 to raise awareness about health and environmental issues among Cairenes.

Weekly cycling events began with the club’s first members, Marmoush and Hamzawy, every Friday morning. Their initial tours covered Nasr City and Heliopolis, and eventually expanded to other neighborhoods like Zamalek, Mohandiseen, and Agouza as new members joined.

Though Cairo may not immediately strike the observer as a bike-friendly city, the club is one of many cycling organizations hoping to prove this stereotype wrong. Kaylani points out the effort that was required just to get a group like this up and running.“I wanted to start a group like this two years ago, but I had no support, and even close friends thought it was crazy and impossible,” she said.

But, turns out it’s not impossible after all. “A lot of people within the group are inspired by the ‘just do it’ factor,” said Kaylani. Just bike, get healthy, and conquer Cairo by cycling.

The Cairo Cycler’s Club is about empowerment — whether it is about alleviating the frustration of being stuck in traffic and navigating through the recklessness of Cairo traffic, or about engaging in an activity that many women would not think to experience. It also promotes the obvious benefits of exercise and is a great way to get better acquainted with the city.

The bike rides require a bit of dedication and enthusiasm from the members: Rides start promptly at 8 am at the Mikhfara Mosque opposite Cairo Jazz Club, and finish around 10:30 am every Friday. The upside is enjoying the city at one of its finest moments, “early morning Cairo can be fresh and nice,” says Kaylani.

While it can be hard to rise and shine early on the weekends, there is definitely something to be said for seeing Cairo when its streets are nearly vacant, without the honking horns and general bustle when it’s in full gear during the week.

Cairo Cycler’s Club encourages cyclists of all levels to participate during its Friday bike rides, “It’s not a race, we just go round and round,” says Marmoush.

“It’s fun, not competitive” adds Kaylani.

The Facebook-based club is all about enjoying physical activity through cycling, so all of those who are new to the sport have no reason to feel intimated.

With that in mind, the founders are careful to make the club’s purpose and goals clear “We accept no-strings-attached donations from NGO’s and cultural centers” says Kaylani, “but we want to stay away from commercial interests.”

For new members in the search of durable bikes, local bike shops are all around the city; and the club’s members are always on the search for new stores and rental sites.

It’s easy to find a bike ranging from LE 200-500, with rentals usually costing about LE 2 an hour. Questions about quality, cost and store locations can be found on their Facebook group with the same name.

Though still in its early stages, the club hopes to steadily increase the popularity of cycling around the city as they take in the sights and sounds of Cairo from their bike seats.

I'm Happy And We Must Unite

By Ismail Marmoush

WE MUST GET BETTER IT'S TIME FOR exponential growth of the cycling

cairo cyclist's club
6 october cycling club
alex cycling club
and US

check the facebook group for Cairo Cycler's Club

this is a dream coming true
everybody this is soo amazing i just can't believe it .
i kept blogging and cycling by my self till i was goin to lose hope!!!!

we all must unite one day in a big event ....or we even just meet and have a chat ...
we gotta be the change that we want to make in this crowded country

all i see now is 10 million bikers in the next 5 years
i see my country getting healthier i see youth smarter and powerful

WHAT DO WE NEED FROM EACH ONE OF U

1-if you know anybody cycles or just love it invite him to here or ur cycling group

2-if you know any details about the cycling union in egypt plz tell us

3-if you know any environmental organizations (chitra's idea) tell them about this new actions we take

4-if you are related to anyone that have any public influence tell him he gotta start writing about cycling in egypt

5-if you know any authorities in the Ministry of sports that he may help or support then u better ask
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