12 February 2014, SINGAPORE – OCBC Bank and Spectrum Worldwide, title sponsor and organiser respectively of OCBC Cycle Singapore, today launched the fourth edition of the OCBC Cycle Singapore Safe Cycling Campaign at a Safe Cycling Clinic with 830 primary school children at Yu Neng Primary School, with OCBC Bank also announcing the donation of 200 helmets for needy students from the school who cycle. Moving away from the previous years‟ format of a month-long campaign, 2014‟s campaign seeks to raise the awareness of safe cycling on the roads all year round. Safe Cycling Day, which had been held on one Saturday every year, will be extended to the last Sunday of every month through a social media drive. The distribution of 2,000 of the popular cycling jerseys will continue on the first Safe Cycling Day of 2014 with an appeal to donate to support National Safe Cycling initiatives organised by the Singapore Road Safety Council.

Safe Cycling Days throughout the Year – First to be held 15 February 2014 (Saturday)

OCBC Cycle Singapore has dedicated 15 February 2014 (Saturday) as the first „Safe Cycling Day‟, and Safe Cycling Days will continue to take place throughout the year on the last Sunday of each month.

Year-Long Instagram Contest

Starting from the first Safe Cycling Day (15 February 2014), an Instagram contest will be organised monthly to encourage cyclists to wear the OCBC Safe Cycling jersey every last Sunday throughout the year to spread the safe cycling message. To stand a chance to win a prize, cyclists simply need to post a photo of themselves in line with the assigned themes such as „safe cycling at night‟ and „safe cycling with your loved ones‟, with the hashtag – #SafeCycling – on their Instagram accounts on the last Sunday of every month.

Donating to the Safe Cycling Cause

On 15 February 2014, 2,000 limited editions of OCBC Cycle Singapore Safe Cycling jerseys sponsored by OCBC Bank will be distributed at the Long House Food Centre on Upper Thomson Road from 5:30 a.m. onwards.

Over 90 percent of respondents had shared their willingness to make a donation in exchange for the safe cycling jersey in an online poll conducted in December 2013. Hence, cyclists will have the option of making a donation to the Singapore Road Safety Council when they collect the jerseys at Long House. Proceeds collected will be used for the implementation of a safe cycling programme throughout the year.

Cyclists are encouraged to wear the jersey on this day and on the Safe Cycling Day of every month to spread the safe cycling message: "Let‟s share the road".

Educating the Young

Following on from the 2013 Safe Cycling Campaign, where members of the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team conducted safe cycling clinics at four schools, this year‟s campaign continues to focus on educating Singapore‟s younger generation.

In conjunction with the launch, a safe cycling clinic was conducted at Yu Neng Primary School, in front of 830 students between the levels of Primary Three to Primary Six. OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team riders Low Ji Wen and Travis Woodford taught the importance of wearing helmets when cycling, how to wear a cycling helmet properly, how and when a cyclist should slow down, how to look out for vehicle rules and the relevant traffic rules for cyclists on the roads, among other topics. OCBC Bank also will be donating 200 helmets for needy students from the school who cycle.

Ms Clara Lim-Tan, Principal of Yu Neng Primary School, said: "We‟d like to thank OCBC Cycle Singapore and OCBC Bank for launching their annual Safe Cycling Campaign at Yu Neng Primary School. It‟s never too early for our children to learn how to share the roads. We hope that our pupils picked up useful pointers from the clinic and they will continue to grow as safe, responsible road users, whether they are pedestrians, cyclists or motorists in the future."

With donations from the cycling community, OCBC Cycle Singapore and the Singapore Road Safety Council are looking at conducting similar safe cycling clinics at more schools from May onwards.

Ms Koh Ching Ching, Head of Group Corporate Communications, OCBC Bank, said: "OCBC has been a strong advocate for safe cycling since 2010. It is only right for us to organise this campaign every year as part of our efforts to promote safe cycling because of our strong association with cycling through the two largest mass cycling events in Singapore and Malaysia – OCBC Cycle Singapore and OCBC Cycle Malaysia – and the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team of professional cyclists. Cyclists and motorists want a campaign like this because it carries a very important message. We are pleased that the Campaign continues to grow with the donations from the distribution of our popular safe cycling jerseys towards national safe cycling initiatives and the extension of one safe cycling day to 12 safe cycling days in a year!"

Mr Chris Robb, Managing Director of Spectrum Worldwide, said: "The annual Safe Cycling Day is an opportunity for all of Singapore‟s cyclists to band together and spread the safety message. This year, we put the question to the community on whether they would like to donate towards the official jersey. It was fantastic to see such an overwhelming positive response, and we look forward to everyone contributing towards such a meaningful cause."

Mr Bernard Tay, Chairman of the Singapore Road Safety Council, emphasised the significance of safe cycling practices, commenting, "It is important that cyclists watch their surroundings closely and follow the traffic rules: Be alert to other vehicles and look over your shoulder to check if there‟s a vehicle approaching your side. Cycling at night or during early hours of the morning means you are more difficult to be seen. Even though traffic may seem lighter, do not assume that drivers can see you. Make yourself more visible in the dark by wearing reflective clothing and riding gear for protection. It is important that bikes are roadworthy and safe to be on the road and that you regularly check everything is working and equipped with headlight and backlight. Pay extra attention whenever there are large, heavy vehicles as their drivers may not always be able to see you."

The OCBC Cycle Singapore 2014 Safe Cycling Campaign is supported by the Singapore Cycling Federation, the Singapore Road Safety Council and the Traffic Police.

This year‟s theme of "Let‟s Share the Road" follows last year‟s "Respect", as well as the previous "Sharing Saves Lives" and "Share the Road" campaigns.

OCBC Cycle Singapore returns for a sixth edition in 2014 as the nation‟s premier mass participation cycling event on closed public roads. The 2014 edition takes place from 28-30 March 2014 at the F1 Pit Building. Expected to attract a capacity crowd of 12,000 cyclists, OCBC Cycle Singapore 2014 celebrates the nation‟s burgeoning culture of cycling with its "Cyclists Unite!" tagline.

Registration for OCBC Cycle Singapore 2014 remains open until midnight, 12 March 2014.

For more information, please visit www.ocbc.cyclesingapore.com.sg.