NEWS: OCBC CYCLE 2017
SCENIC AND WELL-PLANNED ROUTES FORM THE BACKBONE OF A SUCCESSFUL EVENT
Braving early hours and the later bits of a nasty flu, Bikezilla's own Nicholas Lin and Brandon Chen headed down to the National Stadium to see what all the buzz was about at OCBC Cycle 2017. Jumping straight into it, the planned route, as always, looks ready to impress. Let's see what our guys had to say!
THE LOW DOWN
At it's 9th Edition, the 2017 iteration of OCBC Cycle has gone through quite a few changes, but never fails to impress with its' level of organization, and its impressively enjoyable scenic routes. These particularly special routes form the backbone of such a successfuly cycling series, which includes competitive (The OCBC Cycle Speedway Club Championship & OCBC Cycle Speedway Corporate Championship) and non-competitive elements (The Straits Times Ride & The Sportive Ride).
The strategic closure of roads in favour of the event allowed riders a rare opportunity to ride on certain expressways, including Nicoll Highway, and portions of the Marina Coastal Expressway ("MCE"). Nicholas and Brandon had the pleasure of experiencing the somewhat mid-distance Straits Times Ride, adding up to 23km. It might not have had the full exposure of the Sportive Ride, at 42km, but it allowed both Nicholas and Brandon to enjoy local sights, i.e. Marina Bay Sands, Garden by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer, from unique and rarely ridden portions of Singapore.
The great thing about riding with that many riders in a single location is definitely the exposure to a whole host of strange and unique bikes all over.
Feedback on the ground also provided that organization was extremely well organized, with cyclists being informed of roads that were unrideable due to the pretty dodgy weather conditions we've been experiencing this time of the year.
All in all, just taking stock of the event as a whole, it's a pretty bang for buck event (considering just the Straits Times Ride at its worst case scenario of $67), especially if you get a few good friends to ride along and inject some of those good vibes. From what we've seen from OCBC Cycle 2017, the next edition is definitely something to look forward as an event that's seemingly here to stay.
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