Last November, Christine Lim was enjoying a day out, cycling on a rented four-wheeled surrey bike with her husband, niece and nephew at Pasir Ris Park.

While her husband took the kids to a nearby playground, the 39-year-old tried to make a U-turn but lost control of the bike, causing it to tip over.

"It was four-wheeled, I thought she could definitely handle it," said Wallace Tan, Lim's husband.

The 38-year-old engineer added: "I don't know how she regulated the speed but she didn't brake on time, and as she did a U-turn the whole thing collapsed." The incident will hopefully be her last as Lim has joined Project Training Wheels, organised by OCBC Cycle to teach beginners how to cycle.

She was nominated by Tan and she has signed up for the 23km ST Ride category on Nov 19.

The couple joined the Polar Fitness Bootcamp at TripleFit at Millenia Walk yesterday morning.

It is the first of 12 build-up activities leading to the ninth edition of OCBC Cycle on Nov 18-19 at the Singapore Sports Hub.

Lim previously tried cycling but injured herself in the process.

The graphic designer said: "I'm afraid of heights and falling, I tried learning cycling two to three months before and really fell down.

"I fractured my leg and had a bit of a phobia of cycling, but now I'm beefing up my courage to try picking it up again."

Due to her injury, cycling is a better form of exercise as it puts less strain on her right leg.

She hopes the new skill will allow her to spend more time with Tan and also lose weight before their wedding in December.

"My husband used to carry me on the two-man bicycle and would complain it was tough on him," she said with a laugh.

Tan is an avid cyclist who rides 10km to 12km a week.

He is looking forward to bringing Lim to visit spots in Singapore they would otherwise miss. "Her learning to cycle will let us both go to places like Coney Island where vehicles can't enter," he said.

"We like admiring the tranquil scenery and spending quality time together."

Even though she has never attempted to cycle 23km, Lim believes with the help of professionals, she will succeed.

She said: "I will have to build up my stamina. But, at the end of the day, it's one objective and pushing yourself to do it.

"I think I have this spirit. If I didn't, I would not have turned up for this bootcamp."