I have spent the past week in Kuala Lumpur on a workshop exploring  the definition and needed action around global citizenship in higher education. Bikeable Jo was even featured in a film shown on the day.

I had a spare day so I thought I would take advantage of the time and try and connect with a few local cyclists. Luckily Chan responded to a couple tweets and showed up with two foldable bikes.

Despite the heat and rain, we hit the road. Chan was great leading me around the city and navigated the route to avoid some of the bigger streets. We saw a few cyclists but cars clearly dominate the road. So much that it didn’t feel right taking in big deep breaths from all the exhaust fumes.

Chan took me to a Malay village inside the city for breakfast (in classic travelling Jo fashion, it would be my second of the day). We were joined by Farid, a local cyclist doing a lot in KL to generate a bikeable community.

Over anchovies, chili sauce, rice, cuddlefish and a hard boiled egg, we chatted about cycling in KL and those behind the scenes.

Driven by the convenience of cycling, Farid says there is a handful of people fighting for more support around cycling. In his free time, he organises KL’s Critical Mass, Crank Post, and other activities such as a free bike clinic.

We even talked about the upcoming Cyclehack and how it would be great to create more spaces for cyclists to support each other, regardless of distance.

A day in K

After saying goodbye, Chan took me downtown to some of the sites  and to Chinatown for a refreshing drink. What a place to see by bike!

The humidity slowly emerged after the rain and my Scottish sense of weather and jet lag couldn’t take anymore in the heat.

Read more about their work in these places:
Basikal Lover
Crank Post