KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — CIMB Group Holdings Berhad yesterday held its third edition of CIMB Cycle 2019 at Dataran Putrajaya, featuring 3,700 amateur riders and pro cyclists from 26 countries.

Cyclists hailed from various countries, including the United Kingdom, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Australia, Germany and South Africa.

The event was flagged off by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, CIMB Group chief executive officer Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz and Malaysia’s Pocket Rocketman Azizulhasni Awang, who is also CIMB’s brand ambassador.

Divided into two categories — Endurance Ride (160km) and Challenge Ride (80km) — this year’s event was specially curated to provide riders with a more challenging experience in both distance and terrain.

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The route, which began and ended at the Finance Ministry building, took riders past wildlife reserves and historical sites, including the iconic Mercu Tanda Putrajaya.

The route for the Endurance Ride was through Putrajaya, Sepang, Nilai, Rantau, Lenggeng, Seremban, Semenyih and Bangi while the Challenge riders went through a shorter but steeper route.

Zafrul said in a press release that this year’s event saw a significant increase of 250 per cent in participation since CIMB Cycle was first staged.

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“The great turnout of enthusiastic cyclists from 26 different countries reflects the quality of CIMB Cycle, which is now much anticipated by amateur and pro-cyclists alike, while firmly placing Malaysia on the regional sporting map,” he added.  

“This is also an opportunity for us to engage with our customers and their families through a fun day out.”

Azizulhasni, who is working hard towards his first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, said he was delighted to be part of the third edition of CIMB Cycle and to see the overwhelming response from cycling enthusiasts.

“Having witnessed the growth of CIMB Cycle over the past three years, it is clear that CIMB is committed to help grow the sport in Malaysia,” he added.

“I hope this event will inspire the younger generation to take up the sport which in turn, helps build a robust cycling talent pipeline in Malaysia.”