The mass rides at OCBC Cycle will flag off this coming Sunday 2 October at the Singapore Sports Hub.
These will begin with the 42km Sportive Ride at 5.15am and will be followed closely by the Straits Times Ride (23km) later at 7am.
Click here for my review of the 42km Sportive Ride.
The mass rides at OCBC Cycle begin on Sunday.
Cycle routes remain the same
The cycle routes are the same as last year’s event.
Said Koh Ching Ching, 48, Head of Group Corporate Communications at OCBC Bank, “The routes are the same as last year’s because a lot of people gave us good feedback for the route. They especially like the wind at the MCE tunnel.”
She added, “Why would you fix something that is not broken?”
The cycle routes will remain the same.
And she said that Grace Fu, Minster for Culture, Communication, Youth and Sports, will be taking part in the 23km Straits Times Ride. Added Koh, “So riders can look also forward to riding together with a Minister on Sunday morning.”
Biggest bicycle in Singapore
Riders can also expect to see the biggest bicycle in Singapore… on display at the Sports Hub, too.
Said Koh, “We have the biggest bicycle in Singapore located at the roundabout… so go and check it out before or after your ride. And take lots of photos. It will be a visual treat for the cyclists… It’s about six to seven storeys high…. but no you can’t ride it though.”
Event carnival will be kept simple
The event carnival for 2016 will be kept simple.
Koh added that the event carnival is likely to be kept simple this time around.
She said “Last year we had a 1950s themed food fair to coincide with SG50 but this year we wanted to keep things simpler. We found that when cyclists are tired, they want to simply hang around so we plan to showcase that the space is comfortable enough to do so.”
An expanded expo
But she added, “we have expanded the expo and brought more interesting things there, though.”
Indeed, riders can look forward to a wide array of cycling related booths and merchandise at the race expo, which is open today and tomorrow.
Said Koh “The expo has grown from 20 exhibitors last year to more than 40 this year; this is good news as it means that our event has gained traction with more bike shops, stall owners and industry related people coming on board to support the event. So we are very happy about this.”
A couple of last minute tips for participants would be eat well the night before and ride safely.
Last minute tips
So what last minute tips does Koh have to share, for riders who are taking on the two mass rides on Sunday morning?
She said “Rest well on Saturday night and eat the right food, and ride safely on Sunday.”
Koh continued “Though Singaporeans always love their oily and spicy foods, try and stay away from these for one night… after the ride you can indulge in your roti prata or bak chor mee to your liking.”
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