BATU PAHAT: A cyclist stuns many by cycling from Singapore to return home in Batu Pahat after the country reopened its borders on April 1.

Mars Ong, 40, cycled 134km in five hours to arrive at his hometown Batu Pahat in Johor.

He left Singapore at 7am last Friday.

The customs officers at the checkpoint were stunned when they found out he was to cycle back to Batu Pahat.

Stranded in Singapore due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ong often joined friends to cycle more than 100km in Singapore.

Once he cycled closer to 200km and mooted the idea of riding back to Batu Pahat when the border reopened.

“I like to take a break by stopping by to enjoy delicious food along the journey. I will do this again,” said Ong.

“I normally return to Singapore at night. For safety reason I will not cycle at night. My wife will drive me to JB and I will cycle back to Singapore,” he said.

Ong said Malaysian cyclists working in Singapore had contacted him recently to cycle back to Malaysia together.

However, he said he would not encourage inexperienced cyclists to ride long distances due to the risks involved.

“Some Singaporean cyclists are now keen to cycle to Johor and Batu Pahat after I’ve uploaded the visuals on social media. I achieve the mission of promoting Batu Pahat,” said Ong, who is in advertising industry.

He said cycling is environment-friendly. It is not only a good physical exercise but also cut down on fuel costs.

His wife and children love cycling too. The entire family will cycle together when he returns home.

Ong’s cycling video on Facebook has since received 4,600 likes and shared 1,500 times.