By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Aug 23: The Siol Mountain Bike Challenge (SMBC) 2022, which is scheduled for three days from August 26 to August 28 at the Siol Mountain Bike Track at Bukit Siol here, is set to be a gruelling tournament, with contestants competing for a total cash prize pool of RM38,150.
Organised by Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) since 2003, the event has attracted many local and international extreme cycling sports enthusiasts over the years.
The SMBC is a tournament which requires speed, height, and tenacity, as well as skills and courage possessed by only a few athletes.
Nonetheless, the response to this tournament has been extremely encouraging.
The SMBC received 58 entries from participants from the Philippines (1), Sabah (7), Selangor (8), Johor (7), and Sarawak (35).
The Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) is the tournament’s primary sponsor, contributing RM150,000.
“The Siol Mountain Bike Challenge is one of DBKU’s annual events that has been running since 2003 and has received a positive response from both local and international extreme cycling sports enthusiasts.
“Therefore, DBKU has decided to make this Siol Mountain Bike tournament an annual event on the Sarawak Tourism calendar, and my ministry will strongly support it,” MTCP Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said today during the SMBC press conference in the DBKU lobby here.
He highlighted that that in 2016, the tournament was elevated to an international level event and called the Siol International Mountain Bike Challenge (SIMBC), which was held until 2019.
“After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Alhamdulillah, DBKU successfully organised the Siol Mountain Bike Challenge 2022 this year.
“I’ve also learned that this year’s Siol Mountain Bike Challenge will include participants from both inside and outside Sarawak, namely Johor, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, and Sarawak itself.
“We hope that foreign participants will be able to participate in this tournament in the future,” he mentioned.
This year, there are five categories being contested with nine sub-categories: Cross Country Eliminator (XCE), Cross Country Olympic (XCO), Cross Country Short Course (XCC), Cross Country Relay (XCR), and Downhill Individual (DHI).
The tournament is open to the entire community as well as anyone who is interested in participating in this extreme sport.
For more information on the tournament, visit https://dbku.events/.
Among those present was DBKU mayor Datu Junaidi Reduan. — DayakDaily
