The fifth edition of LEKAS Highway Ride, the Malaysia’s No. 1 closed highway night cycling challenge continued to inspire 4,496 cyclists from the nation and across the world to take part in the annual event, regardless of age or ability.

THE RHB Shimano Highway Ride @ LEKAS, held on 18 August 2018 (Saturday), was a collaboration between RHB Banking Group and Shimano as the title sponsors, and Lebuhraya Kajang-Seremban Sdn Bhd (“LEKAS”, a subsidiary of IJM Corporation Berhad’s Toll Division) as the venue sponsor.

This year’s event attracted cycling enthusiasts from 24 countries across the world, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Cambodia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.

Deputy Secretary General from the Ministry of Works, Dato’ Abdul Razak Jaafar, flagged off the cyclists at the Kajang Selatan Toll Plaza, LEKAS E21.

The newly appointed Ambassador of the RHB SHIMANO Highway Ride, the Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) led the way for the 120km route, setting the pace for the other cyclists.

The 120km route was flagged off at 8.00pm, followed by the 78km route at 8.15pm. There were 1,514 cyclists who took part in the 120km route while 2,724 cyclists undertook the 78km route.

The non-competitive rides have 100 cyclists under the 17km route for teenagers, 93 cyclists under the 12km route for children and 65 cyclists under the 17km for VIPs.

Dato’ Khairussaleh Ramli, Group Managing Director of RHB Banking Group said, “This year’s RHB SHIMANO Highway Ride @ LEKAS is back bigger and with greater impact.

The number of cycling enthusiasts, particularly in Malaysia has increased tremendously over the last couple of years.

We are pleased to see this event fast becoming a platform for cycling enthusiasts from all over the world to meet and share a common interest and inculcate healthy sporting activities, especially among youth.”

Eugene Koh, Director of Shimano said, “We are heartened to see all the faces of satisfaction after experiencing the unique opportunity of riding on a closed highway.

The growth of participants each year shows the increasing interest and passion in cycling sports in Malaysia and other countries.

This year, we brought TSG in as the event ambassador to inspire people, especially the younger generation, to engage in cycling which leads to a healthier lifestyle.

It is worth putting in all these efforts for the 5th consecutive year to contribute to the cycling culture and industry in Malaysia.”

LEKAS, a dual three-lane highway which connects Kajang, Selangor to Seremban, Negeri Sembilan had ensured a full road closure for the event, and a fully LED-lit highway circuit, allowing cyclists to enjoy a smooth and safe ride.

Both the 120km and 78 km race routes started and ended at Kajang Selatan Toll Plaza. This year, the 120km route was lengthened by 15km compared to the previous year, to intensify the challenge for the cyclists.

Wan Salwani Wan Yusoff, Chief of Operating Officer of LEKAS said, “We are thrilled to once again be involved in this unique community event where everyone gathers on their bikes to ride into the night on the LEKAS Highway that is closed and made safe just for them.

We look forward to inspiring people of all ages to not only turn out and enjoy the race festivities, but also to get cycling themselves. We have been supporting this event from the beginning since 2013 as we believe cycling is a fun, simple way for people to have a positive impact on their health and the communities in which they live.

Sports is a cornerstone of IJM’s corporate social responsibility initiative and mass sporting events like these allow us to make the best use of our infrastructure assets and to give back.”

Prior to the night cycling event, the organisers held a ‘Cycling and Sports Carnival’ at Atria Mall, Petaling Jaya in conjunction with the Race Pack Collection conducted from 11 to 12 August 2018.

This year’s carnival offered a number of activities for cycling enthusiasts, and also featured exhibitors who displayed the latest cycling and outdoor sports gear and equipment.

Albertt Leong, Race Director of GoSportz said, “After the success of the night cycling event this year and with the support that we will be receiving from our sponsors and event partners, I hope the challenge will keep growing into an inspiring cycling event over the coming years.”

The competitive rides for the cycling event featured the 120km and the 78km routes. Categories for the 120km route were the ‘Open’ (men/women aged 22 years and above), ‘Veteran’ (men aged 45 years and above) and the ‘Corporate/Open Team’ (men/women aged 22 years and above).

Categories for the 78km route were the ‘Open’ (men/women aged 22 years and above), ‘Veteran’ (men aged 45 years and above), and the ‘Young Adults’ (boys/girls between the ages of 17 and 21 years).

There was a special fun ride for teenagers (ages 13 to 16 years) and children (ages 10 to 12 years). These categories were fully sponsored by IJM, together with the first 100 participants of the Young Adult category, aiming to nurture new talents and promote cycling as a sport for all.

Results of the race are as follows:

CategoryWinnerTime
120KM Men OpenMustazlee bin Ishak2:58:24
120KM Veteran Men OpenTsen Seong Hoong3:00:46
120KM Women OpenChelsie3:01:54
120KM Corporate/Open TeamLekas Team9:02:05
78KM Men OpenNg Yong Li1:59:19
78KM Veteran Men OpenLiew Kuan Lim2:01:19
78KM Women OpenMariana Mohammad2:01:22
78KM Young Adults (Boys)Muhammad Abdul Hisham1:59:45
78KM Young Adults (Girls)Chan Mun Yi2:47:58

 

The list of sponsors and supporters of the RHB Shimano Highway Ride @ LEKAS 2018 is as follows:-

Title SponsorsRHB Banking Group

Shimano

 

Venue SponsorLebuhraya Kajang-Seremban Sdn Bhd (LEKAS)

 

Main Sponsors
  • IJM Corporation Berhad
  • Bike Science
  • IJM Land Berhad
  • Gigatera (M) Sdn Bhd
  • EV-Dynamic Sdn Bhd

 

Supporting Sponsors
  • Brother International (M) Sdn Bhd
  • ‘100 plus’
  • ‘Ice Mountain’
  • ‘Rocktape’
  • ‘Endurace’
  • Cycling Plus Malaysia
  • ‘Rudy Project’
  • Allianz General Insurance Company (M) Bhd
  • Ikram Paves Sdn Bhd
  • ‘Fitbit’
  • ‘Starbucks’
  • ‘Atria Mall’
  • ‘Dynasty Dragon’
  • ‘Thule’
  • ‘Frulato’
  • ‘Milo’

 

Supported by
  • Police Di-Raja Malaysia
  • Kementerian Kerja Raya
  • Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia

 

Sanctioned by
  • Malaysia Nation Cycling Federation

 

 

For more information, visit the event website www.lekashighwayride.my and Facebook pages www.facebook.com/LekasHighwayRide/ and www.facebook.com/GoSportzEvent/.

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