The Snail Queen: Joyce Leong, 67, Founder of JoyRiders
The "Snail Queen": Joyce Leong, 67
An icon of the amateur cycling scene in Singapore and an inspiration to many.
A catalyst, who ignited and reignited the passion of cycling and sports in many.
To the many who have grown a tad too restless, she lifted them from their comfort zone and inducted them into a sport that she wholeheartedly loved and committed a good part of her life to.
Nicknamed the snail queen, Joyce leaves nobody behind. To every cyclist, new or experienced, young or old, locals or expats, fast or slow, every cyclist was her friend, and she’s a guardian to them.
She was resolute in her spirit, ceaseless in her optimism and a proud “mama” of her Club and its members.
Source: The Straits Times, 8 May 2023
Repeated cancer diagnosis did not deter her joy of cycling. The sport was more than her way of staying fit; it was her harbour, and on this moor, she shone a light into the lives of so many.
Joyce was also that rugged and robust voice for the amateur cycling community in Singapore; a compelling advocate for safe riding on this island home of ours, where the cycling community is a treasured stakeholder, amongst many others.
She took it upon herself to be welcoming, to invite anyone who concerned oneself enough to peek into this often maligned world of amateur cycling, onto the roads and into her home.
She was a blessed resource to all who had the honour to cross her path, and if you were to fall behind, she was not far behind.
Her presence dots every mile of our journey with her - she was, literally, our headlight, at the front of the pack as well as our rear light, having our backs, always.
Sports, running and cycling became her life’s purpose. She whipped us all into shape. Her passion became ours.
When running was taken away from her, she searched for a higher calling.
To cycle and inspire. To lift and uplift. To live and let live.
Death was right in her life, but her body cycles back. Every day could well be her last on a bike, but she taught us all to live our lives to the fullest, knowing full well that every dusk could be our last too.
To Joyce, every day, in fact, was a time trial. There were days when she would attain her personal bests; on others, every mile was as painful as it could get. But under no circumstances did she give up. She was unfailing in her determination to live a good life.
She was so busy with her beloved Club, the Joyriders, that she once said that she had “no time to die”.
Today, she has gone before us. This is so that she can continue to pave the paths for the many who will come after her.
With her unwavering and indomitable spirit, she achieves milestone after milestone. With every pedal, she scales new heights.
Today, she had reached crossed another of her life’s milestones - from life into death and straight out onto the path of living eternally in our memories.
In the physical sense, she has departed from us, but the fact remains that Joyce is still here with us, and that’s all that matters.
Every oscillation we take in the future will be a tribute to her kindness, love, care and perseverance.
Thank you, Joyce. May you not stop pedalling, and may we continue to pedal in your memory.
You are our friend, our Iron Lady, our beloved Snail Queen and most importantly, our bundle of joy who took us on a ride of a lifetime. Thank you!
Ride on, Joyce!
Photo credit: Joyce Leong/FB
Top photo: TheSmartLocal.com
