Egyptian Defense Minister Sedky Sobhy joined students from the Military Academy in a cycling marathon on Saturday.

The marathon was advertised as a way of enhancing the physical and mental health of military fighters, according to privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper.

Sobhy, who rode his bike without a helmet, is not the first government figure to take part in the cycling trend President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi introduced during his presidential election campaign.

Images of a tracksuit-wearing Sisi on a bike first appeared in March when he stopped to talk to a number of passers by, prompting speculation on social media that the exercise was either a publicity stunt, or a means of encouraging a cycling culture amid increasing gas prices and pollution.

Sisi made another similar appearance before the elections, and then followed his inauguration with a cycling marathon in June, along with a number of other public figures, university students and Police Academy and Military College students.

Sisi, who donned an expensive white polo shirt that he’s often seen wearing versions of, again without a helmet, used the marathon as an unconventional approach to boosting Egypt’s economy, claiming, “Cycling will set Egypt free.”

During the opening ceremony, Sisi made controversial statements encouraging workers and students to cycle 30 km per day, and promoted bike riding for women, which activists ridiculed due to increasing street harassment in the country.

On the second day of Eid, Sisi took his bike out again in the Alexandrian Mamoura neighborhood. A 16-second leaked video showed the sporty president in the company of his personal guards and police forces, with applause and whistles in the background.

The president’s passion for cycling has prompted a number of officials to jump on the bandwagon, including Beheira Governor Mostafa Hadhoud, who participated in a cycling marathon for young people during the celebration of Beheira Day on September 15.