Organisers urged to sustain SIMBC's new UCI status
Abdul Karim (sixth right) stands with event organisers and stakeholders after the press conference. – Photo by Mohd Faisal Ahmad
KUCHING (May 15): Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has challenged organisers of the Siol International Mountain Bike Challenge (SIMBC) 2025 to protect its upgraded status to Category 1 (C1) by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
He attributed the event's raised status to the successful organisation of previous editions by the Kuching North City Commission (DBKU).
'It is no easy task to attain a C1 classification. UCI closely monitors the quality of organisation, feedback from participating athletes and overall event performance,' he said during a press conference for SIMBC 2025 at the Baitulmakmur II building on Tuesday.
'Now that we have achieved C1 status, the greater challenge is maintaining it. This is where the organisers and DBKU must remain consistent,' the minister added.
Also present during the press conference were DBKU Datuk Bandar Dato Hilmy Othman and Sarawak Cycling Association president Irawan Sudarsono.
The 10th edition of SIMBC from 21 to 24 August will feature events such as the Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) – C1, Downhill Individual (DHI) – C2, Cross-Country Short Course (XCC) – C3, Cross-Country Eliminator (XCE) – C3 and Cross-Country Relay (XCR) – Team Relay.
Two new events will be the DHI Under-16 Category which is aimed at nurturing young Malaysian talent for the 2026 Sukma and 2027 SEA Games and the Under-23 XCO (men and women) as a platform for emerging riders to compete internationally.
Meanwhile, it was announced that the prize pool this year is increased to RM100,000 up from the initially planned RM87,000 to enhance SIMBC's position as a premier mountain biking event.
Organisers are expecting more than 300 riders and thousands of spectators to converge at Siol this year to watch cyclists from countries such as Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Complementing the main events is the Siol Trail Run scheduled for Aug 23.
For registration and further information, visit https://events.dbku.gov.my. Siol International Mountain Bike Challenge 2025
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