‘Mat Lajak love the adrenaline rush’

Dangerous stuff: Young cyclists performing the Superman stunt in the night at a housing area.

JOHOR BARU: Teenage cyclists or Mat Lajak thrive on the adrenaline rush from riding along the city’s highways or main roads.

Student Saiful Amran, 16, who has been part of such a teenage cycling group since he was nine, said slopes and winding roads were the best spots.

He said to “main lajak” meant that the cyclists would keep their bodies as low as possible to the ground, with some even lying on their seats and facing downwards like “Superman” to gain more speed.

“It feels like you are flying because you pedal, then let go, keeping your body as low as possible and riding downhill at a high speed.

“The experience is even more exciting at night when there is a cool breeze and there are fewer cars on the road,” he said in an interview here yesterday.

The cyclists, said Saiful, would gather at a public area, such as Dataran Bandaraya Johor Baru or at the parks before riding together to a more suitable spot.

“This is also why many of us spend hundreds of ringgit to modify and lower our bicycles or to position the handles lower,” he said.

The group, he said, would often gather during weekends to loiter besides racing each other until sunrise.

“We do not think that such cycling is harmful as we are merely gathering among friends and do not bother motorists or other road users.

“It is unfair to say that all of us are riding dangerously in the middle of the road because some, including my group, take precautions by riding in a row and sticking to the side,” he said.

Since the tragedy, however, many such groups were lying low, said Saiful.