SINGAPORE - A heavy downpour on Sunday morning did not deter more than 650 cyclists from riding a collective 38,902km to raise funds for cancer patients.

The ride was the culmination of a month-long virtual cycling event - Let's Ride! Singapore - which aimed to promote an active lifestyle and encourage disease prevention.

Organised by biotechnology company Mirxes, cyclists rode across the island and managed to raise $88,902, with the company pledging $50,000 and donating a dollar for every kilometre ridden.

The money will go to the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) Cancer Fund, which will use it to subsidise patients' treatments.

Professor Chng Wee Joo, director of NCIS, said the fund supports more than 60 applications a year and aims to raise $20 million in the next three years to continue helping patients, advancing cancer research and training healthcare professionals.

After the cyclists finished their rides in Marina Bay, Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, thanked them for their support.

She said: "This closing event in Let's Ride! Singapore is a worthy example of our caring and inclusive society, where people from all walks of life join hands and go the distance to support those in need."