Odlo Cool Sprints and Holy Crit combine for glorious night of bike racing
September 11, 2018
It had been 18 months since Holy Crit last graced Singapore’s cycling community with its presence, but it came roaring back on Saturday night in the shape of the “Odlo Cool Sprint Challenge powered by Holy Crit” at the Karting Arena in Turf City.
Holy Crit has its roots in fixed gear racing but has occasionally allowed roadies and mountain bikers to gatecrash the scene at previous editions of the event … but never all three together. That changed on Saturday when an extravaganza of racing saw the fixed gear, MTB and road racers combine as one big happy cycling family.
The event was actually the second edition of the Odlo Cool Sprint Challenge; the inaugural edition took place at the same Karting Arena circuit in April of this year, but that was a much smaller Saturday morning affair and was only for road bikes. The decision of the various stakeholders to come together was a masterstroke as merging Odlo’s original concept of racing at the Karting Arena with Holy Crit’s “street cool” resulted in a fantastic event that will be talked about for years to come.
The Karting Arena is quite a small facility, but at its heart lies a little gem; a roughly 500-metre long racing circuit that, as its name implies, normally plays host to kart racing. The track is super smooth, but tight and very technical – perfect for crit racing. And the compact nature of the venue makes it very spectator friendly as the whole track can be seen from any point on the perimeter.
It had been 18 months since Holy Crit last graced Singapore’s cycling community with its presence, but it came roaring back on Saturday night in the shape of the “Odlo Cool Sprint Challenge powered by Holy Crit” at the Karting Arena in Turf City.
Holy Crit has its roots in fixed gear racing but has occasionally allowed roadies and mountain bikers to gatecrash the scene at previous editions of the event … but never all three together. That changed on Saturday when an extravaganza of racing saw the fixed gear, MTB and road racers combine as one big happy cycling family.
The event was actually the second edition of the Odlo Cool Sprint Challenge; the inaugural edition took place at the same Karting Arena circuit in April of this year, but that was a much smaller Saturday morning affair and was only for road bikes. The decision of the various stakeholders to come together was a masterstroke as merging Odlo’s original concept of racing at the Karting Arena with Holy Crit’s “street cool” resulted in a fantastic event that will be talked about for years to come.
The Karting Arena is quite a small facility, but at its heart lies a little gem; a roughly 500-metre long racing circuit that, as its name implies, normally plays host to kart racing. The track is super smooth, but tight and very technical – perfect for crit racing. And the compact nature of the venue makes it very spectator friendly as the whole track can be seen from any point on the perimeter.
The place was already packed to the rafters by 6pm as the riders gathered to register for the 7pm scheduled start and the fans and family members picked their viewing spots on the wall that lined the whole circuit.
Before the serious action kicked off, though, there was a thoroughly entertaining undercard in the shape of the Holy Crit Kids, which saw hordes of little uns unleashed onto the track aboard their mini bikes and striders.
The main racecard featured a staggering 30+ rounds of racing, with each group of competitors facing five laps of the circuit. Five times round a 500-metre circuit might not sound like much but short races like that are anaerobic efforts, ridden flat out from the gun, where the unfit or timid are quickly found out.
The roadies had divisions for Men’s Open, Men’s Juniors (under 21), Men’s Masters (40+) and Men’s Sports (supposed to be for those with no racing experience), Women’s Open and Women’s Sports. The fact that Women’s Sports had more entrants that Women’s Open – enough for two qualifying heats, to the Open’s straight final – was a big boost for those trying to encourage more ladies to give racing a go.
Before the serious action kicked off, though, there was a thoroughly entertaining undercard in the shape of the Holy Crit Kids, which saw hordes of little uns unleashed onto the track aboard their mini bikes and striders.
The main racecard featured a staggering 30+ rounds of racing, with each group of competitors facing five laps of the circuit. Five times round a 500-metre circuit might not sound like much but short races like that are anaerobic efforts, ridden flat out from the gun, where the unfit or timid are quickly found out.
