Dirtraction Cyclone Race Series: Ketam

I was praying for a smooth race without punctures but sadly, I didn’t get my way. The fastest guys were really fast and had built a considerable lead by the time I hit the first Black Diamond obstacle but myself and the rider just in front of me were pulling away from the main pack.

All went well until after the rock garden when my rear tire blew. As I watched my rival pull away, I knew the race was effectively over for me. I worked feverishly to get the spare tube in. By the time I was done, all the Senior B and Junior A riders had passed.

Not someone to give up easily, I pushed ahead to close the gap. I went around several corners too fast and started to make mistakes. My first hard crash on the XCR Expert came as I crested Bird Ridge and started on the downhill. Somehow, I slipped over the edge and the impact threw me into a “superman” and I landed hard on my hips. Quickly, I got back onto the bike and managed to pass a couple of riders before making another mistake at the Gravedrop area. I was going too fast and pulled on the brakes too hard, and the bike washed out from beneath me. There was when I incurred another scratch on the fork =( (There were also several chipped areas and deep scratches which I only discovered when I got home.)

The rest of the lap went without incident as I pushed on and into the second (final) lap. Then history repeated itself. At the same spot, the rear tire blew and this time round, I had no spare tube. I decided to run the last few kilometers with the bike. Simply put, it was just hell.

It was kind of funny when I finally made it past the finish. The emcee was announcing my number, name and team. He said that it was a good timing of 1hr 16min for running the bike in! I was just glad to be done with.

It was not the end of my bad luck. Eric was kind enough to lend me a spare tube for the ride home. It was then I realized the front tire was also flat. Air was leaking slowly thus I pumped it up and made a dash for the jetty. Back at Changi, I got the front tube replaced for $6 and had lunch with Jeremy, Zac and Jason. Zac and Jason were super kind to give me a lift home.

Total distance: 33km (on-road); 22km (off-road)
Money spent: $21.60 (real); $6 (expected)
Participants: LSH, Pan, Eric, Jeremy and others

Mileage of Week Starting 1 February 2010

1. 3 February 2010 – Commute to NTU – 56km [P]
2. 4 February 2010 – T15 / BT (2 laps) – 23.3km (on-road); 23km (off-road)
3. 5 February 2010 – T15 / BT (1 lap) – 20.6km (on-road); 16.5km (off-road)
4. 5 February 2010 – T15 / BT (1 lap) – 15.3km (on-road); 19.5km (off-road)

Sembawang – Track 15 (via Mandai Road) – 10.3km
Sembawang – Track 15 (via Woodlands Road) – 13km
Sembawang – Ulu Sembawang – 5km
Ulu Sembawang (1 way) – 3km
Track 15 (1 way) – 5km
Bukit Timah (1 lap) – 6.5km

NTU Bike Rally Dry Run

Completing the full distance of 168km (I think it’s only about 157km in reality) may be tough but I certainly made my life harder by catching less than 2 hours of sleep the night before. Riding a full suspension MTB with 2.1” Kenda Nevegals to and fro from home is also no joke and as a result, my mind is probably not functioning properly right now! =P

Total distance: 210km approx.
Money spent: $6.10
Participants: LSH, Jasper, Chen Sao, Terence, Yuva, Jonathan and others

Trail Exploration

We visited C2C before doing some trail exploration. Things got wet and muddy when we did a river crossing “exercise”. Somehow, when you can’t see anything in the dark, ignorance is bliss and gives you amazing courage in clearing obstacles!

Total distance: 32.1km (on-road); 3km (off-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Alrasvee

Mileage of Week Starting 25 January 2010

1. 25 January 2010 – Commute to NTU – 56km [P]
2. 27 January 2010 – Commute to NTU – 56km [P]
3. 28 January 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
4. 31 January 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 16km

The Temptation of Gangsa

Our usual trail ride hardly has a dull moment. If the terrain fails to entertain, a chat with my cycling buddies never fails to lighten up the mood. After returning the tool kit to Alrasvee, we headed for the trails starting with Ulu Sembawang. Track 15 served the usual warm-up while Bukit Timah was the main course.

We had a good chat with an American from the mountains of Santa Cruz, California. And obviously, he owns a Santa Cruz (made in his hometown) brought over to Singapore. At 52, he frequents Bukit Timah up to 3 times a week, definitely putting many younger people to shame!

Today was an occasion to remember. I cleared the rocky entrance to the Bukit Timah trail, my first ever since they revamped the climb. Mustering all the speed I could get, I managed enough momentum to get over the largest obstacles. I hope it’s not something one-off! =P

We just had to be tempted by Gangsa on the way back. I had a very close brush when I landed on my front tyre hard and almost got thrown over the bars. My saddle was too high and preventing my body weight from being pushed back further. Alrasvee was not so fortunate and he went down hard, landing on his back and cracking his helmet.

He really frightened us. On the way back, he could hardly ride and vomited his breakfast and whatever he ate at the zoo’s KFC. I hope he gets well soon!

Total distance: 13.2km (on-road); 22km (off-road)
Money spent: $2.30
Participants: LSH, Jasper, Terence, Alrasvee, Daniel, Farid

Day Out on Pulau Ubin

I am thankful for the good weather. We really enjoyed ourselves and I think all of us will agree that the first real alumnus outing was a success.

We did a little mountain biking (I went for a round of the race route and nearly totaled my bike on several occasions as I was running 55psi), then explored the rest of the island, from Noordin Beach to Chek Jawa.

It was really great to catch up with them and for my friends who had not been to Ubin prior to this trip, I hope it was an eye-opener! Too bad the Ubin of today lacks its rustic charm of yesteryears. The authorities should stop further “development” of the island. I bet we will be see just another modern beach resort in a couple of years to come.

The interesting sight of the day were the wild boars we saw – one old and immense bulk of a guy in captivity and another roaming free and being fed by the locals. For once, the ugly wild boar was kind of cute when it munched up the apple greedily.

It has been a real tiring day – one round of Ketam MTB Park at race pace drains me more than you can imagine – but I am really looking forward to our next outing!

Total distance: 66km (on-road), 20km (off-road)
Money Spent: $15.70
Participants: LSH, Fangying, Justin, Zhi Yang, Kah Hong