Do you have memories of cycling around your neighbourhood when you were young? The evening breeze, cool metal handlebars, and a bluish-orange horizon ahead. Fearing the wrath of mothers, we would race our bicycles back home before the sky darkens. The next afternoon, we’d do it all over again.
The nostalgia was more common for those living in a kampung with more dirt roads and fewer motor vehicles, reducing fears of running into an accident. In urban estates, however, there is a growing number of bicycle-related accidents involving youths. Izad Rozali, a cyclist, saw a lack of safety measures for cyclists as a problem that needed to be addressed. Together with a cycling group called Happy Riders Connect, he initiated a programme to teach children and teenagers more about safe cycling.
“Helmet, lights, and gloves are the basic compulsory requirements every young cyclist must have,” said Izad, who organises leisure cycling events every weekend. He shared how the youths went from owning “fixie” bicycles – a fixed-gear bicycle which is usually brakeless, to owning mountain bicycles with all the safety equipment.
Happy Riders Connect has appointed road marshals who lead and care for the group when cycling. Getting a marshal status is not easy; a cyclist has to go through one year of scrutiny for his commitment and skills of teaching others about safety before he becomes a marshal. Junior marshals, aged 15 to 22, are guided by Izad, who is respected as a Big Brother amongst the youth. He uses a soft approach by listening to teenagers with problems and does so without judgement. To gain the trust of parents, Izad picks the boys and their unassembled bicycles from their homes and drives them to cycling events. Committed to assisting youths in pursuing their passion, Izad has even entered them in a cycling competition in Hatyai, Thailand, where they clinched positions in the Top 5.
Aside from competitions, he gets the youth involved in volunteering work. Syamil, 18, one of the junior marshals under Izad’s guidance, led 300 participants in a leisure cycling activity with SK Masai. He was in-charge of the whole group’s speed, safety, and was the first to spot any problems or difficulties on the road – not an easy feat even for an experienced marshal.
Izad plans to set up a social enterprise café for youths to gain experience from. Income gained from the café would be used to purchase safety equipment or pay for bicycle repairs for young cyclists who may not want to constantly rely on their parents’ money to fuel their cycling interests. When asked if free safety equipment and claimable repair costs were a goal to reach, Izad shrugged saying, “That would be a number two concern. My number one priority is that they are safe when cycling.”
