SINGAPORE - Like any other Primary 1 pupil, Chloe Tan goes to school, does her homework, and learns new words for her next spelling test. She has also discovered the delights of moving on two wheels.

But this Ai Tong School pupil is no ordinary six-year-old. At an age when many of her peers are doing loops in playgrounds and parks, she clocks up to 40km with her family once a week. She has signed up to complete the 100km Virtual Ride at the OCBC Cycle and will be its youngest participant.

Riding alongside her will be her parents. Her mum, Sharin Poy, is also participating in the 100km while her father, Kelvin Tan, will take part in the 200km. Even Chloe's two-year-old brother Caleb will not be left out; he will be strapped to the backseat of Tan's bicycle.

The Tan family's cycling journey started during the circuit breaker period last year, with both Tan and Poy wanting to embark on an exercise regimen for weight loss, at the same time doing an activity that could get the whole family outdoors. And cycling seemed like the perfect fit.

"We wanted to win back our health, because with such active children, when we could not catch up with them, I felt (horrible). So we decided to make a change from being sedentary to becoming super active and roped Chloe into exercising as well," said Tan.

They started off with shorter distances of about 5-10km, but it soon proved to be of no challenge for the family. Now, they cover up to 40km every Sunday, with the most common route being from their Ang Mo Kio residence to Seletar Aerospace Park. Taking lunch breaks in between their ride, it takes them about four hours to complete the whole distance.

"We started cycling in the spirit of exploration and also because it's an activity that helps bond the family together. But we have seen Chloe grow, and we are able to get her to ride longer distances. She might not be able to visualise how long the 100km is, but she deems it as a challenge, and is willing to partake in it."

Funnily enough, when Chloe first started cycling with her parents, she did not know what she was in for. While her parents would list a destination - usually a playground - so there was "something for her to look forward to", she often did not expect the journey to last that long.

Poy said: "She would only realise how far the distance was when she's halfway through and then she would cry, whine and complain but more often than not, she was resilient enough to continue pedalling."

Chloe has since come a long way, as it was her own decision to participate in the 100km ride, despite suggestions from her parents to do the 5km Mighty Savers Kids VR instead.

Enticed by the medal that participants will receive at the completion of 100km, she said: "I think I can ride very fast and do a good job... I like cycling because I am able to explore (different routes in Singapore), and also because of the playgrounds."

While Chloe started off with a small Decathlon bicycle, she has since upgraded to a mountain bicycle with 24-inch wheels and is ready to embark on the 100km.

For the virtual races, participants can complete the required distance in four rides or less from May 15 to June 13, but with the distance that the family has been covering on a weekly basis, they hope to finish the 100km within three rides.

Tan will do the first 100km with his family, before embarking on the other 100km on his own in a single session.

The 37-year-old photographer confessed that "actually, I hate cycling, and even now I dislike cycling". And the big hurdle he faces would be getting over "the mundaneness of riding a bicycle and physically managing the aches and pains".

But he is deeply motivated by "wanting to keep a healthy fit lifestyle for my kids" and more importantly, setting an example for them.

He explained: "Perseverance is key to completing what you set off to do.

"I have had enough of pointing at others as examples for my children, and I want them to look at me and my wife instead. I would like to draw myself as an example that Chloe can relate to as she sees us (doing our best) every day."

Do they have bigger cycling ambitions for Chloe?

Poy replied: "It is good that eventually she does something, but for now we just hope to let her enjoy it and develop a good habit that will help as stress relief in the future.

"We are glad that she likes (cycling) enough to do it so often. The main thing we want is just for her to be disciplined in a particular sport and to do something that she really likes."