Riding on and on

After such a long long time...

2012-01-28T20:05:00.002+08:00

Team NTU on the way to Melaka...240km on 26 December 2011.

Burn, Burn, Burnt!

2010-10-16T21:27:00.000+08:00

I was looking forward to getting away from the stress of school and what better way to start the recess week with a 180km ride through eastern Johor. Like the numerous trips I have done to Sungei Rengit via JB and Desaru, I expected to be home mid-afternoon. With two other pretty seasoned riders on this ride, what could possibly go wrong?

We met up at 4.30am but it was past 5am when we set off. Getting across the border by 5.30am, we set off for Kota Tinggi in the semi-darkness. We pulled into town at a pretty good pace, more than ready for breakfast, but not before Matthew's front tire ran a flat - nothing too surprising.

Kah Kiong preferred prata hence we visited my "favourite" coffee-shop, "favourite" defined as my most frequented prata haunt in the area, given my very limited knowledge. We spent a pretty long time there chilling and getting our feet to continue our journey proved difficult.

The sun was midway up as we pushed on to Bandar Penawar. The rolling hills appeared more daunting as our fatigue increased and I willed myself to push on, employing the most efficient climbing techniques in my arsenal to get the most out of my mountain bike.

This time round, I had pumped up the pressure of my rear RP2 to 200psi and left the rear link active (lock-out off). It was also my first long ride overseas with a fully active rear suspension and I was pretty apprehensive of the energy I would waste through pedal bob. Interestingly, at certain smooth cadences, pedal feedback was a minimum and from the ache in my butt, the bike was definitely feeling more like a hard-tail. However, beyond a certain cadence, the bike tended to bob more at high speed. I couldn't feel the power transmission from my legs to the drivetrain - something so typical in full suspension models.

In short, without the presence of a lock-out, the energy forfeited through pedal feedback still proved the biggest limitation to using a full suspension mountain bike for long road rides.

The sight of the all-too-familiar Petronas at Bandar Penawar was a welcome relief and we took the opportunity to inject ourselves with the fuel for cyclists - isotonic drinks. There were a few cyclists from Singapore and we had a friendly chat, especially with one of them who was acting as a safety vehicle for his convoy. We would run into him at the Desaru roundabout later. We decided to take the longer but more scenic and flatter route to Sungei Rengit via Batu Layar. it was a great route with few vehicles but this time round, the headwind was incredibly strong. Coupled with the intense heat from the afternoon sun, I think our pedalling efficiency decreased terribly.

The going got real tough after our scenic detour into the Batu Layar beach and village. Back on the main road, our progress was severely hampered by headwind and we were down to about 15km/h. I also lost sight of Kah Kiong and Matthew on my tail as they made several stops. It was past 1pm and I was feeling terribly hungry and weak. My fingers were trembling.

We finally reached Sungei Rengit at 2pm and lunch was the only thing I needed to keep me alive. We spent almost an hour at the restaurant - any food tastes great when you are on the brink of losing it - before heading for the jetty at a decent pace. In fact, we reached Tanjung Pengelih before 4pm but were told there were no more boats to Changi. Amazing. We were told to book a boat (RM110) or take the ferry (RM35 per pax one way excluding the cost of shipping the bikes). A group of Singaporeans had booked a boat but there wasn't sufficient space for us. Eventually, a boat "happened" to deposit passengers at Tanjung Pengelih and was returning home. We hopped on. The bumboat operator tried to get more from us but we couldn't pay him more than the exact cost (with all our S$ pooled together!). I wonder if it's a ploy the operators use to get their passengers to cough out more cash.

Back on familiar ground, we had a snack at the Changi Village hawker centre before heading home. Dusk fell swiftly and the batteries in my front lamp failed on me. We reached home much later than I had expected; nonetheless, it was another great ride to the countryside very much absent in the Singaporean landscape.

Total distance: 185km
Expenditure: RM47; S$13
Participants: LSH, Matthew, Kah Kiong

Restless Saturday Night

2010-10-03T16:31:00.001+08:00

I couldn’t sit still and since I was pretty confident of clearing my work before the new week, I decided that a round island ride wouldn’t hurt. Dad was in serious need of some cycling anyway. We ended the 5.5hr ride at the Jalan Kayu branch of Selegie Beancurd.

Total distance: 95.7km
Expenditure: $4.60
Participants: LSH, Dad

NTU Sunday Leisure: The Prata Place

2010-09-26T13:28:00.000+08:00

Today marks my 4th straight day of cycling and I think I shall take a break tomorrow. Out of the four rides, three were to NTU. We did Track 15 yesterday though and it was a very muddy but fairly short ride. Washing down the bike was a real chore but what made matters worse was the colony of ants that took my bike as their new home.

