Gulf Bike Festival, one of the highly anticipated events in the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2010 calendar, announced the staging of Thunder Parade, the largest bike ride in the Middle East, on February 5, 2010 from Dubai Festival City.
The roaring bike ride is being organised and managed by Dubai HOGS and Desert Warriors with the support of the region’s leading motorcycle clubs, Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), and Dubai Police.
“This event has all the elements of a true DSF event, its colorful, unique, multicultural participants and for a good cause. We are calling on all bike riders to become a part of the biggest charity bike ride in the region, and to make a difference in lives of children afflicted with autism. Bike enthusiasts are also encouraged to witness this spectacular event – the biggest gathering of its kind – by sending off the riders and welcoming them back at the Dubai Festival City grounds,” said Ibrahim Saleh, Coordinator General, Dubai Events and Promotions establishment (DEPE), organisers of DSF, a key partner of the Gulf Bike Festival.
In a stunning display of some of the most spectacular motorbikes ever seen on the road, the parade will start from Festival City, escorted by police and marshals, and proceed to Business Bay via Al Khail Road through to Safa Interchange via Sheikh Zayed Road then to Jebel Ali. From there, the parade will go back and will proceed to Garhoud again via Sheikh Zayed Road on its way back to Dubai Festival City. The ride will take approximately two hours.
Gathering around 700 ‘big bike’ riders and enthusiasts, Thunder Parade aims to showcase the growing biking community in the region, and is raising funds to support the works of Dubai Autism. Last year, the charity bike ride gathered 650 bikers and raised thousands of dirhams for the Dubai-based non-profit serving children with autism spectrum disorders.
“Thunder Parade strives to raise awareness of the battle that children with ASD endure throughout their lives and riders at the Gulf Bike Expo will come together as a community to help deliver awareness for autism,” said Chris Hudson, Managing Director, MECOM, organisers of the Gulf Bike Festival, which is being held under the patronage of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA Vice President and President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE).
“Participants of the parade will be requested to make a small donation at the autism stand prior to the parade for which they will get a wristband as a token of appreciation. Riders will receive participation numbers and identification from Dubai Autism Center,” Hudson added.
Biking participants are requested to come to Dubai Festival City earlier for a briefing on the route as well as safety precautions.
