Riding, despite Gaza: Palestinian cycling champion Alaa al-Dali Al Jazeera English
Gaza City – Tiny and overcrowded, Gaza is one of the least suited places for road cycling in the world. Yet that is where Alaa al-Dali, Palestine’s top cyclist, lives and trains. It is remarkable that an endurance sport like cycling has found a passionate base of devotees on streets potholed by bombs. The Gaza Strip is just 41km long and 12km at its widest, with an average of six people per square-metre. “I used to train for four or five hours, 120km a day. We struggle because Gaza is so small, the longest road is about 35km: we ride it back and forth in order to train the daily session. My…
