The seventh edition of OCBC Cycle Kuala Lumpur – dubbed “The City Ride” for its emphasis on enabling extended rides on closed roads in the heart of the city – will be held on Sunday, 3 March 2024.

OCBC Cycle KL 2024 set for 3 March 2024. (L-R) En Nezzam Malek, CEO, Multigreen Events Sdn Bhd; Deputy Minister of Youth & Sports YB Adam Adli Abd Halim; Tuan Mohd Muzammer Jamaluddin, Director of Culture, Arts, Tourism and Sports, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL); and Mr Julius Evanson, Managing Director and Head of Brand & Communications, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad.

It flags off from and finishes at Dataran Merdeka as usual and will take participants on a cycling extravaganza through the streets, greenery and iconic landmarks of Kuala Lumpur, allowing them ample time to soak in the city’s acclaimed beauty.

The launch event was officiated today by Deputy Minister of Youth & Sports YB Adam Adli Abd Halim and attended by Tuan Mohd Muzammer Jamaluddin, Director of Culture, Arts, Tourism and Sports, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL); Mr Julius Evanson, Managing Director and Head of Brand & Communications, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad; and En Nezzam Malek, CEO, Multigreen Events Sdn Bhd.

Registration for OCBC Cycle KL 2024 is open to those above 18 at www.ocbccyclekl.com until 3 February 2024, with pre-opening registrations standing at close to 2,000 riders already. A maximum of 3,000 people may sign up for what remains the only mass cycling event on closed roads in the usually traffic-heavy city centre.

Those interested may choose from the popular 42km and 21km ride categories, along with the 42km corporate category for teams of ten each, called The KL Mayor’s Ride. And this year, for the first time, OCBC Cycle KL will feature, at the same time and venue, a Kids Push Bike category designed for young cyclists aged 3 to 7. There are two distances to choose from: 150 metres and 200 metres. The 200-metre ride is exclusively for 7-year-olds, providing them with that extra bit of challenge to navigate.

OCBC Cycle KL 2024 will feature prizes for three bicycle types for adults – mountain, road and folding bikes – for both men and women.

Everyone will receive a medal and digital certificate for participating, along with goodies from the sponsors.

The challenging OCBC Cycle KL 2024 ride complements the hugely popular weekly OCBC KL Car Free Morning at Dataran DBKL, which is designed for leisure cyclists and other sporting enthusiasts.

As in previous years, OCBC Cycle KL 2024 is titled sponsored by OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad and OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad and is organised by Multigreen Events and supported by KL City Hall (DBKL) and Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM).

Tuan Mohd Muzammer said he was pleased to see OCBC Cycle KL back for the second time since the pandemic.

“When OCBC Cycle KL returned for the first time since the pandemic earlier this year, it was evident just how sorely missed it was, with the organisers having to turn away some due to exceeding the allowable capacity. We look forward to the same enthusiasm as in the last edition of OCBC Cycle KL, which complements the equally popular OCBC KL Car Free Morning designed for leisure cyclists and other sporting enthusiasts.

“I am sure many are looking forward to this year’s edition as evidenced by the strong pre-launch sign-ups. This remains the only long city ride along an uninterrupted stretch of 21 kilometres on closed roads. It enables participants to soak in the beauty of Kuala Lumpur on their bikes. With this, budding cycling enthusiasts can engage in a healthy sport and push themselves a little harder right in the heart of the city,” he said.

According to En Nezzam Malek, the 21km stretch being made available to participants on event day will take them well beyond the experience of the 7 km stretch they might be used to at OCBC KL Car Free Morning.

“Those who are a bit more experienced can opt for the 42km option, which involves doing the 21 km loop twice. We hope there will also be strong participation in the The KL Mayor’s Ride this year, which is designed for teams of ten to compete against each other over a 42 km distance. We envisage companies, ministries and agencies sending teams in large numbers to take advantage of this opportunity to foster team spirit through a healthy activity like cycling. I would like to thank OCBC Bank and OCBC Al-Amin for once again being the force behind the event,” he said.

According to Mr Julius Evanson, OCBC Cycle KL 2024 will, like last year, continue to advocate environmentally friendly and sustainable practices by facilitating recycling and ensuring minimal use of single-use materials.

“It is good to have OCBC Cycle KL on the horizon once again and I look forward to seeing many old and new friends at the event, at which several of us from OCBC will of course be cycling as well. And I look forward to seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces as they come out in full force to participate in the 21 km and 42 km categories or as teams in The KL Mayor’s Ride. And we hope the kids enjoy the push bike rides as well. We hope to build a healthier Malaysia and foster inclusiveness through events such as this.

“We are also excited about making OCBC Cycle KL 2024 even more environmentally friendly and sustainable. This means less use of plastics and greater respect for the preservation of our surroundings. This is an ongoing part of the OCBC agenda not just for OCBC Cycle KL but everything we do. We would like to invite the public to journey with us in tackling climate change through active efforts in decarbonisation,” he said.

Among other things, this year will again see very limited or no use of plastic packaging for the event packs. Instead, participant bibs, tags and apparel will be packaged in recyclable paper rolls or envelopes. There will be no paper flyers in the event packs as well.  These will instead be replaced by large information boards at the event as well as information on the OCBC Cycle KL website. There will be no bubble wrap for medals.  Instead, they will be packed in tracing paper that is compostable. And there will also be recycling bins at strategic locations for collection of banana peels, which will then be sent off for composting.

Apart from OCBC Cycle KL title sponsor OCBC, sponsors include Great Eastern, Decathlon, Thule, 100Plus, N8 Sports Nutrition, Cosmo Hotel, Warisan Outdoor and Sports World Malaysia.