Cycling couple on Peninsula tour to give talks at schools

KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Ahmad Mohd Isa, 34, and his wife Noradilah Mohd Sapie, 35, are on a three-month cycling tour around Peninsular Malaysia during which they will stop at selected schools and orphanages to give motivational talks and share their cycling experience.

Named "Jiwa Kembara Jelajah Malaysia" tour, the couple started their ride in Sabak Bernam, Selangor, last July 30 and has now made more than 30 stops at schools in Perak, Kedah, Penang, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu.

"The talk we are giving during the cycling tour around the peninsula is more about sharing the story of our 15-month cycling tour from Malaysia to Makkah about five years ago. We hope to share the story with students to inspire them to always be positive and never give up on pursuing their dreams or ambition," he said when contacted by Bernama recently.

Ahmad and his wife started their bicycle ride to Makkah on April 8, 2016. The ride covered a distance of 14,000 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur and across 14 countries, including Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, India, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, China, and the United Arab Emirates.

They finally arrived in Saudi Arabia in June of the following year and performed the umrah.

Ahmad said during the peninsula tour, he would also donate several copies of the book "Ustazah Basikal", which he and his wife co-authored on their cycling tour to the Holy Land.

"Before starting this peninsula tour, I made an announcement and offered opportunities for the public to donate by purchasing the book for donations to schools," he said, adding that their aim is to donate 500 copies of the book during the tour.

Ahmad, who is also the founder of Jiwa Kembara, a Muslim travel agency, said their plan was to stay about a week in each state during the round the peninsula cycling tour.

"To ensure that we get enough rest and remain fit, we will focus some days only on cycling and in between that, will stop at selected schools to give motivational talks," he said.

Meanwhile, Noradilah said during the cycling tour, they would be accompanied by four friends in a van for logistic support.

"Alhamdulillah, so far our journey has been smooth. At every stop, there are always people offering assistance, including accommodation for us to stay for the night," she said, adding that they started the tour with a budget of only RM2,000.

-- BERNAMA