Bro found the trail of ants in the wee hours yesterday and by the time I cleaned up the living room, I was running pretty late for the off-road ride. And I had to forget Desmond’s shirt – in the end, I returned to grab the shirt. I guess the colony of ants got a nasty wake-up call when we went off-road and they were crawling all over my bike. I had to fumigate the frame =(

We had quite a bit of fun on our way to school this morning, though by the time we reached school, I was feeling a bit spent. Nonetheless, it was great training and a good social ride to The Prata Place.

Total distance: 63.8km (Sun); 28km (Sat); 58km (Fri); 57km (Thu)
Expenditure: $3
Participants: LSH, Kah Kiong, Jeffrey, Scott, Steven

NTU Sunday Leisure: Mount Faber

2010-09-19T16:08:00.000+08:00

Yuva had the honour of sporting our very first jersey!

After our lung-busting ride to NTU, I was pretty much famished and lasted just a lap of Mount Faber. Gunung Pulai was taking its toll on my legs. Food was a welcome consolation =)

Total distance: 80.6km
Expenditure: $4
Participants: LSH, Kah Kiong, Jeffrey Ngiam, NTU Cycling

Pain Up Gunung Pulai

2010-09-18T23:50:00.000+08:00

So here we go again – to challenge our limits up the mountain closest to home geographically. Still, it was a good 70km away, between Pekan Nanas and Kulai. We set off in the wee hours – I met Kah Kiong and Jan at Marsiling – and we linked up with William in JB.

Breakfast was a welcome relief when we pulled into Pekan Nanas. I had my “usual” wanton noodles =) We took the opportunity to visit the bike shop where William bought a pair of tights and I stood around admiring the array of bikes sold. Not the greatest range usually available at the major retailers but still enough to keep me happy.

Pretty soon we were at the foot of Gunung Pulai and I couldn’t help wondering how my third ascent would go. Previously, I managed to keep my gear range within the middle chain ring but I had to take more breaks at the flatter sections.

The hikers we met along the way were very friendly and it was a pleasure to meet a group of mountain bikers on their way down. We had a short chat before continuing on our agonizing climb. This time round, I took fewer pit-stops and the gradient was becoming to steep for me to pedal in the middle chain ring. My muscles were protesting and I was almost out of breath. Somehow my mental strength couldn’t bring me to the next flat section and I had to drop my gears to the smallest chain ring.

Despite some prior experiences climbing other mountains, I still found Gunung Pulai a challenge. In fact, every climb anywhere is a challenge. Even in NTU, I find myself out of breath and desperately trying to control my breathing.

We had a good mix of bikes. Jan was on his road bike, Kah Kiong on his hybrid, William on his hard-tail mountain bike and me on my full-suspension mountain bike. Comparing the gear ratios, Jan probably had the hardest time but he is a strong rider who can pull through very steep sections.

At the peak, we were so tired. I was looking forward to the ride down though – the advantage of having a full-suspension mountain bike to iron out the bumps and potholes!

We took more than an hour to get up Gunung Pulai but we were down in five minutes. Some of the hairpin curves were simply amazing. Pretty dangerous in wet weather though.

Jan and William left for their homes in JB while Kah Kiong and I pedaled further to Kulai where we raided the Tesco for their RM1 nasi lemak. Thereafter, we rode straight home, only stopping just before the CIQ to catch our breath. At the pace we were “speeding” home and the intense heat of the afternoon bearing down on us, I was amazed that we survived!

Total distance: 132km
Expenditure: RM7.50
Participants: LSH, Kah Kiong, Jan, William

Sunday Morning Leisure

2010-09-12T14:41:00.001+08:00

The weekend is almost over. Still feeling the weariness induced by yesterday’s ride, I hit the roads with Kah Kiong for NTU. It was great to see 7 members of the team cycling today and I hope we see more riders in the future!

I was famished when we reached Mandai. Fortunately, the Sembawang Hills food centre was not too far away. A bowl of fishball noodles and a cup of sugar cane juice recharged me for the last few kilometers home.

Total distance: 69.8km
Expenditure: $3.70
Participants: LSH, NTU Cycling

Black Diamonds

2010-09-11T23:22:00.000+08:00

I have not visited the Ketam MTB Park in months, ever since the poor race at the beginning of the year. Finally, the ghosts have been exorcised and I started to enjoy the experience. Frankie and I got two laps out of this trip and we returned tired but satisfied.

