During the weeks leading up to COP27 you might have overtaken someone on a bicycle on a highway somewhere in Egypt. Students waiting for the lecture to start might have been surprised to see someone wheeling his bicycle in and leaning it against the podium. The owner and rider of the machine, Ali Abdo, was busy spreading awareness of sustainable development goals (SDGs).
The 38-year-old pedaller combined his passion for two-wheeled travel with his enthusiasm to spread the word of an eco-friendly future for all.
His covering 12,750 kilometres (7,970 miles) in 30 days under his initiative Ride to COP27 has by no means gone unnoticed.
Not only has he made headlines, a documentary was made about his jaunt, culminating in a meeting with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and a place in The Guinness Book of Records.
“Within those 30 days, I visited all governorates of Egypt and finished up at Sharm el-Sheikh, which hosted COP27,” Abdo told The Egyptian Mail.
His odyssey took in universities, schools and youth centres to raise awareness of climate change issues and SDGs.
“I was honoured to meet President Sisi at COP27 to talk about my initiative.
Abdo has been trying to raise people’s awareness through direct interaction with them and communicating with layman’s terms.
“I listened to people. For instance, in Matrouh, I spoke about disruptions in agriculture and grazing.”
His journey took him to the Zaafrana wind farm on the Red Sea coast.
A graduate in physical education, Abdo has always wanted to visit new places in Egypt to explore the beauty of his country.
“Travelling by motorbike is a totally unique experience,” he said.
The photos of places he visited went viral on social media.
So, in 2015, he toured Egypt on a motorcycle alone. The following year, he broke the world record for the longest motorbike ride in seven days.
“I wanted to break world records to draw international media attention. Since then, I have been promoting tourism in Egypt,” he said.
The year 2019 saw an environmental dimension become part of Abdo’s journeys.
“I launched an initiative 100 Egypt to tour all governorates within 100 days. I wanted to present Egypt through storytelling using eco-friendly tools.”
He left his motorcycle in the garage and mounted a trusty electric bicycle, an ideal form of transport to spread the word about sustainability.
“I was the first in Egypt to own such a vehicle,” he said.
Abdo also embarked on a journey to spread awareness of sustainable transport in Africa and the Middle East when he covered 1,000km in 24 hours – around 42 kilometres per hour – breaking another record for the longest electric cycle journey.
“That was place in New Alamein City, where I also wanted to draw attention to the concept of sustainable cities,” he said.
Making the record books is not an easy task.
“Applying for a mention is a difficult and complicated process. You have to fulfil all conditions. It took me two years to get ready for the latest record.
“I had to put into consideration emergencies, weather conditions and charging stations.”
Abdo is planning for the ride to COP28 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He will be in the saddle from Egypt on June 5, coinciding with the World Environment Day, until COP28 in Dubai, passing through Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.
Through this ride, Abdo and his team will be visiting schools and universities.
“Our target audience is youth. We have seen many young people who launched their startups to provide creative solutions. We can expect great interactions.”
On a final note, the SDGs are all very well, but where does the electricity for the bike come from? And don’t say batteries. Somehow, the words ‘first’, ‘law’ and ‘thermodynamics’ come to mind.
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