The roadies had divisions for Men’s Open, Men’s Juniors (under 21), Men’s Masters (40+) and Men’s Sports (supposed to be for those with no racing experience), Women’s Open and Women’s Sports. The fact that Women’s Sports had more entrants that Women’s Open – enough for two qualifying heats, to the Open’s straight final – was a big boost for those trying to encourage more ladies to give racing a go.
The fixed gear category had Men’s Open and Sports, while for the mountain bikers it was just an Open division ... that was so popular that it needed five qualifying heats!
The road bike Women’s Open and the Men’s Masters were straight finals as they didn’t attract more than 12 entrants, but every other category required qualifying heats and/or semi-finals. The format was simple; those five laps of racing, with the top three in every heat moving forward to the next round.
The organisers also employed a wild card system where lucky loser spots were given out “at random”. While this was a great way of giving riders who crashed (there were many!) or had mechanical problems a lifeline, it also lacked a bit of transparency; it must have been hard for a rider who finished fourth in his or her heat to see a bunch of people who they soundly beat given spots to race again in the final while they watched from the sidelines.
The fixed gear category had Men’s Open and Sports, while for the mountain bikers it was just an Open division ... that was so popular that it needed five qualifying heats!
The road bike Women’s Open and the Men’s Masters were straight finals as they didn’t attract more than 12 entrants, but every other category required qualifying heats and/or semi-finals. The format was simple; those five laps of racing, with the top three in every heat moving forward to the next round.
The organisers also employed a wild card system where lucky loser spots were given out “at random”. While this was a great way of giving riders who crashed (there were many!) or had mechanical problems a lifeline, it also lacked a bit of transparency; it must have been hard for a rider who finished fourth in his or her heat to see a bunch of people who they soundly beat given spots to race again in the final while they watched from the sidelines.
The fixed gear category had Men’s Open and Sports, while for the mountain bikers it was just an Open division ... that was so popular that it needed five qualifying heats!
The road bike Women’s Open and the Men’s Masters were straight finals as they didn’t attract more than 12 entrants, but every other category required qualifying heats and/or semi-finals. The format was simple; those five laps of racing, with the top three in every heat moving forward to the next round.
The organisers also employed a wild card system where lucky loser spots were given out “at random”. While this was a great way of giving riders who crashed (there were many!) or had mechanical problems a lifeline, it also lacked a bit of transparency; it must have been hard for a rider who finished fourth in his or her heat to see a bunch of people who they soundly beat given spots to race again in the final while they watched from the sidelines.
With over 200 racers registered and no more than 12 riders allowed on track in each heat, the qualifying rounds took a while to complete, but with a non-stop diet of thrills and spills to keep both riders and spectators entertained, nobody was complaining. The Karting Arena circuit is basically a collection of corners and turns; some that could be taken flat out, while others required a bit of braking action.
The organisers also employed a wild card system where lucky loser spots were given out “at random”. While this was a great way of giving riders who crashed (there were many!) or had mechanical problems a lifeline, it also lacked a bit of transparency; it must have been hard for a rider who finished fourth in his or her heat to see a bunch of people who they soundly beat given spots to race again in the final while they watched from the sidelines.
With over 200 racers registered and no more than 12 riders allowed on track in each heat, the qualifying rounds took a while to complete, but with a non-stop diet of thrills and spills to keep both riders and spectators entertained, nobody was complaining. The Karting Arena circuit is basically a collection of corners and turns; some that could be taken flat out, while others required a bit of braking action.
The only obvious passing opportunity was the short back straight, so a good start, handling skills and race nous were just as important factors in success as speed. There were many instances on the night of powerful racers getting stuck behind slower, but more skilled riders, with the result being exciting skirmishes that saw the speed merchants having to take risks to pass … moves which didn’t always come off!
Each round of action was accompanied by enthusiastic support from the noisy crowd, with the biggest oohs and ahs reserved for the crashes, near misses and the riders who seemed to float round the circuit with the perfect mixture of speed, skill and nerve.