For the first time ever, I cleared the steep climb up the Black Cobra. This time round I hesitated before the final rock garden. The rocks were definitely slippery and looked intimidating. I had to lower my seat post before I could bring myself to clear the section.

Total distance: 20km (off-road); 66km (on-road)
Expenditure: $15.30
Participants: LSH, Terence, Garrett, Lionel, Frankie, William, Ying Han, Chai Siang

The Day Before Year 2 Starts

2010-08-29T23:32:00.001+08:00

It’s stunning how time flies. Just a few hours before the new school term, I am sitting in front of my notebook reflecting on the last couple of weeks and silently berating myself for not treasuring the present.

I took a break from my training schedule when YOG started and long working hours became the norm of my life. Today was my first 9km run in weeks. At work, there were pretty interesting days, as well as very dull ones. I was actually looking forward to the end of work but laziness had since taken over. It’s time to kick-start my engine for the new term. Focus, focus, focus.

CAT 1 in the morning ruined my weekend off-road session and I was confined to the comforts of my bed. I didn’t manage to get my bike out today but at least I found enough time to give the clogged gear cables a spruce up. I returned the loaned RP2 to Hup Leong a few days ago when mine was ready for collection after a rebuilt during which all the seals were changed. For once, I am glad I had a warranty in place!

We (myself, Jasper, Terence, Kah Kiong, Chin Yang & Jeremy) went for a 110km ride to Kota Tinggi on Sat, 21 August in the company of SMBF guys which included En Joo and Clinton. It was a pretty leisure ride to our destination and I enjoyed it =)

Our first major rest point was at Today’s Mall where most of the group had their breakfast. I idled around with Jeremy, Terence and Jasper as we felt that we could hold out until Kota Tinggi.

It was pretty late (around 9.45am if I recall correctly) when we reached Kota Tinggi. I decided to give ba-kut-teh a miss this time round and opted for chicken rice instead. After gobbling down the food, glutton me still felt hungry so I ordered a plate of wanton noodles.

Because I had to work in the afternoon, we had to turn back for home while the others proceeded to the waterfall. A pretty brisk pace and two hours later, lunch was at Old Woodlands Interchange. Thereafter, it was a mad rush to work for me.

Past Training Schedules

2010-08-08T22:59:00.001+08:00

21 July 2010 – IPPT / Speed Training
27 July 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 7km run
28 July 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 20.2km
31 July 2010 – T15, BT (1 lap), SC – 16.5km (off-road); 19.3km (on-road)
1 August 2010 – SC Night Cycling Recce – 61km
3 August 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 7km run
4 August 2010 – Flexibility Training
5 August 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 21.9km
6 August 2010 – SC Night Cycling, T15 – 6km (off-road); 73km (on-road)
8 August 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 9km run

Pulau Tioman: Day 3 (Sunday, 25 July 2010)

2010-08-08T17:20:00.001+08:00

I caught only a couple of hours of sleep before my phone alarm triggered me awake. It read something like 3.30am (if I still remembered correctly through my grogginess!). I thought Lim Hwee had not heard the alarm and I could continue sleeping. Alas, he jumped out of bed. My hopes were dashed.

We realized Hon Yiong was missing. I called the girls’ room and a weary-sounding Hiang Ling answered and to our surprise, Jia Yi was missing too. Great. Mandy wasn’t coming along for our little hike so Lim Hwee and I left for Tekek, at the same time hopping to spot our two missing jokers. The security guards were all sound asleep when we walked past. So much for a 4-star resort. We still didn’t see Jia Yi and Hon Yiong so we were pondering waking everyone up when I managed to contact Hon Yiong. They just got back to the room.

In the wee hours, the long walk out of the Berjaya Tioman Resort was pretty comfortable but once we hit the slopes between the resort and the main village of Tekek, exertion started to take place and we found ourselves touching our supply of water.

Locating the trailhead to Juara was really a matter of luck. I only had a rough idea that we were supposed to turn off somewhere after the airport and we found ourselves mid-way towards the Marine Park and Air Batang when we came across a decent intersection. There were no signs stating that the road led to Juara, just a kampung on the fringes of the bigger villages and we came to a dead end. There was a crossing that led into dense vegetation. It couldn’t be. We were about to turn back when Lim Hwee spotted an arrow carved on a rock. There was a word below. Juara.

