The Road Less Taken
Trio of Brothers Go Quad Biking in ‘Around the UAE’ Expedition
The Le Méridien Al Aqah hosted some unusually adventurous guests recently. The Rossetti brothers, Paulo,40, Andrea,38, and Marco,32, made a brave attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for a 1200km off-road trip, titled ‘Around the UAE’, driving quad bikes. The three Italian brothers started their journey on January 16 from Sila, in Abu Dhabi's western region and ended at the Le Meridien Al Aqah on the 24th of January where they were hosted for the night. “Le Meridien Al Aqah recognizes the initiative of Rossetti and his team and encourages his sense of national identity, as well as the outdoor sports which have become so popular in the region,” said Patrick Antaki, General Manager, Le Méridien Al Aqah.
Physically and mentally exhaused, the brothers said the thought of a hot meal and hot bath at the Meridien kept them going on their arduous journey! Along the way they faced many challenges – rain and cold; heat, even being chased by half-a-dozen wild dogs and getting lost; yet their biggest disappointment is the possibility that they may not make it to the Guinness Book after all.
"We were supposed to cover the entire UAE and our journey was originally 1200 km. But, we were stopped by the UAE border patrol 4 times (they do their job really well!) and we weren't allowed to go into some restricted areas so we covered 1000 km. Maybe, we won't make it to the Guiness Book after all," says Paulo, the team leader and a Student Development Counsellor at the UAE University in Al Ain.
But, the trio still hope to create a UAE National record and say the experience itself was completely worth it. The brothers took turns riding the two quad KTM quad bikes, a 525 XC and a 450 XC every three hours with one brother riding in the support Ford Expedition, provided by Al Tayer Motors.They had satellite and Internet connectivity, courtesy Red Bull. Riding 5-6 hours a day, the trio carried tons of food, water and fuel in a trailer attached to the Ford and traversed through all kinds of terrain along the Rub Al Khali or the Empty Quarter along the UAE borders. They encountered salt plains, towering high dunes, forest and wadi and mountains.
Rossetti, a motoring enthusiast, has lived in the UAE for the past nine years and says he has never experienced "anything like this trip, it was the most thrilling and the most intense." His brothers, Andrea and Marco reside in Italy and say that apart from the personal bonding experience the trip provided and the incentive of creating the records, they embarked on this adventure for other reasons as well.
"We want people here to see the beauty of the desert – the open desert touches you. We also want young people to learn that if you want to do something, do it prepared and well-equipped. We rode those quad-bikes but we did it with full safety and planning," says Paulo.
"We also undertook this journey for a third reason," says Paulo. "We want to tell people, sometimes in life you have a chance to do something different from your daily routine, something special. Take that chance, stretch yourself and follow your dream!"
Daily exploits from the trip were posted on www.emarat4X4.com, an online fraternity of off-road enthusiasts based in the UAE and on the Rossetti’s Facebook site. A film clip of the adventure will also be uploaded on YouTube.
