Third cycling wave
Cyclefest Sarawak was the second event in Kuching this year.
In February, there was the KOOCH ‘Share the road’ Awareness Ride. It was hugely successful with reports of 700 participants.
One participant was City Hall councillor Peter Pui, who was perhaps trying to recapture his glory days when he used to cycle to his alma mater St Joseph Secondary.
Sibu Municipal Council also organised a ride in February.
In fact, charity rides are now a regular thing — just like jogathons.
This is basically Kuching’s third cycling wave in recent memory.
Studying at St Joseph Secondary in the early 1980’s, one recalled the hallways filled with bike talk. In those halcyon days, the
bicycle was the transport for
a large number of the student body.
Bike racing was the in-thing then. Teams like Elite and Fiamme were some of the big names with riders like the ageless Mohd Asmara, Kenbirds’ Jordan Pang and Jackson Goh leading the way.
A highlight of the National Day celebration then was the Kuching-Serian-Kuching race. It was glorious seeing the peloton flying along Rock Road with the police outriders escorting them. This race has been discountinued for several years.
The 1990’s was the era that saw mountain bikes-laden convoys heading out of Kuching city every weekend. In the last decade, Sibu’s Junaco Park even hosted a popular mountain bike festival for several years.
Newer outfits
These days, the bike trade is no longer generations-old business concentrated along narrow Carpenter Street where they have been for decades. There are the newer outfits like WG Cycles, Thong Sen, Joyo Pro-Bike and Performance Bicycle Shop. These Gen X entrepreneurs are more willing to risk stocking cutting-edge items.
Performance, owned by former Sarawak racer Kho Chow Khoon, is the newest addition to the scene.
“This is a different experience. We don’t jumble everything together,” said Kho of his shop which offers a boutique experience that might be found in a larger market.
“The Kuching bicycle market is more mature now,” he noted.
WG’s Tay, who used to be heavily involved in racing, including team sponsorship, said cyclists were now more willing to buy high-end items.
If newcomers like Aaron Liew and David Wong are anything to go by, Tay may be right.
Aaron Liew, 31, who works in the construction industry, bought his Colnago racer recently and had it kitted with the latest pro-level Shimano components.
His is an uncommon story as not many get as their first bike, a top model, costing as much as a decent used car.
David Wong is more atypical of the Kuching pack. He started cycling recently with a mountain bike and then bought a racing bike.
“I didn’t enjoy riding the mountain bike on roads so I got the road bike,” he explained.
He then sold the aluminum frame to upgrade to a carbonfibre frame.
“The carbon frame is lighter, more comfortable and responsive. You can really feel it going uphill,” the 25-year-old said.
One would think cyclists with high-performance bikes would be involved in racing. That’s
no the longer the case as
cyclists like Azizul Zahar have shown.
“The kind of riding I like is the long distance, endurance ride,” said the 31-year-old engineering consultant.
The distance can be 80km or more. There are also the multi-day events found in the peninsula, the most famous being the annual Pedalholics Cycling Club Interstate.
Azizul rode in the last two Interstates and also in this year’s event from April 28 to 30 from Kajang, Selangor to Pulai Springs Resort in Johor for a total of 421km.
Challenging the norm
Kuching’s cycling clubs are geared towards racers who can intimidate newcomers. One group challenging the norm is the Kuching Niteriders who meet at Thong Sen after work.
It is not a racing club, just a group dedicated to helping riders and newcomers develop their skills.
One cyclist keeping the group active is Francis Ho. In November, 2011, the 55-year-old architect rode 1,340km unsupported from Kota Kinabalu to Kuching to raise funds for
The Federation of Life Care Society.
“I was inspired by a friend who was volunteering with the Society. They do very important work and most of their funds are raised privately,” said Ho, a keen kayaker who owns Kuching Kayak Sdn Bhd, a kayak excursion outfit.
“I had to convince them that I wasn’t crazy and they were also concerned by the liability issue,” he laughed.
In the end, he raised RM560,000 in pledges and still has great memories of the ride.
It was challenging but they were tempered by the receptions given in places like Bintangor.
“It seemed like the whole town came out to escort me on their bikes,” said Ho of the welcome organised by the Bintangor Life Care Society.
Cyclists in Kuching now have access to all sorts of paraphernalia with Kuching’s finer bike shops being authorised dealers for renowned brands.
WG Cycle handles iconic US brand Cannondale in addition to Italy’s famed Bianchi.
Performance carries legendary Italian brands Colnago while Joyo stocks US’ renowned Trek.
Taiwan’s Giant can be found at Thong Sen who also handles the US’ Specialised.
On the sporting side, the Sarawak Cycling Association is hampered by geography and limited resources. It has had successes as shown by Junaidah Jus, one of Malaysia’s best female mountain bikers.
There are suggestions as to how cycling can be further promoted.
“For me, promoting cycling as a exercise activity is best,” Collin Tay said.
Ahmad Joyo felt authorities could organise “car-free days by closing streets for cycling activities on weekends.”
“Cycling organisations can also organise more events,” HC Chin suggested.
Cycling as transportation in Kuching and in Malaysia is an idea that remains just an idea as the tropics is not conductive to bike commuting. That said, it also seems unattainable in western countries.
However, concerted efforts by stakeholders have made it a popular option.
A paradigm shift in mindset will be required to realise this here.