Each round of action was accompanied by enthusiastic support from the noisy crowd, with the biggest oohs and ahs reserved for the crashes, near misses and the riders who seemed to float round the circuit with the perfect mixture of speed, skill and nerve.
Eventually the qualification process was completed and the medal rounds began some time after 10pm. The road bike Men’s Juniors was the first of those, and an exciting come-from-behind win set the tone for a series of thrilling finals. A bit of over-zealous braking in the crowded first corner saw pre-race favourite Riyadh Hakim (Team Awano Treknology) held up in the pack as four riders escaped. But Riyadh isn’t the triple Singapore Under 23 national champ for nothing and he quickly weaved his way through the crowd and established a lead with a TWC rider. But a crash late in the race from his breakaway companion allowed Riyadh to take a comfortable win. Behind, Aaron Ross Tian Hao (Specialized Roval Mavericks) looked set to also take advantage of the TWC crash but claiming second place, but he maybe relaxed too early and was he caught just before the line by Jared Wong (Yap Bicycle Compania).
Riyadh, incidentally had a busy night. While the local fixed gear, road and MTB scenes have their own very distinct identities, there’s actually a fair bit of crossover within the communities, a fact demonstrated by the fact that quite a few riders, including Riyadh, raced across two disciplines at the Odlo Cool Sprints, while at least one, Luqmanul Hakim (TWC Racing), competed in all three!
The next final on track after the Juniors was the road bike Men’s Masters and three riders, Hussein Mohd Nor (T3 Team Turtle Racing), SK Leong (Rad Station) and Richard Paine (Specialized Roval Mavericks), quickly separated themselves from the rest and thrilled the crowd with a ding-dong battle featuring daring moves and a few lead changes. It was Paine who emerged the craftiest in the end, as he just edged Leong to add to the Masters title he won at the inaugural Odlo Cool Sprints event in April. Hussein took the final podium place in third.
The road bike Women’s Open final saw a runaway winner in the shape of Ashley Liu (Cycleworx). The promising teenager was first into the first corner and from there just rode away from her competitors. Lizzie Hodges (Fahrenheit Performance Women’s Development Team) and Sarah Tan (New Moon KHCycles) led the pursuers, with Hodges holding Tan off for second place.
The next final on track after the Juniors was the road bike Men’s Masters and three riders, Hussein Mohd Nor (T3 Team Turtle Racing), SK Leong (Rad Station) and Richard Paine (Specialized Roval Mavericks), quickly separated themselves from the rest and thrilled the crowd with a ding-dong battle featuring daring moves and a few lead changes. It was Paine who emerged the craftiest in the end, as he just edged Leong to add to the Masters title he won at the inaugural Odlo Cool Sprints event in April. Hussein took the final podium place in third.
The road bike Women’s Open final saw a runaway winner in the shape of Ashley Liu (Cycleworx). The promising teenager was first into the first corner and from there just rode away from her competitors. Lizzie Hodges (Fahrenheit Performance Women’s Development Team) and Sarah Tan (New Moon KHCycles) led the pursuers, with Hodges holding Tan off for second place.
The road bike Men’s Sports race had a champion who certainly didn’t look like a rookie as he tore round the track in style, but apparently it was Aaron Chan’s (Specialized SEA) first ever road bike race. He took the title from Syazwan Radhi (Roadbrothers) and Alvin Chua Wee Siong (TWC Racing).
The road bike Women’s Sports champion Gaelle Mogabure (Fahrenheit Performance Women’s Development Team) was also a complete rookie, but again that was hard to tell from the way she seemed to glide round the tight, technical track; a natural perhaps. The runner-up was Michelle Seah (Yap Bicycle Compania), with Iryani Mohamed Ali (Team CLE) taking third place.
The fixed gear Men’s Sports title went to Justin Ong, with Cheong Hao (Ride Fix No Chill) and Sufyan Suliaman joining him on the podium.
The last three finals were fittingly for the biggest divisions by numbers, the Men’s Open mountain bike, fixed gear and road.
