THE THRILL of cycling, living a healthy lifestyle and going green prompted tuition teacher and author Pepper Lim (pix) to embark on a 4,000km journey to China this November.
Describing himself as a “regular Joe”, Lim realised a need for the public to see how easy cycling is, if not better than jogging.
“It is a fun and an easy way to exercise. It does not impact the knees as much as if we were to walk through padi field roads or estates,” the 52-year-old told theSun recently at his home in Petaling Jaya where a variety of bicycles were seen on his porch.
Lim said he only started cycling five years ago. He saw it as the most efficient form of human-powered transport. He often joins his friends on long distance rides, and shares pictures and clips of his journeys on YouTube.
The cycling aficianado even penned a book titled “Cycling: Fun and Easy”.
“Riding a bike enables a person to live greener in several ways.
“It benefits the environment, an individual’s health and a bike rider’s wallet can be ‘preserved’ by simply choosing a bicycle as a frequent mode of transport,” he said.
Over the last three months, Lim has been cycling an hour a day to build stamina and maintain cadence (pedalling rate). He plans to start his ride to China on an electronic bicycle and complete the mission in 60 days.
His focus on the long journey and not giving up half-way would be his biggest challenges.
“Cycling 4,000km is no joke, but I’m quite confident I can do it. I will be listening to music and eBooks along the way,” he said.
Though Malaysia has made strides in its effort to reduce its carbon footprint through campaigns to discourage the use of plastic, separating wastes and up-cycling, Lim said more can be done.
“I’d like to encourage more Malaysians to take up cycling ... to work, or even just along the lanes, rather than driving.”
His young children, Paprika and Saffron have joined him in several cycling charity rides, with one raising RM1,000.
“It’s important to start raising awareness within the home,” he said.
On his ride to China, he has pledged to raise funds for the Lions Club of Tropicana Kuala Lumpur for the disabled community.
“Their target is RM100,000 so all proceeds will go to them,” he said.
Lim is open to other charity groups “riding on his platform” or even joining him on his journey to Nanning, even for a short distance.
“It is good to understand the mechanics behind such a simple way to exercise and enjoy each ride,” he said, and even better while raising money for a charitable cause.
Read the story on our iPaper: Staying healthy while doing a good deed
