OCBC Cycle on May 3-4 will not proceed, event to offer virtual rides instead

SINGAPORE – The annual OCBC Cycle on May 3 and 4 at the Singapore Sports Hub will not go ahead as planned, with the event now converted to a virtual-ride format, said the local bank in a statement on its website on April 17.

This comes two days after the date of the general election was

announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Nomination Day will be on April 23, and Singaporeans will cast their votes on May 3.

OCBC said in its statement: “Given the scale of OCBC Cycle, massive security resources are required for the event’s road closures to ensure the security and safety of all event participants and other road users. During the weekend of May 3 and 4, such resources will be limited.”

The 17th edition of the race was expected to attract 7,000 participants in eight categories.

The decision was made for the event to go virtual because it “cannot be rescheduled as adequate space at the Singapore Sports Hub is not available on any other weekends of 2025”.

“Today, there is no other suitable venue that can accommodate long-distance cycling city routes for as many as 7,000 cyclists,” added the statement.

All participants, including those who have signed up for the 100km Virtual Ride and Round Island Virtual Ride, will get full refunds by the end of May 2025.

Cyclists who are taking part in the mass rides can do the virtual rides for free, while the OCBC Cycle Speedway Open Championship will be cancelled.

The Sportive Ride (40km), Foldie Ride by Brompton (40km), The Straits Times Ride (20km) and Mighty Savers Kids Rides will all be converted to virtual rides and must be completed by June 2.

Virtual-ride participants of the revised categories have to cycle the full distance at one go, whether indoors or outdoors. There is no change to requirements for the Round Island Virtual Ride and 100km Virtual Ride.

Those who are taking part in the virtual rides have to use a fitness tracker or workout app on a smartphone to record the ride details, which must be submitted to the organisers by June 2.

A first-time participant from Malaysia, who wanted to be known only as Ginny, said: “I’m a bit disappointed that the event has been cancelled, especially since all my plans were already set, including the extra baggage fees I paid to bring my equipment.”

The 46-year-old, who signed up for the Foldie Ride by Brompton, had spent about RM3,500 (S$1,040) on flight tickets and transporting her equipment from Penang, as well as accommodation. She still intends to travel to Singapore for a short holiday, as her tickets and hotel are non-refundable.

Daniel Smith, president of matadorRACING, was also frustrated by the latest development, with the local cycling team slated to take part in the Speedway Championship, a team relay event, which organisers said would not be converted into a virtual race given its format.

He said: “We’re very disappointed with the late cancellation especially given there are less local races this year.

“The road and mountain bike nationals are now held overseas, which is a positive step as there are better parcours. There are no more local mountain bike and gravel races since Turf City was taken over (for residential usage)... There’s been no news of the Sentosa 100 series this year, the car-free Sunday crit series was stopped and never replaced several years ago.”

Darine Choo and her teammates from Cyclingtraining.cc were likewise feeling “bummed” as they had been looking forward to notching a top-three finish after placing fourth in 2024 Speedway Championship.

She felt they had a strong chance this year, especially after gathering enough riders to form two teams, with sufficient slots available to register both. The 27-year-old explained that the Speedway Championship is a key event, often serving as a litmus test for the national championships, which are set to take place in June.

With a new team kit and accessories sponsored by Decathlon, the race would also have given them a chance to trial their new set-up.

The sports scientist at the High Performance Sport Institute said: “For the team, it’s the event that we get the team together – if we do well, it’s a good sign leading up the nationals and if we don’t, it’s also good because we can use that as a stepping stone to look at what we need to work on before nationals.”

All participants can still collect the event pack at the visitor centre at the Sports Hub from May 2 to 4. After the completion of their virtual rides, they will receive their event medals by mail.