In the OCBC Cycle South East Asia (SEA) Speedway championships last weekend, Thailand emerged champions, overcoming stiff competition from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Said Thanakan Chaiyasombat, 24, “Our strategy was to make sure we played our cards right. There were moments where we felt we could have lost. But we stuck to our strategy to close up any breakaways and exploiting any gaps.”

The SEA Championship saw nine of the best national cyclists from the region compete for the title for the first time since 2019.

The Thai team completed the event in 17 mins 47 sec with Indonesia coming second in 18 min 5 sec and Malaysia in third place in 18 min 23 sec. Singapore came fifth, missing the podium by one second. 

The club championships saw Quantum Racing A, formerly Allied World Racing, defend their crown. Putting up a good fight was Specialized Dynasty Mavericks and Team Garcia.

Says Reuben Bekker, 43, team captain of Quantum Racing A, “Every year is a new challenge as the younger crop of talent emerge stronger. Our objective was to make it through each round. Having a strategy to advance and let the results on the track speak for themselves. This year we had great competition who pushed us all the way, but we put ourselves in the best position to win with our age and experience.”

The corporate championships saw Team OCBC take home the crown, emerging unscathed from a pile-up in the early stages of the race, winning their second successive title.

Says Donald McDonald, Team OCBC, “OCBC has been holding this event for 16 years in Singapore, so there’s pressure on us as staff to bring the championship home. We’re happy to defend the crown and we’re looking forward to going for the triple next year.”

Following the Speedway Championships, the Mighty Savers and Family rides took place on Saturday afternoon and saw children between two to twelve years of age, taking to the roads on Stadium Drive. Among them were 43 less-privileged children from OCBC’s Teach A Child To Cycle corporate social responsibility programme. 

Said Siti Nur Alysha Binte Ahmad Azrin, 9, one of the beneficiaries, “I am very happy to learn how to cycle and take part. The volunteers who helped us learn were very kind and made me more interested in sports. I hope to continue to cycle after OCBC Cycle.”  

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