As I pushed the dense vegetation away to reveal an overgrown trail that was only illuminated by our torches, I was really wondering what in hell were we doing. It was Brunei Part II, but this time round, we were under-dressed for the occasion. I wished I had long sleeves, long pants and boots on. Bermudas and shoes weren’t going to protect us from the hazards we faced as we pushed through a trail which no one had utilized for some time in almost complete darkness. Our torches and perhaps my Swiss Army knife were our only weapons. I would have preferred a rifle, a machete or at least a bayonet!

It was a very long climb. As the noise of civilization faded behind us, only to be replaced with the not so comforting songs of the jungle, I was starting to doubt myself. We set a target – a turn-around time. Missing the ferry home was not at all appealing.

I remember stumbling across this huge wall in the jungle. I was surprised. In the dark, the wall looked super smooth and I was wondering how such an immense tower could have been constructed in the middle of a dense forest. Then I realized the huge obstacle in front of me was not man-made. It was a gigantic tree. Probably hundreds or thousands of years old. For most of the way, we were climbing parallel to a river. Finally, we stumbled across a water catchment area and entered the unlocked gate. Water was gushing down from the mountains but there was no feasible way across the catchment. It was close to 7am, about time to turn back anyway.

Out of the gate, we found a small trail heading even high up the mountain. Curious, we continued climbing but the progress seemed to take forever. Power lines ran parallel to the trail since we had started and they were dipping along the ground now, signifying we were along the highest ridges. Yet we saw no end. I was about to give up and return but we kept telling ourselves to head to the next clearing, at least a decent place for us to rest and grab a bite of our “combat rations” (courtesy of Hon Yiong).

Then, we saw a signboard. In the middle of the jungle? It gave us hope. We pushed on, reluctant to give up. Then, we emerged from the jungle and found ourselves on a long descending road to Juara! A motorcycle approached and we flagged it down. The friendly local told us Juara was fifteen minutes away by foot and Tekek was 1 hr 15 min in the opposite direction. Feeling much better, we started jogging to cover a greater distance but fifteen minutes later, we saw no sign of the village!

We were given another chance to give up our self-torture when a 4WD pulled up and the driver told us that Juara was still fifteen minutes away. He was heading to Tekek and could give us a ride at a hefty price of course. We rejected his “kind” intentions and decided to head back. I was getting a bit worried as we had exceeded our turn-back time and a long route back would threaten our ability to get off the island!

The gradient we encountered was amazing. It was just like Penang Hill but much longer. We ran for some parts, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Climbing was a torture and descending was a real pain to the knees. We met a guy in jogging attire on one of the hairpin turns. Elated to see a fellow human being on foot, we approached and struck up a conversation. We learnt that Tekek was just 5 min away – music to our ears. He told us that he could cover the distance from Tekek to Juara in 30 min. We didn’t know whether to believe him. There were certainly “supermen” around.

5 min later, we were still a distance away from town but we could see the familiar beaches from our vantage point as we descended the mountain. At a fast march pace, it still took us a good 15 min to complete our descend (ending at the junction between Berjaya Tioman and the edge of Tekek village) where we started a jog to the Sarang Seafood Restaurant where the others had gathered.

I treated myself to a hearty breakfast and when we were done, we went to find out if motorcycles were available for rent. Unfortunately, they needed our licenses. Alfred spent a long time talking to the guys at the tourist information counter who were pretty much hoping we would take up their offer of a 4WD ride to Juara and back. They believed we could get back in time (it was already past 10am) but fortunately, we didn’t take up their offer. We rented bicycles instead and had a leisure spin down to the Marine Park and back.

By the time we got back to our rooms, it was close to noon. We showered hurriedly and checked out, catching the bus to the main lobby where we caught another bus to the ferry terminal but as we stepped into the terminal, I spotted a Bluewater craft leaving the terminal. It was our ferry. It was 12.40pm.

The next ferry was scheduled to arrive at 2pm. We had to wait until past 2.30pm and we finally boarded, it was close to 3pm. Midway, more passengers were picked up and they had to settle on plastic chairs in the crowded ferry. Our weary little bunch was relieved to be off the boat at Mersing but it was getting late and we hurried to the bus station, stopping only to pack a KFC meal along the way. It was a blessing. All express bus tickets were sold out. We got onto the last city bus (5.15pm) to Kota Tinggi and we had to stand for half the journey in the old, non air-conditioned vehicle. I thought it was pretty fun to experience such a vehicle again as we sped towards Kota Tinggi.

