Omani Flag, and the long road to Vienna

The small Omani flag on his bicycle kept starting conversations. People wanted to know where he came from, what there was to see, whether it was safe. Was it all desert? What did people eat? He would get out his photographs. Here were the mountains, the coastline, Dhofar green during khareef while much of the region was at its hottest. Many had never met an Omani. Several said they wanted to visit.
“I came to see myself as a small ambassador for my country”.
Almutasim al Mahmoodi works in Oman’s government financial sector. Away from work, he has developed a taste for travelling alone by bicycle, carrying his belongings and leaving enough of the day undecided for something interesting to happen.
Across two European journeys, he has ridden about 2,200 kilometres. There were magnificent views, certainly. There were also broken-down bicycles, traffic he would rather have avoided and a forest full of fallen trees.

Then there were the people who invited him home.
“Some of my most precious nights”, he said, “were spent as a guest of local people who opened their homes to me, shared a meal, and gave me a window into their daily life that no hotel could ever offer”.
He had begun learning to travel this way in Oman. Days in the saddle became journeys lasting a week. He liked waking up, getting on the bicycle and continuing. Eventually, familiar roads left him wondering what lay further away.
“In a car you pass through towns; on a bike you arrive in them”.
The Netherlands eased him in. Flat, calm and organised around bicycles, it had numbered junctions to help him navigate. His first trip continued through Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy: about 1,000 kilometres in roughly 17 days.
He remembers Luxembourg’s quiet valleys and the rural roads of France. Switzerland made him work for its scenery. His second journey, from Milan to Vienna, covered about 1,200 kilometres.

Near the start of that trip, the road from Biella towards Andrate kept climbing. He knew it would. That did not make the pedalling easier.
At about 1,000 metres above sea level, he finally stopped to look. Lakes, forests and mountains spread below him. He thought of the Al Hajar Mountains back home.
“That day reminded me why I travel this way: the hard part and the beautiful part usually arrive together”.
Sometimes, though, the day was mostly inconvenience. In Germany, strong winds had brought huge trees down across a forest trail. For about 30 kilometres, he kept stopping to find a way around another trunk.
A dependable bicycle helps. His Kross hybrid has acquired stronger wheels, wider tyres, luggage racks and a more comfortable saddle. He recommends trying several days in Oman with loaded bags before taking them abroad. Learn to fix a puncture. Discover what you can leave behind.
Once away, he prefers some uncertainty. Komoot and Google Maps help with routes. Campsites and guesthouses provide most overnight stops.
“I plan the direction, not every night”.
That explains Landshut. He had expected another stop. Instead, he found the Isar River, which had accompanied him for kilometres, running through a town of colourful houses beneath Trausnitz Castle. He stayed longer.
On good days he covers 100 to 150 kilometres. He tries to finish before dark. Rain, hills and somewhere worth exploring can shorten the distance considerably.
“The distance is never the target”.

For other Omanis, his advice begins close to home, during the cooler months. His own preparation included the mountains between Al Hamra and Wadi Bani Awf and the coast from Al Shuwaimiyah to Sadah, where fishermen, camel herders and wandering camels repeatedly interrupted his progress.
“It is a road where you stop often”, he said, “not because you are tired, but because you don’t want to miss anything”.
Somewhere along the route, somebody would notice the flag. Out would come the photographs again: the coast, the mountains, the green hills of Dhofar. For a while, the conversation would turn towards Oman, and he would have another reason to put off getting back on the bicycle.