SINGAPORE — Allied World Quantum Racing team successfully defended their title at the OCBC Cycle Speedway Championships 2023 in the club category, while the team from OCBC Bank clinched top honours in the corporate group.
The OCBC Cycle 2023 was held over two days on May 6 and 7 with close to 7,300 cyclists gathering at the Singapore Sports Hub for the first full-scale event since 2019 when the pandemic disrupted large-scale sports events. The 2022 edition was limited to 2,000 cyclists joining in person.
Although the physical races are over, contestants are still taking part in the virtual 100km and 500km rides that will be held until June 5.
The Straits Times 20km City ride and the Sportvie 40km ride were flagged off by Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Social and Family Development, Alan Goh, CEO, Sports Singapore, and other guests of honour.
Although the organisers were forced to shorten the Sportive 40km ride due to inclement weather, riders were still able to complete a scenic route on roads specifically closed for the event which took them past stunning views of the city, before finishing inside the National Stadium. The Sportive 40KM Ride is making a return after three years, as only The Straits Times 20KM City Ride was offered as an on-site event last year.
“Going into my second OCBC Cycle, I thought I knew what to expect. But sharing the roads with many more cyclists this year was an even more enjoyable experience. The sense of being one big cycling community was enhanced as we absorbed the sun’s rays and enjoyed the morning breeze together. Riding up, and then down, the Benjamin Sheares bridge was still very exciting,” said Helen Wong, Group CEO of OCBC Bank who was also present at the flag-off with the guests of honour.
On its 15th anniversary, the event kicked off with the OCBC Cycle Speedway Championships on Saturday. More than 20 teams took part in the event, with 14 teams battling in the club category including 2022 champions Allied, and Specialized Dynasty Mavericks who won in 2019 and 2018. The corporate category saw the participation of past winners like the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and OCBC Bank.
The OCBC Cycle Speedway Championships saw teams of four riders each splitting into two pairs, and they rode a total of 10 laps around the one km circuit at Stadium Drive. It was a tense and neck-and-neck race between Allied and the Mavericks. Allied secured a razor-thin margin victory with a mean time of 17:16.167s over second-placed Mavericks’ 17:56.543s. Team Garcia came in third with a mean time of 17:56.703s
It was an improvement from last year’s timing as Allied won last year’s race with a mean time of 18:44.107s with cyclists Reuben Bakker, Hasroy Osman, Jonas Trindler and Jay Bridge. They had a new-look team this year with only Bakker the only remaining member of Allied at the 2023 event. This year, Bakker teamed up with Daniel Cooper, Matthieu Bedard, and Steve Robinson.
“Winning together makes the difference. It is not about crossing the line first. You have to think about how to use everyone. You have to win as a team,” said Cooper after winning the race.
In the corporate event, the cyclists from OCBC Bank put on a stellar performance as they clocked a mean time of 19:36.367s to finish in first place, while the men from SCDF came in second with a time of 19:44.697s. Team Advanced Micro Devices finished third with a mean time of 20:00.413s
The team from OCBC Bank put on a stellar performance, clocking a mean time of 19min 36.3s. SCDF finished in second place with a time of 19min 44.7s. Advanced Micro Devices took third place with a mean time of 20:00.4s.
“I am ecstatic and proud to win this with my teammates. The team has competed seven times in this event, but it is our first time winning. It is a combination of hard work and team effort. We have been training hard all year on top of our work schedules,” said 51-year-old Donald MacDonald from Team OCBC Bank.