Sunday, February 22, 2009

OCBC Cycle Singapore 2009

On 21st Feb 09, it was written in The Straits Times that “some 5,400 riders aged six to 60-plus will be flagged off from 6am” the following day for the OCBC Cycle Singapore event. ChannelNewsAsia reported that the event “attracted not only professionals but also all types of cyclists, old and young. They included one who is 72 years old and another who is just six years old.” If you are looking for the oldest participant, this story from Lianhe Zaobao may interest you. The title can be loosely translated as “A steadfast 80 year-old man mounting the steel-horse again after 50 years”.

I am glad that this 80 year-old man is blessed with such good health. He is my father. We originally planned to enter the 20km Community Ride category together with my daughter, Carmen. Unfortunately, she was too young to meet the minimum age requirement. Thus, the 5km Mighty Savers Kid Rides was the only category that I could participate together with both of them. Below picture shows that amid their excitement at the start line, the extremely hot mid-day sun did not bother them.

There was no prize awarded for our category but Carmen was clearly racing with the front pack. Dad and I rode leisurely past the F1 pit building, S’pore Flyer and part of Marina Bay .

Although the road closure added to the sense of safety and importance, the event had several shortcomings. One of them was expressed below in the message which we received from the organiser via e-mail.

Despite the freebies and goodie bag, our entry fee costing more than $30 per head wasn’t exactly cheap. But I guess Dad and Carmen enjoyed the outing. And that matters most to me.