More than 1,700 cyclists converged on the closed roads of Johor Bahru recently for the inaugural edition of OCBC Cycle Johor Bahru (OCBC Cycle JB 2025).

Carrying the theme “Let’s Go Cycle,” OCBC Cycle JB 2025 was flagged off by Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB) Director of Corporate & Public Relations Tuan Haji Harulisam bin Ismail, OCBC Malaysia CEO Mr Tan Chor Sen, Multigreen Events Sdn Bhd CEO En Nezzam Malek, while OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad CEO Tuan Syed Abdull Aziz Syed Kechik joined the ride, along with 200 of his OCBC colleagues. 

Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB) Mayor Dato’ Haji Mohd Haffiz bin Haji Ahmad welcomed the inaugural mass cycling event in Johor Bahru following two successful years of the JB Car-Free Morning sessions.

“We are delighted to see the many smiling faces at our first-ever mass cycling event on closed roads in Johor Bahru. This is not only an opportunity to promote healthy lifestyle but to encourage greater community engagement and tourism as well. I would like to thank OCBC Malaysia for being the driving force behind this impactful initiative,” he said.

The inaugural OCBC Cycle JB, featuring participants from Malaysia and 18 other countries saw the more serious cyclists riding through the 42-kilometre route (2 loops of the 21-kilometre route) while the leisure cyclists opted for the single loop 21-kilometre ride. Kids took part in their own push bike rides while teams took on The JB Mayor’s Ride.  

The mass cycling event is titled sponsored by OCBC Malaysia, organised by Multigreen Events Sdn Bhd (Multigreen Events), and supported by Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB), and Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM).

According to Mr Tan Chor Sen, OCBC Cycle JB 2025 was part of the Bank’s commitment to create greater excitement for the community following two years of successfully sponsoring JB Car-Free Morning sessions and eight years of OCBC Cycle KL.

“It gives us great pleasure to host the inaugural edition of OCBC Cycle Johor Bahru – a mass cycling event on the closed roads of Johor Bahru. The enthusiasm of the participants who came in droves to the starting line at 6.45am for the flag off says it all. And it was lovely to see kids enjoying themselves in the push bike category.  We are ever grateful to the authorities, MBJB and PDRM for their relentless support in making the event a reality. It is no mean feat to pull off something like this as it involves fully closed roads in the city centre and thus the full cooperation of a wide range of parties, all in the quest to promote healthy living and community engagement.

“We are glad to have participants from across the Causeway and beyond, and see this as a meaningful opportunity to promote the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and showcase Johor Bahru’s vibrancy,” he said.

All participants received a medal and digital certificate for participating, along with goodies from the sponsors.

According to En Nezzam Malek, the first-ever mass cycling event on closed roads in the heart of Johor Bahru was rewarding following the many years of successfully organising OCBC Cycle KL.

“It is great to see such a huge turnout for our inaugural event. As part of our commitment to safe cycling, we are grateful to MBJB and PDRM for helping us ensure a smooth ride for all,” he said.

Apart from OCBC Cycle JB title sponsor OCBC Malaysia, sponsors included Pac Lease, Great Eastern Takaful, Brompton, Decathlon, POS Malaysia, 100 Plus, MILO, Sports World, N8, ECO Lifestyle Med Health, Proton E-Mas, Smart, AG Autoworld, EMW and Vitagen.

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

For more information about OCBC Cycle JB, please visit www.ocbccyclejb.com

OCBC Malaysia comprises of OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad and its Islamic banking subsidiary OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad.

OCBC Malaysia is part of the Singapore-based OCBC Group, the second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets.  It has been named Malaysia’s “Bank of the Year” for two consecutive years by London-based publication The Banker.