Flagging off participants of The Straits Times Ride at OCBC Cycle 2018

SINGAPORE, 6 May 2018 - The second day of OCBC Cycle 2018 saw one in five participants experience cycling on Singapore’s closed roads on Mobikes. The first-of-its-kind collaboration with the bike-sharing platform allowed participants to use the bikes rent-free over the weekend for OCBC Cycle 2018, Singapore’s largest community cycling fiesta. A total of 6,500 cyclists took to the roads this morning on The Straits Times Ride (23km) and The Sportive Ride (40.8km), starting their rides on the Nicoll Highway and ending inside the iconic National Stadium.

One cyclist who expertly navigated the 40.8km The Sportive Ride on a Mobike, Ms Honey Abangan, said: “It is my first time participating in OCBC Cycle with my company. As the Mobike is such a convenient option for my colleagues and I who don’t own a bicycle, it made the decision to participate much easier for us. It has been a wonderful experience so far, and I am definitely coming back next year!”

OCBC Cycle Corporate Chase

This year’s event introduced a new corporate category, the OCBC Cycle Corporate Chase. A total of 23 teams from 18 companies vied for the top cash prize of $400 and the coveted Champions’ Jersey. With the teams lined up for the first wave of The Sportive Ride, the race format saw each team of four cyclists completing the 40.8km route to clock a combined net time, with the fastest team being crowned the inaugural champions.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Team B rode to an easy victory as their combined net time of 4:04:19.370 was more than 10 minutes faster than their nearest competitor. Advanced Micro Devices (4:14:56.240) and GlaxoSmithKline (4:20:35.270) finished in second and third place respectively.

Mr Mohammed Harith of the SCDF cycling team said: “It feels awesome for our team to have finished first in the OCBC Cycle Corporate Chase. We have been preparing for a few months prior to this ride, and all the hard work during the morning and night trainings have finally paid off. Everything went as planned during the ride and we are just happy to be able to finish well. It is also an absolutely surreal experience to get to ride on highways and roads that are not usually open for cyclists.”

Companies give back to the less fortunate

Companies played their part in giving back to the less fortunate through OCBC Cycle’s corporate social responsibility initiative, The Business Times Cycle of Hope. The ride saw 130 employees from seven companies take part in either The Straits Times Ride or The Sportive Ride, and over half of their registration fees were donated to four meaningful causes. A sum of S$15,000 was raised for the four beneficiaries – The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, the TODAY Enable Fund, SportCares and the NUHS Fund Limited.

Project Training Wheels (PTW)

Eight participants overcame their fear of cycling and completed the 23km The Straits Times Ride this morning. They were a part of OCBC Cycle's learn-to-ride programme, Project Training Wheels, which provides free cycling lessons to adults who do not know how to cycle. The programme participants were identified through social media via a nomination from their family or friends, and went through three training sessions to pick up cycling skills before joining OCBC Cycle 2018 in The Straits Times Ride.

Project Training Wheels participant, Josephine Poh, said, “For someone who did not how to balance on a bike initially, I am surprised that I completed a 23km journey at The Straits Times Ride. It feels amazing as I never thought that I could cycle, and what more at the largest cycling event. This is down to my supportive coaches. It is such a rare opportunity to go up the Sheares Bridge without my car and I enjoyed the scenery as well as the breeze.”

Ms Poh added, “Through the Project Training Wheels sessions, I made new friends who would gather to practise cycling together after work.”

Community cycling spirit alive and kicking

Mr Lim Teck Yin, Chief Executive Officer of Sport Singapore, was one of the guests-of-honour in the flag-off party for The Sportive Ride. After flagging off the first waves of the ride at 5.15am, he donned his cycling gear and peddled away alongside participants. Mr Lim said: “I think the cycling community in Singapore is growing very quickly and an event such as the OCBC Cycle brings together and acknowledges the entire community.”

Echoing Mr Lim’s sentiments was fellow guest-of-honour, Dr Hing Siong Chen, President of Singapore Cycling Federation. He said: “As Singapore heads towards a car-lite society, bicycles and other transportation modes are gaining popularity. Over the years, OCBC Cycle has promoted cycling in Singapore as a community sport by encouraging all levels of participation – from competitive riders, to leisure cyclists and even children with the OCBC Cycle Mighty Savers® Kids and Family Rides. As such, interest in cycling has grown exponentially in the past two years and I expect it to continue growing.”

More details on OCBC Cycle 2018 can be found on www.ocbccycle.com .

OCBC Cycle 2018 The Corporate Chase Results