BEIRUT: A young French couple who are embarking on a yearlong cycling adventure said it was “heartwarming” to arrive in Saudi Arabia after more than four months and 5,000 km in the saddle.
Ariane Prodon, 25, and Leo Fourure, 26, had traveled through eight countries before recently rolling into Tabuk for the ninth stop on their epic trip.
“Being so far from home, it’s such a heartwarming feeling to be here in Saudi Arabia,” Prodon, who works as an animator, told Arab News.
“We’ve been traveling for over four months now, as we started from France and crossed Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkiye, Jordan and the Kingdom in more than 5,000 km on our bicycles.
“Through all these countries we felt the importance of hospitality in Islamic cultures, and for travelers like us we feel welcome and safe more than ever here in Saudi Arabia.”
Fourure, a physiotherapist, said: “Because the country pretty much just opened up to tourism, people are very curious about strangers cycling and it creates a lot of sharing opportunities for us. We cannot wait to discover more of this beautiful country and the people who live here.”
When asked why they had set out on such an epic journey, Fourure said they wanted to “discover the world and meet the peoples and cultures that compose it and make it such a nuanced and interesting environment to live in.”
“We’ve decided to use bicycles as we find it is a fair means to cross countries and draw the line of our journey on the map,” he said.
“It allows us to feel the environment we’re evolving through in our skins and minds. We learn a lot by adapting every day, from the people we meet and from the adversity of the terrain.”
Prodon said: “We were building our route along our way, and when we arrived in Turkiye we were confronted by tense geopolitical situations in the country.
“We were also in winter and so it made sense to head south to Jordan and Saudi Arabia where it is safer and warmer weather to feel more comfortable in our minds and bodies.”
The couple crossed into the north of the Kingdom at Haql on the Red Sea coast.
“From the very first day in Saudi Arabia we’ve been amazed by the hospitality and friendliness of Saudis,” Fourure said.
As for where they might head next, Prodon said: “We will try to avoid big and crowded cities … we like to discover the natural areas, mountains and deserts of this country because they are just stunning.
“So, we’ll cross mainly small villages from Tabuk toward Jeddah to stay as long as possible on the mountainous part of Saudi Arabia before we traverse east toward new horizons yet to be defined.”
The couple who are currently at Wadi Al-Disah have a three-month visa in the Kingdom, and “so far we love it here” so they have decided to stay until the end of Ramadan.
French couple cycle into Kingdom after 5,000km in the saddle
https://arab.news/wbm8c
French couple cycle into Kingdom after 5,000km in the saddle
- Ariane Prodon and Leo Fourure are 4 months into a yearlong adventure
- ‘We feel welcome and safe more than ever here in Saudi Arabia,’ they say
Threat to Kingdom’s security is ‘red line’ that will be ‘addressed and neutralized,’ Saudi envoy says
- Abdulaziz Alwasil tells UN Security Council the situation in southern Yemen is ‘a just cause with social and historic dimensions’ that can only be resolved through dialogue
- Recent military activity in the south was unilateral, resulting in an escalation that harms the interests of Yemeni people and undermines efforts to address issues in the south, he said
NEW YORK CITY: Any attempt to threaten Saudi Arabia’s national security is a “red line” and will be met with decisive action, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Speaking during a meeting of the council to discuss Yemen, Abdulaziz Alwasil said the situation in the south of the country is “a just cause with social and historic dimensions” that can only be resolved through dialogue.
“We stress that any attempt to threaten our national security is a red line, and we will not hesitate to take the necessary actions and steps to address it and neutralize it,” he added.
Alwasil reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Yemeni President Rashad Al-Alimi, the Presidential Leadership Council, and the Yemeni government in their efforts to achieve security, stability, development and peace while preserving national unity.
He said military activity by Southern Transitional Council forces in Hadramout and Al-Mahra on Dec. 2, 2025, was unilateral, did not have the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council, and was not carried out in coordination with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.
It had resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people, undermined efforts to address the issues in the south, and ran counter to the coalition’s objectives, Alwasil added.
The Kingdom, working with its coalition partners, the Presidential Leadership Council and the Yemeni government, had moved to contain the situation by dispatching a military force to coordinate arrangements with the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, he said.
The aim was to ensure the return of the southern council’s forces to their previous positions outside of Hadramout and Al-Mahra, and the handover of camps to legitimate government forces and local authorities in line with agreed procedures, Alwasil added.
He expressed regret over the military operations that took place in Hadramout and Al-Mahra, close to Saudi Arabia’s southern border, which he said posed a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security, as well as the security of Yemen and regional stability. Such steps were extremely dangerous, he added, and contradicted the principles on which the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen had been founded.
Alwasil welcomed a prisoner and detainee exchange agreement signed in Muscat on Dec. 23, which he described as an important humanitarian measure to alleviate suffering and build confidence.
He praised Oman for hosting and sponsoring the consultations and supporting negotiations, and commended the efforts of UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, the International Committee of the Red Cross and all others that has played a part.
Regarding the political efforts to resolve the crisis, Alwasil said Saudi Arabia welcomed President Al-Alimi’s call for an inclusive conference in Riyadh to bring together all stakeholders to discuss just solutions to the situation in southern Yemen.
Preparations for the conference have begun, he added, in cooperation with the Yemeni government and southern representatives, reflecting the close ties between the two countries and their shared interests in stabilizing Yemen.
He urged all southern stakeholders to participate actively and constructively in the talks, to help find comprehensive and just solutions that meet the legitimate aspirations of the people of southern Yemen.
Alwasil called on all Yemeni forces and stakeholders to cooperate and intensify their efforts to reach a lasting political settlement that would ensure security and stability.
He described the southern issue as “a just cause with social and historic dimensions,” adding that “the only way to address it is through dialogue that leads to a comprehensive political solution” based on nationally and internationally agreed terms of reference.
