Join us for Pedal Ubin this June (30 places x 2 days)!

NUS Toddycats offer free, guided bicycle rides through central Pulau Ubin annually during Pesta Ubin. We are pleased to share stories of nature, heritage and geography of the island for some two decades now. The event originated from a 1998 Ubin Challenge event.

This ride of fellowship is an enjoyable way to meet others and discover just some parts of the island through the simple joy of cycling!

This year, we are offering rides on Saturday 18th June or 25th June 2022, approximately 30 places each. We will meet at 8.00am in front of the Wayang stage at the Village centre, and end about 12.00pm, in time for lunch.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/pedal-ubin-2022-explore-pulau-ubin-with-nus-toddycats-tickets-336105589867

For an idea of what the ride is like, see this video by Airani S, inspired by the 2019 photos of Kenneth Pinto.

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Pedal Ubin 2019 accomplished with great joy and satisfaction!

Sat 29 Jun 2019 – The annual Pedal Ubin offering at Pesta Ubin activates veteran Toddycats guides to revisit and revise, and form guiding pairs to manage 15-20 participants on the island each. 

We prepare with recces, review and mitigate the risk to participants, update our first aid kits, and be sure to carry strong insect repellent for the vulnerable. Thanks to Joelle, Airani, Ivan, Kenneth and Kevin for that reliable preparation and confident execution, and the photos!

This year, we were short on support so my kaki Cheer Chong at Republic Polytechnic recruited three of her outdoor adventure learning students to provide safety backup for the nature guides. And Sufi, Yu Teng & Jin Huang were really superb! They slipped into their roles effortlessly and were a great comfort to all. We must get DOAL students help next year too! Learn more about RP’s Diploma in Outdoor Adventure and Learning programme (DOAL) here.

We happily guided some 60 people this year; photos from the event on Google Photos here. Wish we could do this every weekend! 

Pedal Ubin is back this year on Sat 29 Jun 2019 – and registration is open!

NUS Toddycats roll out our annual cycling event to explore nature and heritage in Pulau Ubin.  Register for Pedal Ubin at our Eventbrite page here! (Update: we’re full)

Every year, we offer a guided bicycle ride through part of Pulau Ubin, during which our guides introduce participants to stories of Ubin – nature, heritage and geography. The guides have been conducting this for many years, as Pedal Ubin origins go back to  a 1998 Ubin Challenge event. At one point the rides were offered every two months.

The events at Chek Jawa in 2001/2 led to many more Singaporeans visiting Pulau Ubin with visitorship numbers rising from ~27,000 to more than 35,000 in 2007 (figure from NParks). As NParks took over more of the island, there were clear signs and maps to guide the visitor so we closed the programme, and left an online list of suggestions. 

Then good news came with the conservation of Pulau Ubin for all to enjoy and the formation of Friends of Ubin. Without the threat of further development, Pesta Ubin was initiated by Ria Tan with other stakeholders. NUS Toddycats chipped in to the celebrations by reviving Pedal Ubin.

This ride of fellowship is an enjoyable way to meet others and share a unique experience of the island through the simple joy of cycling!

This year’s Pesta Ubin theme is “Support Ubin Businesses” and by taking a bumboat, renting a bicycle and purchasing food and drinks, participants will help support and preserve the unique businesses that service visitors to Pulau Ubin. There are many more activities being offered this month of Pesta Ubin so check out the very well organised webpage to explore more opportunities.

Links:

• Registration page for Pedal Ubin 2019 [link]
• 2018 Pedal Ubin photo album [link]
• Map of Pulau Ubin, ver 2015 [link]
• Pesta Ubin 2019 [link]

Pedal Ubin Recce – Zendogs revisit Pulau Ubin (Sun 9th June 2019)

Sun 9th June 2019 – before the actual event on Sat 29 Jun 2018, is the all-important recce! Airani, Joelle, Kevin and Otterman (all also from the cycling group Zendogs) dragged themselves away from their weekend recovery of lying comatose in bed to revisit Pulau Ubin. They had fun and are all ready for the big day now!

Off to Ubin!

All geared up!

Doggy! Doggy! Don’t crash!!!

Stopping by the temple for good luck

Beautiful paintings at the new mangrove arboretum

Finally! A drink!

See the rest of our photos here.  

Sun 24 Jun 2018: Pedal Ubin 2018 @ Pesta Ubin – explore Pulau Ubin and “The Ubin Way” with NUS Toddycats

Pedal Ubin returns for for Pesta Ubin 2018!

Pedal Ubin is a programme by NUS Toddycats dating back to 1999 and is pleased to be a participating member of Pesta Ubin, which is organised by the Friends of Ubin Network (FUN).

Join us for a ride around Pulau Ubin to explore the Island’s landmarks and scenery with NUS Toddycats volunteer guides from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, NUS. The ride is free of charge but you must read the details on the registration page and register on the Eventbrite page at http://tinyurl.com/toddycats-pedalubin2018.

We will cycle past old plantations, kampongs, forest, quarries and mangroves, stopping for a coconut or two, whilst listening to guides share stories of Ubin’s wildlife, heritage and ongoing conservation efforts. In keeping with the Ubin Way, at some point, we will sit down and get to know each other!

You must be able to ride a bike and be at least 10 years old in order to keep up with the pace. Even if it is a slow ride, there are slopes and dirt trails to enjoy.

Participants must arrange to rent their own bicycles (and you are encouraged to rent a helmet too) on Pulau Ubin or bring their own bicycles from the mainland.

More important details on the registration page.