We ran into a bad storm as we neared Kota Tinggi. The driver had to manually complement his windshield wipers by standing up to clean the fogged up glass. He did that as the bus rumbled along. Multi-tasking at its best? Visibility was definitely slowing the traffic towards Johor Bahru and our bus driver moved over to the opposite lane whenever possible, trying to squeeze our bus ahead. In order to avoid a congested traffic junction that entered Kota Tinggi, he sped down a one-directional carriageway exiting Kota Tinggi, much to the chagrin of other motorists who blared their horns. At a traffic stop, he maneuvered the vehicle onto the road shoulder, trying to squeeze between a line of vehicles and lamp posts lining the road. He succeeded as we bumped along.

Finally, we pulled into Kota Tinggi and the rain had somewhat subsided. Easily, we found a bus going to City Square and hopped on. The journey back was jam-packed with traffic but our driver pulled all stops to get the bus to JB as fast as he possibly could. As expected, it was almost 9pm when we reached JB. Dinner was at Kenny Rogers – a good treat to end off the trip. We then crossed the customs via SMRT 950 and went our separate ways at Woodlands Checkpoint.

I was glad the trip had gone well and I really enjoyed myself =)

Trip expenditure: RM410
Participants: Hiang Ling, Jia Yi, Jessica, Mandy, Alfred, Hon Yiong, Lim Hwee, LSH

Pulau Tioman: Day 2 (Saturday, 24 July 2010)

2010-07-28T23:43:00.001+08:00

I had a rather restless night and was up earlier than the others. A cup of hot tea was appealing but not before I figured that the tea tasted weird because the heating coil in the water boiler was rusted. The one in the girls’ room was working fine though so I still got my tea in the end! =)

Alfred was sleeping real soundly and he was still lazing in bed when the girls turned up at the door, ready to go. We packed several essential items, mainly cash for the snorkeling trip, and headed to the lobby to catch the bus to the main resort lobby where we started our walk to Tekek. It was already 11am when we reached the village and we were hungry so we settled down for breakfast at the Sarang Seafood Restaurant.

We approached the tourist information counter where they offered boat hire services for snorkeling. Alfred put on his best bargaining act and managed to secure a decent price of RM60 per person to four places of interest, namely Marine Park, Soyak (Soyah) Island, Monkey Bay and Renggis Island. Lunch was to be at Salang Village. When Alfred, Mandy, Jessica and myself were negotiating with the staff at the counter, the others went off to check out several other dive shops. They managed to source one for RM55 but since reliability was a question (the weather was not very good and the boatmen were refusing to go out to sea), we decided to settle for the former. We bought some bread and water, then boarded a minibus which transported us to the boat waiting at the marina.

Our boatman was a really quiet guy (I have forgotten his name) who spoke little English but we had a few quirky exchanges in Malay. At least, I had the chance to practice my rusty and half-forgotten basic vocabulary learnt last semester. The weather was holding up fine but I was pretty disappointed when we arrived at the Marine Park and found the waters slightly murky. Two years ago, the water was sparkling clear and swarmed with fishes. This time round, there were certainly less schools of fishes around. There was certainly a human crowd around though – perhaps the fishes had been frightened off?

The choppy waters spared no one. We were tossed around by the waves. Getting on the platforms or the boat proved futile. In fact, it was easier to get seasick by remaining on the boat. Before our second destination, Jia Yi was already feeling unwell and her orange juice (breakfast) went overboard. The rest of us (except Hon Yiong) were unaware so I think we all drank a mixture of sea water and orange juice when we hung around the boat. I am sure she must be touched by the loving care shown by Hon Yiong though. =P

Soyak Island was pretty much the same as compared to two years ago but the corals did not seem as beautiful. There was a little bit of drama though when Mandy dropped her breathing tube which sank to the seabed. It was probably around 50m deep and almost impossible to get down there without a self-contained breathing apparatus. Alfred and I made futile attempts to reach the tube and I came up so quickly when the pressure got to me and my lungs threatened to burst. For awhile, I felt giddy and water was just streaming uncontrollably out of my nose. I believe we were all quite relieved to dock on dry land (Salang Beach) for lunch. Alfred was already shaking as he had to use the toilet urgently.

We had lunch at one of the “restorans” and as a very touristy spot, the things on Salang Beach did not come cheap. I had nasi lemak accompanied by hot lemon tea which wasn’t all that nice. I thought the RM20 we paid to buy a new breathing tube was a little exorbitant. I was sure I had seen cheaper snorkeling equipment at other places on Tioman.

After lunch, we proceeded to Monkey Bay. When we were exploring the shallower waters closer to shore, I spotted tiny flashes floating past and around my goggles. I thought it was just my imagination but small pricks of pain on my arms and legs proved otherwise. Jellyfish! The others realized they had been stung too and our little exploration was abruptly cut short as we headed back to the relative safety of our boat.

