Team Yalla hits the road with the Harley Davidson chapter of Abu Dhabi.
The ships of the desert lift their heads as under an unforgiving sun more than 200 Harley Davidson bikers in Abu Dhabi from across the Middle East roar en-masse through the desert.
The long line of bikers on stunning machines snakes their way along winding roads flanked only by the spectacular dunes of Abu Dhabi.
The Abu Dhabi Tour 2022 – Rally edition is back.
After a three-year hiatus, a call to members of the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) to shine their bikes, dust off their leathers, don their helmets and make their way to the capital of the United Arab Emirates went out.
Across the GCC, the different H.O.G Chapters dutifully answered the call.
Bikers in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dharan, Oman, Kuwait and Dubai revved their machines and roared into the UAE capital where Abu Dhabi’s very own H.O.G. Chapter await.
In the capital, Gabrielle Bou Rached greets the Harley Davidson bikers who have arrived from afar.
The former Miss Lebanon is not only the Director of H.O.G – Abu Dhabi Chapter but also the President of the H.O.G GCC Council.
Gabrielle, who has headed the Abu Dhabi Chapter since 2018, explains how the H.O.G. Chapters exist where Harley Davidson dealerships are located, which means there could be different chapters in each country.
“Chapters are run by volunteers,” says Gabrielle, who works at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs at the National Archives in Abu Dhabi.
The H.O.G – Abu Dhabi Chapter has been in existence since the 1990s, and along with other chapters, is instrumental in organising rides, such as The Abu Dhabi Tour 2022 – Rally edition, various activities, meet-ups, as well as reaching out to international chapters.
Finishing her Master’s in her native Lebanon, Gabrielle landed in Abu Dhabi in 2008 and seven years later her love affair with biking began and she is now the President of the H.O.G. GCC Council, which groups all the chapters of the GCC region.
“The council organises the activities and the cooperation between all the different chapters without interfering with the internal operations of each chapter,” says Gabrielle.
The Council also organises an award, entitled ‘Chapter of the Year’, with specific criteria to measure the performance of each chapter, the number of rides, the increase in membership and so on.
“It also helped organise the Abu Dhabi Tour 2022 – Rally edition for bikers; not just Harley Davidson bikers, although 95 per cent of those attending the tour are H.O.G members,” says Gabrielle.
Clearly such a role takes a lot of time and effort. “When you’re passionate about something, you find the time.
It’s a hobby and I barely sleep. I love connecting with people and the guys from the other chapters in the GCC are so friendly; it makes it so easy for me to be in touch with them.”
The hard work has paid off.
Gabrielle is the first female to hold the role of both director and president of H.O.G., which internationally is still a rarity.
So, the next time you see a group of Harley Davidson bikers roar by, look closely; it will most likely be Gabrielle, the leader of the pack.
