About 2,300 cyclists from all walks of life converged in the heart of Kuala Lumpur yesterday for the fifth edition of Kuala Lumpur OCBC Cycle 2019, dubbed “The City Ride” for its emphasis on enabling extended rides on closed roads amidst the capital’s most iconic city centre landmarks.

The event saw the introduction of a new 21km category (alongside the regular 42km category) and took on an environmental theme as well this year.

Participants cycled along the closed roads of Jalan Raja Laut, Jalan Dang Wangi, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Perak, Jalan P Ramlee, Jalan Ampang, Lebuhraya Sultan Iskandar, Jalan Parlimen, Jalan Berjasa, Jalan Sultan Salahuddin, Jalan Tun Ismail, Jalan Kuching, Jalan Kinabalu and Jalan Raja before returning to Dataran Merdeka.

The participants were off with a bang at 6.30am at Dataran Merdeka as Dato’ Nor Hisham bin Ahmad Dahlan, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur flagged them off along with Dato’ Ong Eng Bin, Chief Executive Officer of OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad (OCBC Bank) and Datuk Naim Mohamad, Chairman of the Kuala Lumpur OCBC Cycle 2019 Implementation Committee. Cycling in the front-lines along with the rest was Tuan Syed Abdull Aziz Syed Kechik, Chief Executive Officer of OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad.

Kuala Lumpur OCBC Cycle 2019 is title-sponsored by OCBC Bank and organised by Multigreen Events. It is supported by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM).

Dato’ Ong said Kuala Lumpur OCBC Cycle 2019 has proven itself to be a fitting and complementary event to Kuala Lumpur OCBC Car Free Morning. The latter is also title-sponsored by OCBC Bank.

“We are pleased to provide this annual cycling platform for the fifth year as Kuala Lumpur OCBC Cycle 2019 remains the only annual mass participation cycling event on closed roads in the city centre.

“We are also excited about the conscious move to make Kuala Lumpur OCBC Cycle 2019 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 OCBC Bank’s agenda not just for Kuala Lumpur OCBC Cycle 2019 but everything we do,” he said.

Datuk Naim Mohamad said he was particularly pleased with the level of participation, especially with the introduction of the 21km category this year.

“We maintained the signature 42km ride and introduced a new 21km as we recognised there remain budding cyclists out there who are eager to ride but find the 42km ride a bit too challenging for an entry-level cyclist. We are pleased with the higher turnout and glad to see many cycling enthusiasts enjoying the ride on closed roads. We are also grateful to DBKL and PDRM for ensuring a smooth and safe ride for all,” he said.

Apart from Kuala Lumpur OCBC Cycle 2019 title sponsor OCBC Bank, other sponsors included Thule, Cosmo Hotel, Royal Sporting House, 100 Plus, Quill City Mall, Warisan Outdoor, Cycling Malaysia, Banana Boat, Aftershokz, Check Hup, Yakult, N8, Raqtive and Ciclista.

The event also brought together various players in the region involved in cycling, cycle-related supplies, sports clothing, bicycles, bicycle equipment and tools and so forth who participated in a Bike Mart.