Our final destination for the day was Renggis Island which was opposite the Berjaya Tioman Resort. We were dropped in deeper waters but as we waded closer to the island, the corals growing on the seabed closed in on the depth. I was becoming rather self-aware of where my legs went. I certainly didn’t want to be impaled by the sea urchins that were thriving in several areas! It was tempting to just sit on the rocks and chill but the cold got to me. The wake of passing boats pushed me off the rocks with such force that I struggled to find a foothold. It wasn’t very funny to get washed onto the sharp and corroded rocks. Anyway, the cold was getting to all of us and we decided to call it a day. The boatman carefully maneuvered his craft around the sneaky rocks that threatened to ensnare us in the shallow waters near the Persona resort and put us on the beach. We parted ways.

A warm shower before dinner was appealing but we decided against it. Going back to our rooms and coming out again for dinner wasn’t a brilliant idea. We settled for “zi char” at Sarang Seafood Restaurant ordering six dishes consisting sambal kang kong, sweet & sour chicken, Mongolian chicken, sizzling beancurd, chilli sotong and omelette. I thought the rice was quite bad in quality though and that was pretty obvious when we tasted it. Anyway, the meal cost RM99 which didn’t prove to be too exorbitant when shared among eight people. We had a leisure walk back to Berjaya Tioman thereafter.

Spotting an incoming tram, we were pondering whether to hijack the vehicle but to our dismay, it was full. Who else but Alfred (with Jessica and Mandy) was on the vehicle! Lady Luck was on our side though as shortly thereafter, another tram came along and we happily flagged it down. Ever resourceful Alfred had gotten onto the bus heading to our apartments and we made a mid-route swap!

We were back in our rooms pretty early – around 8pm if I remembered correctly. Everyone gathered in our room this time round and things got interesting when Lim Hwee and Jessica went out to town to buy some stuff! We all stayed up till past 1am before we decided to catch some sleep. Lim Hwee and I planned to check out Juara Village and the nearby waterfalls in the wee hours.

Trip expenditure: RM410
Participants: Hiang Ling, Jia Yi, Jessica, Mandy, Alfred, Hon Yiong, Lim Hwee, LSH

Pulau Tioman: Day 1 (Friday, 23 July 2010)

2010-07-27T23:24:00.001+08:00

Our long-awaited vacation was here at last and to be frank, I didn’t know how the weekend would turn out. Call it curse or luck, the short getaway turned out to be quite interesting, very tiring but rather memorable. =)

We were supposed to meet-up at 6.30am at Woodlands MRT and as expected, most of us were late. Hon Yiong was probably the only one on time! When everyone else turned up, we took SMRT 950 to the customs. There wasn’t much of a jam at both the Woodlands Checkpoint and Complex Sultan Iskandar but we spent quite some time waiting for the buses. Nonetheless, we still arrived early at Terminal Bas Awam Larkin. McDonald’s was our usual wait-zone. Our bus (S&S International, RM11.50 per pax) arrived on time at 8.30am but I was surprised to see a 42-seater bus. Two years ago, it was RM8.80 for a 24-seater coach!

Arriving in Mersing just past 10.45am, we were only able to get tickets for the 11.30am ferry (Bluewater Express, RM35 one-way). Anyway, the walk from the bus terminal took some time – the new bus terminal was a distance away from the ferry terminal. There was a crowd waiting for the ferries. We bought water and some snacks, paid the RM5 marine conservancy fees and settled down to wait for our ride. By 12.30pm, we were still at the jetty!

When we finally got onto the ferry, we had to settle for separated seats. I tried to catch forty winks and when I was all awake, we were still not at Tioman! It was only close to 2.30pm when we finally reached Tekek. At first, the surroundings seemed so unfamiliar. Then we realized that the jetty at Tekek was undergoing renovations and we had actually docked at the marina, just a short distance from Monte chalet. Unfortunately, Monte was full and so were most of the other chalets in the area. Persona and a couple others still had rooms (Friday night only) but we decided to make our plans over lunch.

The first plan was to stay a night at Persona before moving to Air Batang the next day in search of accommodation. The second plan was to call the agent whom we had purchased our ferry tickets from to book rooms at Salang. We went for the latter but the agent was out of rooms and could only offer us the 4-star Berjaya Tioman Resort at around RM280 per room. In the end, we settled for that and had to rush down to the Bank Simpanan Nasional (outside the airport) to make a cash transfer to the agent’s account. That settled, we had two rooms booked to my name and checked in without a voucher. Interesting.