The road bike Women’s Sports champion Gaelle Mogabure (Fahrenheit Performance Women’s Development Team) was also a complete rookie, but again that was hard to tell from the way she seemed to glide round the tight, technical track; a natural perhaps. The runner-up was Michelle Seah (Yap Bicycle Compania), with Iryani Mohamed Ali (Team CLE) taking third place.
The fixed gear Men’s Sports title went to Justin Ong, with Cheong Hao (Ride Fix No Chill) and Sufyan Suliaman joining him on the podium.
The last three finals were fittingly for the biggest divisions by numbers, the Men’s Open mountain bike, fixed gear and road.
The Team Awano Treknology trio of Junaidi Hashim, Muhammad Aidil Taufid Afendi and Riyadh had looked impressive in the MTB qualifying and the semi-finals, and they duly stamped their authority early in the final, with Aidil and Junaidi both getting flying starts and pulling away from the rest. Awano mentor Junaidi had lost out to his younger teammates a few times this year, but he was keen to get back on the top step of the podium and the long-time leading light of the local mountain bike scene duly rode away from Aidil late in the race for a comfortable win. Behind, Riyadh pulled off the Awano clean sweep, but he had to work hard for that third place finish as he was involved in a ferocious battle with Luqmanul of TWC, which he only edged right at the death.
Interestingly for Holy Crit, the penultimate race on the card was the fixed gear final, meaning the roadies got the honour of finishing up the night.
The fixed gear final was a cracker, though, and an international affair, with racers from Malaysia and Indonesia mixing it up with the best of Singapore’s riders. Among them was Luqmanul who had to make the quickest of bike changes just to make the start grid in time. His ambitious and grueling race program meant he wasn’t a contender at the pointy end of the action, which was dominated by the overseas riders.
Interestingly for Holy Crit, the penultimate race on the card was the fixed gear final, meaning the roadies got the honour of finishing up the night.
The fixed gear final was a cracker, though, and an international affair, with racers from Malaysia and Indonesia mixing it up with the best of Singapore’s riders. Among them was Luqmanul who had to make the quickest of bike changes just to make the start grid in time. His ambitious and grueling race program meant he wasn’t a contender at the pointy end of the action, which was dominated by the overseas riders.
Indeed, such was the visitors’ dominance that local racers were frozen out of the podium picture. The biggest prize headed back to Kuala Lumpur with Muhammad Shafiq Muslim (Mayhem Fixed), who put in five daredevil laps around the circuit to take the chequred flag. The second prize went south to Jakarta with Arvy Kheren Laurence Setiawan (Westbike Messenger Service), while another KL rider, Al Bukhari Kenedy (Yellow Bike Company) finished third. Al Bhukhari crashed heavily in his qualifying heat, so kudos to his toughness (and the wild card system) for getting back other and contending.
The winner had a blast on his trip to Singapore.
“I’m very happy. It was fun, very fun, I like the course, the corners, very dangerous, yeah!” the 23-year-old Shafiq said post race. “This is my second time in Holy Crit. I came down from KL with my Mayhem Fixed team. I really enjoyed this whole race tonight.”
And so to the finale, the road bike Men’s Open final, which featured a string of top Singapore cyclists, including the Cycleworx duo of Noel Teh and Mohd Elyas, Ghazzi Krisna (Geylang Cycling Team), Victor Michel (Specialized Roval Mavericks) and that man Junaidi. Also in the field was the “king of Holy Crit” Faz Adhili, who was only competing in the road bike division on this occasion.
The winner had a blast on his trip to Singapore.
“I’m very happy. It was fun, very fun, I like the course, the corners, very dangerous, yeah!” the 23-year-old Shafiq said post race. “This is my second time in Holy Crit. I came down from KL with my Mayhem Fixed team. I really enjoyed this whole race tonight.”
