Oscar (left) and his son Anson trying the Penang City Park’s mountain bike trail after it reopened. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/ The Star
RIDING a bike up a dirt trail can be a thrilling adventure for parents looking to spend quality time with their children.
Retiree Oscar Ng, 60, and his son Anson, 11, were seen exploring the newly reopened mountain bike trail at City Park in Penang.
“We usually go biking at Bukit Gambir, but a friend invited us to check this place out since it has been redone.
“It is nice and has an easy route for my son and I to enjoy.
“It is difficult to find such trails here, especially off-road ones,” he said at the reopening ceremony of the City Park trail.
Oscar, who has been mountain biking for over seven years, started taking his son along about four years ago.
“It is something we do as it lets us bond.
“I have been looking for an off-road trail to try out our bikes, and this is perfect.”
Anson said he liked the trail and found it fun trying his bike out on an off-road challenge.
“It is different from riding on a road or cement.
“I am looking forward to coming here from now on.”
Engineer SL Teoh, 57, said that while the trail had always been open, it did not have a defined route up the hill, until now.
“I frequent this trail but use another entry point.
“They have now defined it and created a clear path up and down the hill at the park.
“It is a great route, especially for beginners as it is mild but has a few challenging spots.
“This trail is important as many elsewhere are cemented and don’t offer this kind of thrill,” he added.
Teoh said it would encourage the younger generation to explore the park.
“I do hope they expand it to include a more challenging trail,” he said.
Penang island mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said it was not a new trail and had been around for decades.
“In 2004, the park hosted the Penang International Mountain Bike Challenge and it became one of the locations for mountain bike enthusiasts at that time.
“Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has taken the initiative to ‘reactivate’ the mountain bike trail which is suitable for all ages, for people to try out this extreme sports activity.
“The trail is free for the public to use,” said the mayor.
He said the track was worthy of hosting an international event.
“MBPP wants to spruce it up and encourage more activities at the City Park.
“We plan to revive the international challenge here but will get an expert to check the trail first.
“We want to make sure it is safe and can be used for such challenges before we hold it.”
Rajendran said the goal was to hold an international event next year.
He said no events had been held there in the last 20 years and many people stopped using it.
“It took a month to clean up, as we needed to cut the weeds, clear the path and adjust the slopes,” said Rajendran.
He said the city council wanted to remind the public that there was an element of risk to riding a mountain bike.
“It is an adventure sport and I encourage people to wear safety gear.
“Wear your helmets as there will be stones and pebbles on the trail,” he said.
Rajendran said trail users were responsible for their own safety and belongings.
The trail spanning 2km is open to the public from 7am to 10pm daily.
