16 Sep 2007, ST
By Mathew Pereira
I FOUND myself at the receiving end of a charitable act when I took part in a charity bicyle ride last Sunday.
The event gave me an idea of what it felt like to be a straggler but, more importantly, also how just a tiny act of kindness goes a long way.
A friend, Ee Sze, who was one of the organisers of the event, talked me into taking part in the Charity Bike & Blade 2007 where bikers and bladers tried to raise $500,000.
Just before the ride, I bumped into an old friend at the starting point at Changi Ferry Terminal.
Jeff and his teenage daughter Julia were among a group of 80 riders and inline skaters who had started on Friday and had already completed 400km in the Malaysian circuit.
This 40km Singapore leg, where this exhausted pair was joined by 200 more bikers and bladers was their final stretch.
The riders and bladers were split into groups, each setting off at about five-minute intervals. This was no Tour de France but the organisers did not want to risk a pile-up at the start.
Group 2, the one I was in, started off briskly but 10 minutes into the ride, I slowed down.
I decided I needed to pace myself for two reasons - one, I could not remember when I last cycled, and two, because of my poor fitness as my physiotherapist had banned me from running the past three months because of an ankle injury.
It wasn't long before some cyclists from the groups that were flagged off after me were overtaking me.
I am competitive when it comes to sports - be it a rugby game or egg-and-spoon race - and being overtaken started to bother me.
Even my mantra as I cycled - 'It's okay, I am doing it for charity' - could not stop me from feeling down.
The blazing sun - we had started off at 1pm - was sapping my energy and my long lay-off from physical activity was starting to show.
Soon, Jeff and Julia were by my side. They were in a group that had started after me.
Jeff insisted on slowing down and keeping me company even though I tried to shoo him away several times saying I did not want to be a bother or keep him away from his daughter.
He would just brush off my self-deprecating remarks with: 'There is no hurry, Matt.'
When I finally completed the ride, I appreciated the sacrifice he made keeping me company when he saw me riding alone. He had friends cycling with him and there was also Julia.
Not anyone would have done it, I thought.
His act brought to mind an incident from my national service days when we had to pass a 10km run.
A friend asked if I, being the fastest in the platoon, could pace some of the slower guys to help them clear the test.
I still remember my response to him: 'Go look for someone slower.'
I was aiming to clock the fastest time, not just in my platoon but also at company level.
'You are very selfish,' he said and walked away.
This incident came to mind again recently when my son, who is doing his NS, was in a somewhat similar situation.
Everyone in his course had to get a 'gold' for his 2.4km running test, which meant running the distance within a certain time.
My son managed it in his first test but he was not quite happy with his time and told me he intended to have another go at it at the next test.
Two weeks later, when I asked him about his running time, he told me that he had decided to pace the others who had not cleared it the first round, instead of trying to cut his time.
I am sure he had no doubts his platoon-mates were as fit as he was, but he knew that the little bit of encouragement, cajoling and push would make a difference to them.
Singaporeans are not known for their spontaneity, and there are often calls for us to help those who are underprivileged.
While these appeals are made to a mass of faceless, nameless people, it is the commitment of individuals that makes the difference.
When I was riding, I had enough energy to complete the ride on my own but without Jeff's persistence, I might have just snuck off to the food centre in East Coast Park when I passed it, or just given up.
Often, stopping to help others comes at a price.
I asked my organiser friend Ee Sze how much time she had spent helping out in the event and she could not put a number to it. 'Many, many Saturdays,' she said.
But getting involved does not mean making sacrifices all the time, or giving up 100 per cent of our time.
But if each of us is like Ee Sze and Jeff and can take time out every now and then to look out for someone who is struggling, I'm sure it would help ease the ride of those who fall behind.
By Mathew Pereira
I FOUND myself at the receiving end of a charitable act when I took part in a charity bicyle ride last Sunday.
The event gave me an idea of what it felt like to be a straggler but, more importantly, also how just a tiny act of kindness goes a long way.
A friend, Ee Sze, who was one of the organisers of the event, talked me into taking part in the Charity Bike & Blade 2007 where bikers and bladers tried to raise $500,000.
Just before the ride, I bumped into an old friend at the starting point at Changi Ferry Terminal.
Jeff and his teenage daughter Julia were among a group of 80 riders and inline skaters who had started on Friday and had already completed 400km in the Malaysian circuit.
This 40km Singapore leg, where this exhausted pair was joined by 200 more bikers and bladers was their final stretch.
The riders and bladers were split into groups, each setting off at about five-minute intervals. This was no Tour de France but the organisers did not want to risk a pile-up at the start.
Group 2, the one I was in, started off briskly but 10 minutes into the ride, I slowed down.
I decided I needed to pace myself for two reasons - one, I could not remember when I last cycled, and two, because of my poor fitness as my physiotherapist had banned me from running the past three months because of an ankle injury.
It wasn't long before some cyclists from the groups that were flagged off after me were overtaking me.
I am competitive when it comes to sports - be it a rugby game or egg-and-spoon race - and being overtaken started to bother me.
Even my mantra as I cycled - 'It's okay, I am doing it for charity' - could not stop me from feeling down.
The blazing sun - we had started off at 1pm - was sapping my energy and my long lay-off from physical activity was starting to show.
Soon, Jeff and Julia were by my side. They were in a group that had started after me.
Jeff insisted on slowing down and keeping me company even though I tried to shoo him away several times saying I did not want to be a bother or keep him away from his daughter.
He would just brush off my self-deprecating remarks with: 'There is no hurry, Matt.'
When I finally completed the ride, I appreciated the sacrifice he made keeping me company when he saw me riding alone. He had friends cycling with him and there was also Julia.
Not anyone would have done it, I thought.
His act brought to mind an incident from my national service days when we had to pass a 10km run.
A friend asked if I, being the fastest in the platoon, could pace some of the slower guys to help them clear the test.
I still remember my response to him: 'Go look for someone slower.'
I was aiming to clock the fastest time, not just in my platoon but also at company level.
'You are very selfish,' he said and walked away.
This incident came to mind again recently when my son, who is doing his NS, was in a somewhat similar situation.
Everyone in his course had to get a 'gold' for his 2.4km running test, which meant running the distance within a certain time.
My son managed it in his first test but he was not quite happy with his time and told me he intended to have another go at it at the next test.
Two weeks later, when I asked him about his running time, he told me that he had decided to pace the others who had not cleared it the first round, instead of trying to cut his time.
I am sure he had no doubts his platoon-mates were as fit as he was, but he knew that the little bit of encouragement, cajoling and push would make a difference to them.
Singaporeans are not known for their spontaneity, and there are often calls for us to help those who are underprivileged.
While these appeals are made to a mass of faceless, nameless people, it is the commitment of individuals that makes the difference.
When I was riding, I had enough energy to complete the ride on my own but without Jeff's persistence, I might have just snuck off to the food centre in East Coast Park when I passed it, or just given up.
Often, stopping to help others comes at a price.
I asked my organiser friend Ee Sze how much time she had spent helping out in the event and she could not put a number to it. 'Many, many Saturdays,' she said.
But getting involved does not mean making sacrifices all the time, or giving up 100 per cent of our time.
But if each of us is like Ee Sze and Jeff and can take time out every now and then to look out for someone who is struggling, I'm sure it would help ease the ride of those who fall behind.
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