And so to the finale, the road bike Men’s Open final, which featured a string of top Singapore cyclists, including the Cycleworx duo of Noel Teh and Mohd Elyas, Ghazzi Krisna (Geylang Cycling Team), Victor Michel (Specialized Roval Mavericks) and that man Junaidi. Also in the field was the “king of Holy Crit” Faz Adhili, who was only competing in the road bike division on this occasion.
When the horn sounded, one man shot out of the gate, Krisna of Geylang. That tactic had worked for the 22-year-old in the semi-final, but surely up against a stacked field who had all witnessed him do it earlier it wouldn’t work again? But lightning can strike twice and Krisna enjoyed a dominating wire-to-wire to victory. He was helped by the early crash of Elyas that slowed up the chasing pack, but that doesn’t take anything away from what was an impressive performance by Krisna.
Perhaps just as impressive, though, was Teh’s run into second place after being right back in last place after nearly losing it early in the race. And to round off the feel-good factor, MTB winner Junaidi took third place, re-affirming once again that there’s still plenty of life in the “old man’s” legs.
Krisna was a delighted young man after the race.
“No words can describe I how I feel actually, I didn’t really expect to go finish in first, you know. I just felt good and at the start I found the opportunity to just squeeze in between the other riders and I thought ‘Shit, this is the same as the semi-final, but I’m just going to go, I’m not going to wait’,” he said.
Perhaps just as impressive, though, was Teh’s run into second place after being right back in last place after nearly losing it early in the race. And to round off the feel-good factor, MTB winner Junaidi took third place, re-affirming once again that there’s still plenty of life in the “old man’s” legs.
Krisna was a delighted young man after the race.
“No words can describe I how I feel actually, I didn’t really expect to go finish in first, you know. I just felt good and at the start I found the opportunity to just squeeze in between the other riders and I thought ‘Shit, this is the same as the semi-final, but I’m just going to go, I’m not going to wait’,” he said.
“It’s my lucky day to win. I always wanted to win Holy Crit. I was expecting a fixed gear cat but I replaced my brother and so this win is for him and for everyone who has been supporting me.”
“The track is super good. It’s great for road bikes actually, I find it’s fun to really lean in on the corners at a high speed, going full gas without braking. With fixed gear it’s different, I always wanted to just corner as slow as I can without falling.”
We also spoke to mountain bike winner Junaidi at the end of the night, who was happy with his and the team’s haul.
“Yes, a good night for the team. A clean sweep for the mountain bike and Riyadh got the under 21 for the road bike and I got third in the men’s road bike open, so a very good night. We always want to be on the podium, but winning is a bonus, so everyone did their part, so I’m very happy,” he said.
What was the most enjoyable to ride, MTB or road?
“The track is super good. It’s great for road bikes actually, I find it’s fun to really lean in on the corners at a high speed, going full gas without braking. With fixed gear it’s different, I always wanted to just corner as slow as I can without falling.”
We also spoke to mountain bike winner Junaidi at the end of the night, who was happy with his and the team’s haul.
“Yes, a good night for the team. A clean sweep for the mountain bike and Riyadh got the under 21 for the road bike and I got third in the men’s road bike open, so a very good night. We always want to be on the podium, but winning is a bonus, so everyone did their part, so I’m very happy,” he said.
What was the most enjoyable to ride, MTB or road?
“The mountain bike, for the reason that it’s more stable and I think more secure. With the road bike you’ve got the low pedals and it was tight in places and, I didn’t feel safe sometimes, but it was OK.”
Junaidi finished off with words that were no doubt applicable for everybody in attendance.
“It was a very good evening. I loved it, there was a great atmosphere, the spectators were crazy,” he said.
Indeed. Odlo, Holy Crit, the Karting Arena and TripleFit Singapore have found a great formula, let’s hope this was the start of regular racing at the little Turf City circuit.
Junaidi finished off with words that were no doubt applicable for everybody in attendance.
“It was a very good evening. I loved it, there was a great atmosphere, the spectators were crazy,” he said.
Indeed. Odlo, Holy Crit, the Karting Arena and TripleFit Singapore have found a great formula, let’s hope this was the start of regular racing at the little Turf City circuit.