Al Qudra Loop and Solar Park

61 km road cycling loop68 m climbing1½–2½ hoursGPX

Dubai, United Arab Emirates · Road

A flat 61 km road cycling loop from Al Qudra through Mugatrah, with 68 m of climbing. 55% is on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane. The first 59 km has no café, shop or water.

Route contributed by Marcus · Last ridden Saturday 1st November 2025

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At a glance

Best for: Steady riding away from traffic
Distance: 61.2 km; Loop
Elevation gain: 68 m; 1 m per km
Riding time: 1½–2½ hours; moving time, estimated
Difficulty: Moderate
Bike: Road bike; from the mapped surface
Surface: Mostly paved; 88% paved · 6% unpaved · 5% no data
Traffic: Mostly cycle paths; 3.2 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 4.6 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more · 33.7 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water: Longest gap 59 km; 1 café or restaurant · 2 shops · 1 water point · 1 petrol station · 2 public toilets · 2 bike shops
Best months: Dec to Feb; Dubai climate, 10 years
Navigation: GPX download; free, no sign-in
Start and finish: Al Qudra

On the road: Al Qudra Loop and Solar Park, Dubai

Elevation profile

Total ascent: 68 m
Distance: 61 km

What it was like to ride

Rider notes on the Al Qudra cycle track

Al Qudra is Dubai's best known cycling track: a dedicated tarmac path with no cars, out in the desert south of the city. With more than 220km of track there are a variety of rides to suit all levels of cyclist. From the car park at the D63 roundabout a straight 17 km "stick" runs down to the start of the loop section. Here you can find a Trek shop with bicycle rentals and the famous Zad's foodstore amongst other small retail outlets. From here the common ride is either the full 50 km loop as shown in the route map here, or a slightly shorter inner loop most commonly know as "Jurassic". [Ride it and it will make sense!]. In both versions you ride through the dunes and circle back to Zads which provides a rest/coffee stop with just the stick left to take you back to the start. Flat all the way other than a few small inclines that can't really be described as hills.

Zads is the only stop, and you pass it twice: at 19 km on the way out and 65 km on the way back. Shops, toilets, water and a bike shop are all there. Depending on your direction of travel, there is also the mosque near to Bab Al Shams which offers drinking water all year round. Around the rest of the loop there is nothing other than a number of shaded areas with seating, so fill your bottles at Zads and carry enough for the loop. From May to September that means starting before sunrise.

The path is open and unsheltered, so the wind decides how hard the day is. Weekend mornings are super busy with groups on the stick; the loop thins out. Lights are worth having if you start before sunrise: the track is mostly unlit and most riders are out before dawn. For an entirely different experience try the same route at night. It's very dark and mostly silent when you're out towards the back of the loop beyond the solar park.

Best part: The iconic ride for nearly all Dubai cyclists. Most of us have ridden this route 100s of times. The perfect place for a traffic-free group ride either early morning or late evening.
Watch out for: During Saturday mornings there can be riders of all experience levels all on the track at the same time. Always pay attention, be respectful and shout before passing. On night rides you may be treated to all manner of interesting creatures. Watch for oryx, camel spiders, hedgehogs, lizards, mice, and more.
Best stop: Zads Foodstore

Route description

Al Qudra
Mugatrahkm 15
Al Qudrakm 61

The route starts and finishes in Dubai, passing Mugatrah at 15.3 km. The ride is a loop covering 61.3 km mostly on paved surfaces (88%), with some gravel or unpaved sections (6%) and a small portion unmapped (5%). It follows mostly cycle paths and minor roads, including 33.7 km on cycle paths and 16.1 km on minor roads. There is a stretch of 3.2 km on main roads without cycle lanes and 4.6 km on roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or more. The highest point is at 118 m around 43.5 km, and the lowest at 63 m near 17.4 km. The profile is mainly flat with 98% flat sections and only 1% climbing and descending each.

Why ride this route?

55% on cycle paths or lanes.

Highlights

Loop route starting from Dubai
Mugatrah at km 15.3
Cycle paths including Al Qudra Cycle Path Route 1
Highest point at 118 m around 43.5 km

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

Mugatrah 15.3 km

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Much of the route is separated from traffic: 55% is on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane.

Roads: 56% cycle path · 27% minor road · 5% main road · 4% track · 3% other roads and tracks · 5% unmapped
Main roads: 3.2 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads: 4.6 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths: 33.7 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used: Al Qudra Cycle Path Route 1 (17 km), Saih Al Dahal Street (15 km), Al Qudra Cycle Path Link 1 (11 km), Al Qudra Cycle Path Route 3 (5 km)
Surface: Predominantly paved: 88% is mapped as paved, 6% as unpaved or gravel and 5% has no surface data.
Gradient: 1% climbing · 1% descending · 98% flat

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

The longest stretch without a café, shop or water is 59 km, from the start. Along the route: 1 café or restaurant, 2 shops, 1 water point, 1 petrol station, 2 public toilets and 2 bike shops.

Food, water and shops in ride order

0.9 kmSpicy Village Restaurant · restaurant · 130 m off route
0.9 kmZad Foodstores · convenience store · on the route
46.2 kmToilets · 160 m off route
59.5 kmGeant at ADNOC · convenience store · 70 m off route
59.5 kmADNOC · petrol station · 50 m off route
59.6 kmDrinking water · on the route
59.6 kmToilets · on the route
59.6 kmTrek · bike rental · 30 m off route
59.7 kmAlqudra Ambulance Medical Centre · clinic · 110 m off route

Worth a stop

45.9 km — Sustainability & Innovation Centre (attraction)

Start and access

Starts and finishes at Al Qudra. Mapped within a short walk of the start, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start and finish

Bikes and repair: Trek (340 m), Careem (400 m)
Food and coffee: Spicy Village Restaurant (280 m)
Shops: Zad Foodstores (370 m), Geant at ADNOC (270 m)

Know before you go

Longest stretch without café, shop or water for 58.6 km (from 0.9 to 59.5 km)
3.2 km on main roads without cycle lanes
4.6 km on roads with speed limits 80 km/h or more
6% gravel or unpaved surface

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

2 photographs from the road

About this route

Ridden by: Marcus
Dates ridden: Tuesday 7th July 2020 to Saturday 1st November 2025 · 12 recordings
Route line: Built from 12 GPS recordings of the ride.
Elevation: Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services: Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
Best months: Ten years of ERA5 weather for Dubai (Open-Meteo).
GPX: Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added: Thursday 27th August 2026
Page last updated: Sunday 13th September 2026

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Al Qudra Loop and Solar Park