Cycle Asia Singapore to relaunch in Jan 2015 with new safety measures

SINGAPORE - The seventh instalment of premier cycling event Cycle Asia Singapore will be staged from April 10-12, 2015, with a slew of enhancements aimed at improving the overall participant experience.

This comes after an accident at this year's edition in March left full time National Serviceman Chia Wee Kiak in critical condition.

It was reported that Mr Chia was found face down at a steep downhill section of a slope along Sheares Bridge. The 24-year-old subsequently succumbed to his injuries.

"We have listened to the participants' feedback following some of the challenges last year, and have been working with the authorities and our partners to ensure that the ride experience at Cycle Asia Singapore 2015 will be the best one yet," said Mr Chris Robb, chief executive officer of Spectrum Worldwide, the organiser of Cycle Asia Singapore.

For the 2015 edition, participants will be able to select from a range of categories - The Super Challenge, The Challenge, The Community Ride, The Junior Challenge, The Kids Ride and The Tricycle Ride, which will all start and finish at the F1 Pit Building.

Riders for The Super Challenge, The Challenge and The Community Ride will be capped to 9,000, down from 10,400 at this year's event. Compulsory qualification for The Super Challenge will also be introduced to ensure that only those with suitable ability can participate in the elite category.

Other enhancements include bringing forward the flag-off timing of The Super Challenge to 5am to ensure longer intervals between waves, the deployment of experienced cyclists to guide and assist each wave, as well as more medical personnel at recognised 'hotspots' along the route.

Along with other enhancements such as thorough safety briefings at the start line, and enhanced signage and lane dividers, new innovations such as optional women-only waves across all categories and access to educational tools online for all cyclists, which aim to increase awareness about safe cycling, will also be rolled out.

Said Mr Robb: "We outlined these enhancements earlier this year and are now focused on implementing them to improve the overall participant experience and safety of our cyclists. We are also introducing some new ideas which will reaffirm the status of Cycle Asia Singapore as the nation's premier cycling event."

Registration for Cycle Asia Singapore 2015 opens on Jan 15, 2015. Cycling enthusiasts can also look forward to new announcements surrounding Cycle Asia's network of premier cycling events staged across the region.

"Our goal has been to bring cycling to major cities across the region and next year we will continue that strong progress through Cycle Asia. In our current conversations, the interest from new markets in hosting a Cycle Asia event has been fantastic and we are looking forward to bringing more events to new audiences," added Mr Robb.

Interested participants in Cycle Asia Singapore and Cycle Asia are able to find out more information through the official website, http://www.cycleasia.com

seanyap@sph.com.sg