What have you accomplished when you were 8?
Have you learned to whistle?
To play the piano?
Or how to climb the monkey bars?
Well, for this 8-year-old Singaporean boy, he decided to make cycling his “thing” and cycled around the Red Dot with his mum within just 15 hours.
He even made it into the Singapore Book of Records for being the youngest to do so!
A gruelling record-breaking attempt for a young kid
The child who was then 8 years old, learned to ride a bicycle at the tender age of 6.
He would often follow mum, 37-year-old Ma Suzhen (马素贞), on her cycling trips around the island to enjoy the sights.
Just in February of this year (2021), his mum has attempted to cycle around the island twice.
She made it on her second attempt.
After he heard about it, the little boy wanted to follow in his mum’s footsteps and attempt the feat himself.
But then came dark clouds and heavy rains spanning the following months, so the two waited until 23 May to start their journey.
Setting off from their home at Clementi at 7:30am, the duo embarked on the journey which would span a total distance of 118.95km.
The roadmap for the cycle includes both safer routes such as cycling paths in parks and gardens, as well as the more dangerous, vehicle-laden roads.
On the road, the mum would let her son cycle in front while constantly reminding him to keep to the left and not to be careless.
The little boy almost gave up but his mum has a plan, or two
During their attempt, the then-8-year-old wanted to give up at the 50km-mark because he was incredibly sore to the point where they had to stop.
However, his mum has some tricks up her sleeves to encourage him.
According to Mdm Ma, she never forces her children to do anything they don’t want to, but in order for her son to complete the challenge, she uses all her wits to “bargain” with her son.
This includes “bribing” her son with the kind of junk food – candies and sweet drinks – that he is usually not allowed to eat.
She even proposed a rewards system.
For every kilometre cycled, her son will earn S$1.
Asking him to focus on counting how many dollars he would earn at the end of the journey, she gave him a math problem to distract him from the gruelling physical task at hand.
Need I say it? This is the not-so-subtle, typically Asian parent trait!
That being said, the age-old trick apparently worked and the boy ended up continuing the journey after doing some stretching exercises.
They finally reached home at 10:30pm.
The 8-year-old was so tired, he fell asleep immediately, ignoring the bruises and chaffing he sustained from the trip.
However, the mother laughed and said, “However, he was filled with energy the next day and asked me what am I going to do today?”
She also added that the boy earned a total of S$84 and he happily spent his earnings to purchase a toy online.
Getting certified in Singapore’s Book of Records
Mdm Ma shared her and her son’s experience in a cycling group with more than 40,000 members.
Her post garnered over a thousand likes with many commenting that her son is the youngest cyclist to cycle around the island.
This gave her an idea and she submitted their cycling records to the Singapore Book of Records.
They then later received notification of successful certification.
Zhixuan said shyly that he was very happy and proud to be certified.
“I will skate around the island next!” he boasted.
“Participating in outdoor activities can cultivate his independence and confidence,” Mdm Ma said.
In fact, according to the mum, as she looked amused, after successfully cycling around the island, the boy’s confidence grew to the point where he thinks he could cycle everywhere.
Fame and fans
The boy has fans now!
One day, when both of them went out for a cycle from Clementi to Marina Bay to see the blood moon, they were recognized by “fans” along the way.
An uncle called out to him as he passed by, “I know you! You are the boy who completed the ride around the island.”
The boy smiled shyly when he recalled the incident and said, “Although I think it’s a bit strange, I am very happy.”
Featured Image: TinnaPong/ Shutterstock.com