Sunday, September 20, 2009

The Saturday Night Round-Island Spin

Sembawang – Jurong – HarbourFront – East Coast, from end to end, the loop around our tiny red dot made up 114km, according to Google Maps. It surprisingly fell way short of the NTU Bike Rally’s 128km and that route taken during the rally was arguably shorter than last night’s ride.  

So what made up the vast difference? Road works? That roads are not that straight as usually shown in maps? One can only wonder.

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My 280km Batu Pahat vision for the weekend was shattered. Everyone thought I was crazy but then again, it’s unlikely they were up to the mark to make it there and back. Judging from last night’s ride, while Dad’s techniques have visibly improved, his long distance endurance and fitness didn’t. He lost it by the time we were at Changi and past 12pm, showing obvious signs of physical and mental stress.

The weather was cool, almost cold, with the presence of a slight drizzle for most of the way. Our pace was decent, and we took only a couple of short breaks, less the supper stop we made at Tampines.

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I was famished when we passed the coffee shop in the vicinity of the mountain biking park and I was glad to have fishball noodles and an accompanying cup of warm tea. I guess my family members tend to be irritated with me for taking them into physically-taxing situations but at the end of the day, it’s for their own good. If they can’t complete such a distance with relative ease, forget Malaysia. Forget a 42km marathon because they will not be prepared.

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We were still on the roads at 2am. Somehow, I felt sharper and more energetic after supper. I was glad my muscles didn’t complain at all so it was more of mental fortitude against the dead of the night.

I often play mental games or let my thoughts wander, though I shan’t reveal what goes through my mind here. At 3.30am, after all the washing and cleaning up, I finally hit the bed. It never felt so good.

Total distance: 114km
Money spent: $3.40
Participants: LSH, Dad

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