We caught the Berjaya Tioman tram outside the airport and “hijacked” it to the resort lobby. The mass disappearance act was quite unsuccessful but nonetheless we got the rooms (apartments far from the main compound!). The deposits were a hefty RM400! Incredible.

The tram took us to the apartment suites (we had passed them on the last trip), and we were relieved to settle into our rooms which were great. There was a refrigerator and balcony even, what more can a simple person like me ask for!

The weather turned bad but when the rain subsided, we decided to trek to Paya beach. Obviously, we were all under-dressed and the girls probably got a “pleasant surprise” when we entered the jungle past the turtle sanctuary on the beach. =)

Memories of our last Tioman trip came flooding back as I took in the humid jungle air and attempted to retrace our path via the overhead power lines. We had to climb up a knoll before the trail took us on a descend towards Paya Village. We made cautious progress but at the top of the knoll, I led them down the wrong fork and we ended up trapped by huge impassable rocks just a couple of meters from the beach! Hobson’s choice, we had to retrace our path and locate the correct one. We left markings (for our return trip) and managed to reach Paya beach as the sun was setting. It was certainly a beautiful sight as we strolled along the beach and waded in the shallow waters.

Dinner was at the “famous” Ramly burger stall which opened only at 8pm. It was fifteen minutes to time hence we treated ourselves to some ice-cream at the provision shop nearby. The shopkeepers were shocked to hear that we were from Berjaya Tioman and planned to trek back at night! They were discouraging us and the girls were visibly worried. Alfred was super confident though and that was a good sign!

Lightning lit up the skies and it soon started to pour. We were having dinner and decided to return only when the storm died down. I was too indulged in my chicken burger and satay to care. We had all the time in the world! =) Indeed, the rain died down when it was close to 10pm. We bought more water, some food and extra batteries at the provision shop. By now, more people knew about our "folly” and they made fun of us by giving us false hope (telling us to wait at the jetty).

I was pretty excited. As I had told them, this would be a great team building activity! =) I took the lead, followed by Hon Yiong who was taking care of Jia Yi behind him, Hiang Ling next, Alfred, Jessica, Mandy, then Lim Hwee who brought up the rear. The going was slow, we couldn’t see much in the jungle but the moonlight was sufficient to make our progress easier. It was a relief to hit the downhill and finally emerge on the beach at the other side!

Back in the comfort of our rooms, or rather, the girls’ room, we played some card games till we were just too sleepy to continue. I found our makeshift bed rather difficult to sleep in and elected to move to the couch. It was damn cold at night and I had to wake up several times to adjust the temperature of the air-conditioner before shutting it and the fan for good! What a night. Alfred slept like a pig though! =P

Trip expenditure: RM410
Participants: Hiang Ling, Jia Yi, Jessica, Mandy, Alfred, Hon Yiong, Lim Hwee, LSH

Kota Lok Heng

2010-07-18T22:50:00.000+08:00

We had a great plan to explore the off-road trails at Kota Lok Heng. But it was a good 95km away (from my home). And we underestimated the energy sucking potency of the terrain we would be facing. It definitely put the Desaru route to shame. As most would have guessed by now, we never got the chance to put our bikes onto the trails.

Crossing the customs at 6.45am and starting our journey to Kota Tinggi, we only reached the town by mid-morning. Breakfast came in the form of prata and after this “pit stop”, we rejoined Route 3 and Route 99 thereafter to Kota Lok Heng.

After the intense “warm-up” yesterday, my legs were starting to ache as the going got tougher. I couldn’t believe the sheer distances of the rolling hills we faced. I thought my form had pretty much dipped since I started work after getting back from the Alor Setar expedition.

We didn’t have that high expectations of Lok Heng and indeed, it was a quiet little outfit with pretty friendly people around. Although Lok Heng was still officially in Kota Tinggi, it was way far off the Pusat Bandar and was more of a self-sustainable plantation town. We rested there for awhile before deciding to head back to Kota Tinggi for lunch. By then, it was already close to 12.30pm.

The return route seemed to take forever but the real reason was because we were exhausted. Not surprisingly, I was beginning to falter. When Route 99 rejoined Route 3, we passed a row of makeshift roadside stalls selling food and fruits. I bought some kueh (known in Singapore as peanut pancake) and the Malaysian version proved to be a culinary delight. I had expected to find just peanut filling but the taste of “jagung manis” (corn) with peanut was really sweet. We had 11km to Kota Tinggi and I decided to save the rest of the kueh for the last 45km back to JB. Interestingly, we came across a sign by the road that read “Elephants Crossing” in Bahasa Malaysia. Wild elephants, maybe?

