Author and occasional Epic sales guy, John Danalis, was recently invited to Muscat to run workshops in creative writing. After two weeks of working with local and expat students, JD hit the backroads of Oman on his Soma Groove mtb, which the team at Epic helped convert into a rugged tourer. JD followed the old coast roads from Muscat to Sur, turned inland to the legendary Wahiba Sands, and then crossed the mountainous interior to the UAE border at Al Ain. JD covered around 800km in 7 days, mostly on the Soma, but on a couple of occasions was forced to hitch when the heat and sand got too much. “The thing that slowed me down most of all,” said JD, “was the incredible Omani hospitality.” JD hasn’t stopped raving about the ride possibilities in Oman, and is already planning a return ride all the way down the Omani coast to Salahla.