JEDDAH, 4 December 2005 — Five riders of Harley-Davidson yesterday began their journey through Saudi Arabia to Oman, which is aimed to create a world record by two women pillion riders among them.
The five will be joining a team of about 45 other riders from here, Riyadh and other parts of the Kingdom, who are taking part in the 6th Middle East Harley-Davidson Rally scheduled in Muscat from Dec. 7-10. About 300 riders are expected to converge on the Omani capital for the rally.
The riders, flagged off by Consul William John Neil, consul and senior management officer at the British Consulate General, are on a 2,500-km journey from Jeddah to Muscat, “from the Red Sea to the Arabian Gulf.” They included businessman Amer Khashoggi, and two couples - Capt. Richard and Bizzie Frost, and Capt. Diamond Robyn and Houria Robyn.
“Our main objective is to set a world record by us as the first two women to have taken a ride through the deserts of Saudi Arabia,” Bizzie told Arab News. “We’ll have witnesses accompanying us and hope to register our claim with the Guinness Book of World Records,” said Bizzie who looked excited at the prospects of the long journey despite her spinal injury.
“For me, this is something new and challenging,” said Captain Richard who has been flying Boeing 747 for Saudi Arabian Airlines for several years.
Capt. Diamond Robyn, an Indonesian, also of Saudia, is a veteran and highly regarded Harley Motorcyclist. His Moroccan wife Houria said her joys knew no bounds when she heard about bike riding from here to Muscat. In Jakarta, she owns and rides her own Harley-Davidson.
Amer Khashoggi is a veteran of this marathon journey and has been planning to ride all the way to Muscat. “I know the kind of excitement it gives in such rides,” said Khashoggi who did the round trip last year. Accompanying the riders is Mohammed Riad Al-Kadri, a Lebanese. Two other riders from the Jeddah chapter of Harley Owners Group, who left the city earlier in the day, were Sulaiman Magbu and Ehab Shawli.
