FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
18 August 2018

MALAYSIA’S BIGGEST NIGHT CYCLING RIDE DRAWS 4,500 PARTICIPANTS
Kajang – 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 , 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, Y. Bhg. Dato’ Abdul Razak Bin 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 Bin 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 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:
Winner Time
120KM Men Open Mustazlee bin Ishak 2:58:24
120KM Veteran Men Open Tsen Seong Hoong 3:00:46
120KM Women Open Chelsie 3:01:54
120KM Corporate/Open
Team
Lekas Team 9:02:05
78KM Men Open Ng Yong Li 1:59:19
78KM Veteran Men Open Liew Kuan Lim 2:01:19
78KM Women Open Mariana Mohammad 2:01:22
78KM Young Adults (Boys) Muhammad Abdul Hisham 1:59:45
78KM Young Adults (Girls) Chan Mun Yi 2:47:58.

The list of sponsors and supporters of the RHB Shimano Highway Ride @ LEKAS 2018 is as follows:-
Title Sponsors RHB Banking Group
Shimano
Venue Sponsor Lebuhraya 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 http://www.lekashighwayride.my and Facebook pages http://www.facebook.com/LekasHighwayRide/ and http://www.facebook.com/GoSportzEvent/.

Issued on behalf of RHB Bank Berhad Group Corporate Communications Department. For more media enquiries, please contact Norazzah Sulaiman at 03-9280 2125/norazzah@rhbgroup.com or Cynthia Blemin at 012-249 4071/ cynthia.blemin@rhbgroup.com. For enquiries in regards to banking, products and services, please contact our Customer Care Centre at 603-9206 8118.

About the RHB Banking Group
The RHB Banking Group, with RHB Bank Berhad as the holding company, is the fourth largest fully integrated financial services group in Malaysia. The Group’s core businesses are structured into seven main business pillars, namely Group Retail Banking, Group Business & Transaction Banking, Group Wholesale Banking, RHB Singapore, Group Shariah Business, Group International Business and Group Insurance. Group Wholesale
Banking comprises Corporate Banking, Investment Banking, Group Treasury & Global Markets, Asset Management and Private Equity. All the seven business pillars are offered through the Group’s main subsidiaries – RHB Investment Bank Berhad, RHB Islamic Bank Berhad and RHB Insurance Berhad, while its
asset management and unit trust businesses are undertaken by RHB Asset Management Sdn Bhd and RHB Islamic International Asset Management Berhad. The Group’s regional presence now spans ten countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong/China, Vietnam, Lao PDR and Myanmar.
For more information, please visit http://www.rhbgroup.com

About Shimano
Established in 1921 and incorporated in 1940 in Japan (Sakai City, Osaka), Shimano Inc. designs, conducts R&D, manufactures and sells high quality bicycle components, rowing and fishing equipment. In 1973, Shimano
established its first factory in Singapore outside of Japan. By leveraging on the qualityworkforce here, Shimano has since grown into a full-fledged manufacturing plant complete manufacturing capabilities. Shimano Singapore set up its sales office in 1996. It is the regional headquarters for sales and marketing of all Shimano products in South-East Asia and aims to promote cycling culture in the region.

About Lebuhraya Kajang-Seremban Sdn Bhd
LEKAS Highway offers the alternative route from Kajang to Seremban, Senawang and Kuala Pilah. The 44.3 km highway starts at Kajang Selatan in Selangor and ends at Paroi in Negeri Sembilan. There are seven
interchanges along the highway at Kajang Selatan, Semenyih, Pajam, Mantin, Setul, Ampangan and Paroi.
Apart from serving as the alternative route to the PLUS highway, users will also find several places of interest are more accessible. Such as Mantin, Broga Hill, the Jeram Toi Waterfall, ostrich farm in Jelebu, Istana Seri Menanti and Seremban International Golf Club. Two rest and service areas are located on each side of the highway at Beranang, between the Semenyih and Pajam Interchange. For those who travelling from Kuala Lumpur would find the highway a convenient way to get to Kuala Pilah and states of Pahang and Johor. To get onto LEKAS highway, one has to take exit 1804A that is accessible from the SILK Highway, Cheras-Kajang Highway and the South Klang Valley (SKVE) towards the SILK Highway. From PLUS North-South Highway, LEKAS Highway can be accessed through Kajang Exit 210 near Country Heights towards via SILK Highway towards Seremban, Kuala Pilah, Melaka and Johor. From MRR2, the highway can be accessed via Cheras-Kajang Highway (Grand Saga). With the abolishment of toll collection at Batu 11 Toll Plaza (towards Kajang Bound) and Batu 9 Toll Plaza (towards KL Bound), user can save money and reach destination earlier. From the south, the road user also can access LEKAS through PLUS North-South Highway at Senawang Exit 220, Port Dickson Exit 219 and Nilai /Pajam Exit 215. Seremban is also accessible from Setul or Paroi as well as Ampangan.

About GoSportz Sdn Bhd
GoSportz Sdn Bhd’s principal business is in sport marketing and event management. It has vast experience in sports event organisation and management since 2013 and is backed by a group of industry players with more than 20 years of experience in organising sports events such as triathlon, duathlon, running and cycling events in Malaysia and abroad. GoSportz Sdn Bhd’s total event management solution ranges from initiation, resource planning, technical advisory,equipment rental, human resource support, marketing support to sponsorship management.