Australian Triathlete Completes Race In Malaysia With oBike After His Bicycle Failed Him
He said the bicycle-sharing app "saved his day."
By John Lim — 27 Sep 2017, 05:35 PM
When his bicycle started showing problems during a race in JB recently, Lachie Kerin, an Australian professional triathlete, had to put his quick-thinking skills to the test
Left with minimal options, the 22-year-old grabbed an oBike to finish his race
Kerin was participating in the Challenge Iskandar Puteri, a triathlon held in Johor from 21 to 23 September.
He participated in the event with his own bike but it started to malfunction during the last 30km of the race. The steerer snapped while his handlebars, frame, and fork fell apart, causing him to stop by the roadside.
He spotted a few oBikes nearby and since they were same ones in his home country, he picked one up to continue the remaining 30km of the race.
Although Kerin found the small, yellow-black bike not as "ideal" for a triathlon, it still managed to get the job done
"The city bike, despite its top speed of about 18km/hr and no water bottle holder (not ideal for 2 hours in the heat), was actually pretty damn fun albeit not ideal. It made for a looooong day but an epic memory and one I won’t forget soon!” added Kerin.
Kerin did not mention if he activated the QR code on the bike himself or if someone helped him out.
He also shared the experience to oBike Malaysia, saying that the company had "saved his day"
The bicycle-sharing company also applauded Kerin's resilient behaviour; because most pro-triathletes would choose DNF (Did Not Finish) when facing problems but not Lachie Kerin.
Singapore-based oBike entered the Malaysian market in April this year. But it hasn't been smooth sailing after MBPJ confiscated more than 200 bicycles belonging to the company recently.
The Star Online reported that oBike was deemed as an illegal business by MBPJ and the bicycles were seized for causing traffic obstruction.
oBike is currently allowed to operate in Subang Jaya within the Klang Valley region. The business has expanded to parts of Terengganu and Johor.
