MTB
Singaporean athlete Choo Ling Er takes on a physically and mentally demanding personal cycling challenge.
While most of Singapore was asleep at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, female Ironman athlete Choo Ling Er was up on her bike embarking on her 500 km road cycling challenge. The goal was to complete the distance equivalent of travelling around Singapore four times, within 18 hours.
Cycling long distances is nothing foreign to Ling Er. The Ironman cycling leg is 180.25 km long. However, 500 km is a distance she has never attempted before. Beckons the question – why?
“Every off season, I like to do something to raise awareness for a charity foundation I work with, Smile Asia, and to remind myself why I do endurance sports,” said Ling Er.
It is difficult to imagine that Southeast Asia’s fastest female Ironman athlete was once told that she may never race in a triathlon again. In 2009, Ling Er met with a car accident while training on her bike, leaving her with a broken left femur and right ankle. Although the recovery period was one of the more trying times of her life, it taught her to cherish every step she takes now, and her memory of those times drives her forward.
Still, she is cautious about losing motivation. There are athletes who find their enthusiasm waning after they have reached their goals. A position Ling Er does not want to be in. Especially when the training for Ironman is long and lonely. She feels the loneliness most whenever she wakes up before everyone else at 4am to train.
I need a challenge to motivate me to keep going for the next season.
For Ling Er, the exhilaration that comes from completing a challenge always gets her going and keeps her hungry for more.
Watch the video below to find out if she completed the challenge.
