Due to the coronavirus pandemic, OCBC Cycle has been gearing up with home-based virtual workouts for the first time to help cyclists be physically ready for the Nov 1-15 free virtual event.
In conjunction with hydration partners 100Plus, OCBC Cycle has been engaging barre and spin instructor Tiong Jia En for eight home-based virtual workout sessions.
A 100Plus spokesman said: "The eight-week virtual workout series by 100Plus were specially designed to train participants for a stronger, smoother ride with OCBC Cycle.
"They include a combination of abs, legs and power to level up your spin game - all done safely and comfortably at home."
The final two one-hour sessions - hosted on the 100Plus Facebook page - will be held tomorrow and Oct 25 from 11am to 12pm.
The penultimate session will focus on stretches. The last one will be a culmination of the previous sessions: abs, legs and power workouts, before ending off with some stretching.
Lim Zhuo En, a 37-year-old marketing executive, enjoyed all of the four sessions she has joined.
She said: "They can be quite challenging. The good thing about a virtual home workout is you can choose to take it easy if you need to.
"I managed to power through with Jia En's encouragement and I was totally exhausted after each workout... Her classes are really fun, engaging and challenging.
"The sore muscles the following day after each workout is a reminder that I'm getting stronger!"
Lim considers herself a fairly active and fit individual, but admitted that cycling is not something she does on a regular basis.
As such, the virtual workouts were helpful in her preparations.
"Knowing there is a specialised training programme to prepare us is a great confidence booster that I should be able to conquer my 42km Sportive Ride," she added.
All 4,700 slots across three categories - the Sportive VR (42km), The Straits Times Ride VR (23km), and The Mighty Savers Kids VR (5km and 800m) - were snapped up in September, a month before organisers planned to close registration.
David Lee
