Six American Ahmadiyya Muslims bike from Germany to UK for peace
Six members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community (AMC) USA joined 33 bikers from Germany and one from the UAE for an extraordinary journey of faith for peace, justice, and humanitarian efforts for global communities in need.
Wearing blue T-shirts emblazoned with “Muslime Fur Frieden” (Muslims for Peace), the group led by Germany’s National President, Abdullah Wagishauser, completed its 312-mile journey from Aachen, Germany to Alton, UK, the location of the community’s Annual Convention in UK in four days from July 24 to 27.
Team USA was led by Daoud Chattha, Maryland, and included Sarmad Siddiqui, Maryland, Usama Virk, Maryland, Zahid Mian, Indiana, Osman Ahmed Vermont and Zaheeruddin Ahmad, New Jersey.
Some cyclists initiated their journey from Frankfurt, adding another 165 miles to the total. Their route crossed four countries: Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, and the UK.
The expedition was marked by challenges such as inclement weather, traffic, and fatigue, yet it was equally enriched by breathtaking vistas, camaraderie, and the hospitality of fellow community members who hosted them at various points.
The cyclists reached the convention location on July 27, where they were warmly welcomed by Rafik Hayat, the National President of the UK, and fellow community members.
The reception was followed by a brief ceremony where each cyclist was individually recognized and congratulated. An evening banquet followed.
The cyclists fervently hoped their historic expedition would inspire others to follow suit, encouraging participation in noble causes. Their ultimate aim was to convey a positive message of the faith community to the world—a message of peace, love, service, giving and unity.
To prepare for the journey, Team US formulated a schedule involving cycling an average of 30 miles twice a week, with an extended ride on weekends, team leader Chattha told the American Bazaar.
Six bikers from the US practiced regularly for over three months and tested their strength and stamina by riding 100 miles back to back on weekends to ensure they would be able to ride an average of 100 miles a day for 4 days continuously.
The team shared and monitored each other’s progress with conference calls to support and suggest tips to get to the required speed and mileage. It is noteworthy that three of the US members were ranked in the top 10 of the leaderboard in recorded pre-ride practice mileage from all cyclists, Chattha said.
During practice, local members of the team rode a couple of times from Silver Spring, Maryland to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a distance of 113 miles in seven hours.
They also participated in charitable events like The 2023 Armed Forces Cycling Classic Challenge Ride and Tour de Frederick.
The Europe ride was marked by challenges such as inclement weather, traffic, and fatigue, according to Chattha. “There were few flats and falls, nothing major.”
One member’s cycle broke down. He was given a spare bike the next day to continue on the mission. Another member had to be treated for a stomach upset.
But in the end, the “team was very happy to complete the project we practiced and prepared for a long The cyclists expressed profound gratitude to Allah for their safe and successful completion of the journey,” said Chattha.
Preparing for the Germany to UK ride was intense as I just recently started road bike, says team member Siddiqui. “Regular Training started about four months before our trip. We started with 20-mile rides every other day and would have longer rides during weekends,” he recalled.
“Slowly we increased our daily mileage to 30 miles and eventually 60 miles ride,” Siddiqui said. “Our goal was to do 60 miles ride with an average speed of 15 mph and take roughly a little over four hours to finish the ride. Over the weekend our ride increased to 90 miles and eventually, one ride I ended up doing was 140 miles with an average speed of 16 mph,”
“One of the challenges was fitting the bike to the correct size as we rented the bikes from Germany,” said Siddiqui. “We were not using our regular bikes on which we did our preparations. When you are riding long distances bike fitting matters.”
“During the ride, we also ran into wet conditions, but for the most part the ride was enjoyable,” he said. “One day it was pretty intense weather with poor visibility, so we had to call off our ride about 12 miles before our destination for the day.”
“Overall it was an amazing riding experience. The German team made the ride even more pleasurable with support vehicles. The team did a great job planning this trip and making sure to take care of all riders’ needs,” said Siddiqui.
