Bike-a-Local
Explore the secrets of Singapore by bicycle – DIY
About Us
Robin & Heidi hit it off right away when they first met years ago and realized, not only did they crack each other up, but they loved cycling and exploring Singapore’s secret side together. Robin’s cycle route mapping wizardry combined with Heidi’s love of heritage, was a pedaling partnership begging to be born.
Robin McAdoo
Robin has loved cycling ever since it provided her with independence in high school. In suburban Southern California, the only way to get anywhere was by car, so if you didn’t have a driver’s license or a car, then you had to bicycle or run. So she did both. Fast forward to meeting her husband, she had been cycling around Santa Cruz, both on the road and in the mountains and this was something they had in common, exploring by bicycle. Jump ahead again, after getting married, her husband asked her what she wanted to do before they started a family of their own, she said cycle tour, so they cycled across Ireland. Finally, when moving to Singapore seven years ago, cycling was a way to explore their new home without a car and a great way to interact with the local culture. At first, trying to navigate the PCNs (Park Connector Network) was frustrating. It was easier to ride on the roads and not deal with abrupt endings with no clear direction to continue, but that wasn’t an option when trying to encourage two teenage daughters to ride with you. Robin needed to find safe and interesting routes to bring her family if they were going to get out on bicycles together. Thus, the work began, mapping out routes with incentives along the way to encourage the family to join her. The rest, as they say, is history.
Email me: BikeaLocalRobin@gmail.com
Heidi Sarna
Heidi moved to Singapore from New York City with her husband and twin sons back in 2006. An innately curious person, she began exploring from the get-go, signing up for heritage tours and walking and bike riding around Singapore’s back roads and side streets, a curious bird looking to peel the onion. She knew there had to be more to Singapore than shopping malls and high-rise towers, and indeed, there certainly is.
As a freelance writer with a specialty in travel and history, a few years ago Heidi jumped at the opportunity to write a book called Secret Singapore, which is due to hit the shelves in September 2020. Part of a series of “Secret” books published by Jonglez Publishing, it features 125 little-known, hidden and/or forgotten places and things in Singapore. Researching this book, with fellow co-author Jerome Lim, has been a labor of love for Heidi and she’s done much of the digging around and photo-taking required from the seat of a bicycle. Often with Robin along for the ride, leading the way with her uncanny ability to map routes and get the two of them where they needed to go. At some point, a few years ago, Robin and Heidi realized that they had the ingredients for a cool something something. Robin’s mapping genius and Heidi’s secret-gathering, combined with their love of cycling, was a great idea waiting to happen.
And so Bike-a-Local & Secret Pedals was born.
Heidi also co-founded and publishes QuirkyCruise.com, a guide to unusual small-scale cruises on rivers, coastal areas and remote sailing regions. The site is packed with articles about adventures all over the world, from the Irrawaddy and Red River to the Kerala Backwaters, canals of France, Alaska’s Inside Passage and the scenic waters along the coasts of Scotland, Croatia and New England. Subscribe for great articles & special offers. 🐦
Email me: BikeaLocalHeidi@gmail.com
As seen in The Straits Times
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