A record 3,000 cyclists from all walks of life converged on 25 kilometres of closed roads in Kuala Lumpur recently for the eighth edition of OCBC Cycle Kuala Lumpur, its longest non-overlapping stretch since the series began.

Carrying the theme “Let’s Go Cycle,” OCBC Cycle KL 2025 was flagged off at 6.45am by Encik Naquib bin Hamdan, Director of the Department of Culture, Arts, Tourism and Sports of DBKL, Mr Tan Chor Sen, CEO of OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad and En Nezzam Malek, CEO of Multigreen Events, while CEO of OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad Tuan Syed Abdull Aziz Syed Kechik joined the participants in the 50-kilometre category along with 400 of his OCBC colleagues.

The eighth edition of OCBC Cycle KL, featuring participants from Malaysia and 30 other countries, saw the more serious cyclists riding through the longest-ever 50-kilometre route (2 loops of the 25-kilometre route) while the leisure cyclists opted for the single loop 25-kilometre ride. Kids took part on their own push bike rides while teams took on The KL Mayor’s Ride.  The route had new twists and turns compared to last year, including new stretches such as Jalan Conlay and Jalan Kia Peng.

According to Mr Tan Chor Sen, OCBC Cycle KL 2025 has grown over the years to become a much anticipated annual event, which the Bank is proud to host for the community in Kuala Lumpur.

“We were pleased to once again see the smiles of the participants who came in droves to the starting line at 6.45am for the flag off of yet another exciting ride. It was gratifying to see families and kids alike enjoying themselves in the push bike category too. And we are ever grateful to the authorities, the Police and City Hall for their relentless support in helping to make this event a reality yet again. 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.

“As part on our ongoing quest to become more sustainable in our endeavours, OCBC Cycle KL 2025 sought to be even more environmentally-friendly. We controlled single use plastics and instilled greater respect for the preservation of our surroundings and to the recycling agenda,” he said.

Among other things, the event saw very limited or no use of plastic packaging for the event packs. There were no paper flyers in the event packs as well.  They were instead replaced by large information boards at the event as well as information on the OCBC Cycle KL website. Absent also was the usual bubble wrap for medals, which were placed around participants’ necks or handed to them unwrapped. Recycling bins could be seen at strategic locations for collection of banana peels, which were then sent off for composting.

According to En Nezzam Malek, CEO of Multigreen Events, which organises OCBC Cycle KL, the level of participation this year, the highest to-date, demonstrated that people love both cycling and the city.

“It is pleasing to see such a huge turnout, from our KL community and those from 30 different nationalities. I trust they all had a great time. As part of our commitment to safe cycling, we are grateful to DBKL and PDRM for helping us ensure a smooth ride for all,” he said.

OCBC Cycle KL 2025 featured prizes for three bicycle types for adults – mountain, road and folding bikes – for both men and women. All participants received a medal and digital certificate for participating, along with goodies from the sponsors.

Apart from OCBC Cycle KL title sponsor OCBC Bank, sponsors included Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MYCEB), Decathlon, Paramount Property, Brompton, Great Eastern, KPJ Healthcare, 100Plus, Cosmo Hotel, Thule, Shimano, Polygon, Tern, Fizik, Milo, Chek Hup, Gin Huat, N8 Sports Nutrition, Sports Paragon, Warisan Ad and Sports World. Kloth came in as charity partner.

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, please visit www.ocbccyclekl.com