DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — For a few brief hours on Sunday, the skyscraper-lined superhighway that cuts through the center of Dubai emptied of the cars always clogging it to give way to tens of thousands of bicyclists.

The annual Dubai Ride saw bikes race down Sheikh Zayed Road, a 10-lane asphalt jungle that gives drivers a view of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and other sites such as the Museum of the Future.

This year’s ride began before sunrise in Dubai. As dawn broke, bicyclists posed for photographs along the highway and cheered as they zipped along.

United Arab Emirates resident Maria Guillerma Imboy said Dubai Ride is the largest cycling event she’s taken part in so far in the UAE.

“We’ve always done this biking routine where we go to Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, but this is my first time going in this kind of festive Dubai Ride, this is the biggest that I joined, the biggest so far.”

Resident Saikoushik Parasa said he couldn’t miss the opportunity.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to ride on this Sheikh Zayed Road. It’s always a busy road but then for this event they actually blocked the road off and then gave us the opportunity to ride on this main road of Dubai and of course I would never miss this opportunity to come for this ride,” he said.