Within the span of 3 days, 120 cyclists comprising of Malakoff staff and representatives from donor companies went through 470km in the hot sun and heavy rain in the name of charity. That's the beauty of the "Sports for Charity" concept that has been the heart of Malakoff Charity Ride which has reached its seventh year of organization.

This year, Malakoff has been blessed with the generosity of 38 business associates, that had collectively contributed RM206,000 for this good cause. This amount benefited 21 charitable homes and schools in Melaka and Johor, which were covered by this year's route.

The cyclists were flagged off by Zainal Abidin Jalil, Chief Executive Officer of Malakoff, at Plaza Sentral, Kuala Lumpur at the start of Day One that ended in Jasin some 150km later. The scorching sun didn't deter the cyclists from pedaling hard to reach their destination.

Day Two from Jasin to Segamat was a much shorter but more undulating 140km route. The arrival in Segamat was one to treasure as everyone congratulated each other for surviving the second day of the 3-day ride.

Day Three of the ride was the longest and must have been the most challenging of the 3 days as the cyclists had to wade through heavy downpour and keep themselves warm in the cold weather by pedaling harder. The 180km route ended in Kukup where they were given and heroes' welcome by Zainal and the event's committee. The support crew comprising of police, marshal, mechanics, ambulance and sweeper lorry were also applauded for a job well done.

Since the inaugural Ride in 2006, participants have cycled a total distance of 3095km, raising close to RM750,000 for over 70 charity organisations all over Malaysia, covering the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Perlis, Selangor, Perak and Terengganu.

Zainal said, "This event is a collaborative effort between Malakoff and its business associates to raise funds and reach out to local communities in need of help, especially in the rural areas. The Ride, which is an annual initiative, has been made an integral part of Malakoff's Corporate Social Responsibility platform - the Malakoff Community Partnerships."

"The Annual Charity Ride is a unique 'Sports for Charity' concept that involves more than monetary contributions from our business associates. It encourages our business partners to participate and get physically involved in a healthy fun sporting activity as well," he added.

In the spirit of giving, leading business associates of Malakoff that donated to the charity event include Alstom Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, Hicom Power Sdn Bhd, Bank Mualamat Malaysia Berhad, HSBC, Allianz Malaysia Berhad, Siemens Malaysia Sdn Bhd and KAF Investment Bank Berhad.

Contributions collected from the Malakoff Annual Charity Ride were donated to 21 welfare organisations and schools along the cycling route, which include Persatuan Sokongan Kanser Payudara Daerah Pontian, St John Ambulance Malaysia Pontian, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Anak Yatim Islam located in Segamat, Jasin, Pontian and Batu Pahat, as well as nine schools within Mukim Serkat, Pontian including SK Andek Mori, SK Sg Boh, SK Seri Sinaran Chokoh and SJK(C) Pei Chiao.

A great big Thank You to all charity donors, cyclists, committee members, support crew and the management of Malakoff for their continuous support and for believing in this noble cause!

See you again in next year's 8th edition of the Annual Malakoff Charity Ride!