PETALING JAYA: This is not the first time Dr Timothy Cheng (pic) will be hanging up the scrubs for cycling gear as he prepares to cycle from Sabah to Sarawak once again for a good cause.
The orthopaedic surgeon from the Duchess of Kent hospital in Sandakan will be joining 22 other cyclists who will be pedalling a gruelling 680km journey from Kota Kinabalu to Miri for six days for the Sepeda Amal Borneo 2026 (SAB2026) mission from July 26 to July 31.
The goal is to raise funds to support children requiring specialised paediatric surgical care, strengthen early awareness and referral efforts, and assist families of children living with Primary Immunodeficiencies.
Funds raised will support the Malaysian Association of Paediatric Surgery and Persatuan Pesakit Imunodefisiensi Primer Malaysia, two organisations working at the forefront of care, advocacy and support for affected children and their families.
Dr Cheng started riding in 2022, where he cycled from Sandakan to Sibu for the Cycle for Cancer edition.
He has been organising this event for the past four years with the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) across various routes in Borneo.
“It is essentially a fundraising activity where every cyclist is required to raise a minimum amount of money – with excess funds (after deducting event costs) going to the charity. We have collected over RM1mil in funds since 2022,” he said.
“My previous experiences were amazing, where cyclists from all walks of life and countries such as the United States, Belgium, China, Singapore, Macau and Malaysia came together.
“People belonging to various professions such as lawyers, corporate workers, business owners, traders, government doctors and others came together for this, all for a common good,” he added.
Dr Cheng said the funds raised will be used for patient support, especially access to healthcare and treatment.
He said cyclists would ride an average of 80 to 160km a day to complete the journey in six to seven days.
“Sleeping in long houses, getting cyclists accustomed to life in rural Sarawak, are some of the interesting experiences.
“Also, cycling cross-country roads in Sabah opens our eyes to the actual living conditions of people here, and how difficult it can be for them to access healthcare,” said the 38-year-old.
SAB2026, the flagship charity initiative by MMA, is now in its fifth year since its launch in 2022.
In Malaysia, an estimated three to six infants are born each year with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, a life-threatening condition requiring urgent intervention, often a bone marrow transplant.
