The Kemamam Teachers' Cycling Club is a cycling club whose members comprise of ...surprise teachers from Kemaman. I had the pleasure of sitting next to one of the members of the club during the charity dinner at SMK Chukai.
The cycling club has been around for some years now. It was started by a this group of teachers when they realised that they were getting larger round the middle, and were not as fit as they had been in the past. After researching lots of different options, they decided on cycling as it was suitable for all ages being a low impact exercise.
Soon they were hooked and were pedalling on weekends.
From Ishak, I also found out that the Kemaman Teachers' Cycling Club is also active in encouraging young people in schools to take up cycling as a sport. They must be a positive force for cycling if the number of young riders in Kemaman is a gauge.
Here's a picture of 11 of them who joined the Malakoff Charity Ride for the last leg Kemaman to Kuala Terengganu.
The chairman of the Kemaman Teachers' Cycling Club is En Said Ahmad Shauffi - he's the one in the styling red polka-dot jersey. Speaking for the club, Said Ahmad hopes that more will be done to help young Terengganu cyclist.
He told me that it's part of the Terengganu culture to ride. The kids there love to ride, they have the stamina and the speed and are not afraid of the sun or of long hours of practice and training. The parents are supportive too, because they have seen the success of riders like Haidar.
Over the two days that I was in Kemaman and Kuala Terengganu, I saw many more riders than what I would expect. By riders, I mean that they had their bike helmet, jerseys etc, not just on a bike running errands.
However, Said Ahmad said that the cost of road bikes is a major barrier to more young people taking up the sport.
The young cyclists who joined for the Kemaman to Kuala Terengganu leg proved that the cycling is a part of the Terengganu culture bit was very true. They were zooming ahead at like 50km. It could be the training, their youth or the huge amounts of fish and ulam in their diet but they rocked!
The oldest member and rider who was participating on the day was Mr.Heh, who at 63 years proved to be dynamite.
