Now reading:

OCBC Cycle 2023 attracted more than half of its target participants in just three weeks

OCBC Cycle 2023 attracted more than half of its target participants in just three weeks

  • 01 Mar 2023
  • 3,800 participants have registered for Singapore’s marquee cycling event to date, with 60 per cent being first-time participants
  • 30 per cent faster registration rate than last full-scale event held in 2019
  • Month-long early bird promotion will continue until 7 March 2023
  • CSR event Teach-A-Child-To-Cycle returns after COVID-19 restrictions, with sporting retailer Decathlon as new partner

SINGAPORE, 1 March 2023 – In just three weeks after its launch on 7 February 2023, OCBC Cycle 2023 has garnered more than half of its targeted 7,000 sign-ups – with over 3,800 participants already registered for the nation’s marquee cycling event on 6 and 7 May as of Wednesday, 1 March 2023.

The registration rate for this year’s edition is 30 per cent faster than the last full-scale event held in 2019. This can be largely attributed to pent-up demand for on-site physical sporting events following several years of pandemic restrictions.

There is a healthy diversity among this year’s participants to date, with 60 per cent of participants being first-time riders, while more than 30 per cent are women. The most popular categories continue to be The Sportive 40KM Ride and The Straits Times 20KM City Ride. While the Mighty Savers® Tricycle Ride for younger kids aged 2 to 5 is still available, the Mighty Savers® Kids & Family Ride, a 5km ride for children aged 5 to 12, has sold out.

Interestingly, even as many cyclists have chosen to take part in physical rides, the two Virtual Rides saw a collective registration rate of more than 50 per cent as well. The Virtual Rides allow participants to cover, in four rides or less, 100km or 500km – the farthest distance amongst any OCBC Cycle ride distance to date.

Partnering Decathlon for Teach-A-Child-to-Cycle

With the lifting of Covid restrictions, OCBC Cycle’s CSR programme, Teach-a-Child-to- Cycle, will also make a return. The programme, which started in 2015, stems from the belief that children should not be deprived of the chance to pick up the lifelong skill of cycling because of their family circumstances.

This year, in partnership with sporting goods retailer Decathlon, the programme will see 20 children from low-income families from various charity partners learn how to cycle over three sessions, culminating in The Mighty Savers® Kids & Family Ride on 6 May.

Decathlon will also sponsor each child with a bicycle and a shopping trip (worth $100) to equip them with what they need for their cycling journey. The children, whose ages range from 8 to 12 years old, will be taught to cycle by professional trainers from the Singapore Cycling Federation and guided by staff volunteers from OCBC Bank and Decathlon.

Ms Koh Ching Ching, OCBC Bank’s Head of Group Brand & Communications, said: “We did not expect to see such a fantastic response. While it is common to see many sign- ups at the start of the registration period, hitting more than 50 per cent so soon has been an absolute joy for the team. We hope to see the momentum continue and even hope to exceed our target of 7,000.”

“We also want to thank our new partner, Decathlon, for sponsoring free bicycles and athletic gear to our beneficiaries and making it possible for them to learn an important life skill. Singapore Cycle Federation, being a long-term partner, has provided invaluable support and resources over the years and we are glad we can resume this activity this year.”

Mr Kieran O’Shea, Marketing Leader for Decathlon Singapore, said: "Decathlon is delighted to be part of the Teach-a-Child-to-Cycle project. Our purpose every day is to make sports accessible to the many and through such a project, we are making cycling accessible to children, thus ensuring that the future generation is living through the wonders of sport.”

Early bird rates and giveaways

A month-long early bird promotion which gives participants up to 23 per cent off registration fees, as well as a chance to win a luxury foldable bicycle, the Brompton P Line (worth $4,555), will continue till 7 March, after which prices will revert to regular fees (see Annex A). These perks are in addition to a 10 per cent discount offered to all OCBC cardmembers, as well as a Grand Draw for all participants who have a chance to win a Brompton C Line (worth $2,965), CRU TV Bike with 1 year access (worth $3,835) or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (worth $1,828).

In its 15th edition this year, OCBC Cycle has eight categories including its mainstay rides, The Sportive 40KM Ride and The Straits Times 20KM City Ride that will take cyclists through the city on closed roads, as well as the new Indoor Ride by Shimano, which uses the popular Zwift platform for cyclists to compete against one another virtually.


FOR THE PRESS

Media Queries

Please contact:

Rachel Au-Yong

corpcomms@ocbc.com