As we were having ba-kut-teh in Kota Tinggi, the weather poured. From then on, it was Cat 1 all the way back to JB and midway through, the storm just got worse! It seems that the weather turns bad every time I am clad in a long sleeve jersey with long pants!

Total distance: 190km
Money spent: RM13
Participants: LSH, Vincent

“Warm-Up”

2010-07-17T22:42:00.001+08:00

What do you do when you have not cycled (or for that matter, exercised) in a week and are faced with a potentially grueling overseas ride? You do a warm-up ride, an easy one to be exact. Obviously my form has dipped so bad that clocking 91.3km inclusive of 4 rounds up Mount Faber had my muscles all fired up and aching =(

I wonder how I had managed the 60km climb up Cameron Highlands after a grueling 150km ride from KL not too many weeks ago. The solution to aching muscles? Subject them to more torture. I will be really disappointed if we can’t make the Johor ride happen tomorrow!

Total distance: 93.1km
Money spent: $3.50
Participants: LSH, Yuva

Training in the Rain

2010-07-08T22:06:00.001+08:00

I couldn’t sleep after Germany went down 1-nil to Spain and decided to go for a quick training ride. The weather was holding when I left at 5am but it soon started pour as I neared Woodlands. Unfortunately, the roads got even more wet as the rain became heavier. I was soaked and cold when I turned into Dunearn Road. I decided against a longer ride to Mount Faber. A hot bowl of fishball noodles at Chong Pang was distinctively appealing as I pedaled on, the spray from the wheels getting into my eyes.

After breakfast at Chong Pang (7am), I returned home, washed up and fell into the comfort of my bed by 8.30am. When consciousness crept back into my mind, my ears detecting a familiar ringtone from my phone, I realized it was already 3.15pm. I heated lunch up.

The weather was clear in the evening and I went for a 7km run. Amazingly, the skies made a fool out of me as it started to drizzle when as I stepped out of my block. Nonetheless, I went ahead with the run. By the time I was halfway through, the sun came out again and it became pretty warm. I finished off the run with the usual IPPT work-out. Sometimes I wonder if there’s enough justification for me to train up to twice daily in the rain.

6 July 2010 – TKD
7 July 2010 – Stairs Run (8 x 12 floors)
8 July 2010 – Sembawang Circuit 7km run

Total distance: 44.6km
Money spent: $2.50
Participants: LSH

Seafood @ Pengerang

2010-07-03T22:54:00.000+08:00

I think we got a bit more than what I had expected. Our move-off at 7.45am was delayed and this was compounded further by the poor weather and queue at the ferry terminal. As a result, we only reached Tanjung Pengelih at past 10.30am.

We turned into the plantations after the Tanjung Pengelih Secondary School and soon found ourselves struggling up the windy trail of a hill. The view was magnificent though, a reward for our hard work. Of course, with the ups came the downs. I am sure all of us were game for the descends.

It was a wet day and certain sections were pretty slippery, not to mention muddy. In no time, we were all muddy (comparable to Plentong!). I thought the trails, view and lack of mosquitoes made it a better experience on a whole as compared to Plentong. That said, the bumboat ride cost us S$22 for a return trip, so Plentong will be a more economical option to get down and dirty with mud!

The road bikers were attempting to cycle to Desaru and back but the plan was to meet for lunch together in Sungei Rengit at 1pm. Past noon, we attempted to cut out from the trail to the main road but found ourselves cut off by huge ditches and impregnable foliage. After discussing with Vincent, we decided to stick to the original route but as we back-tracked, we heard and then saw a vehicle roar by, obscured partly by dense vegetation. The “view” gave us optimism. We could see other vehicles passing on the road but again and again, a huge ditch blocked us. Even when we managed to get across the ditch, we were stopped by the vegetation. There was no way through. Then, Vincent had a tire puncture and as the others set about to get a new tube in, I tried to make contact with the road bikers. Amazingly, I couldn’t get through to any of them. Later, I heard that they had tried to contact me (even through a public phone) but all communication means had failed.

Civilization meant there was a road somewhere hence we decided to head back to the bird nest farm where we had made a U-turn. In my mind, I knew it was pretty tricky. We had to get out of the plantations and our time was fast running out. In desperation, we crossed a water-logged ditch, forming a human chain to get our bikes across first, then ourselves.

We found ourselves in the bird nest farm (trespassing private property). There was a locked gate in front of us and we were literally fenced-in. No one seemed to be at home but dogs were barking and threatening us as we neared the house. Fortunately, the creatures left us alone when we moved off to the gate. Man-made obstacles now stood in our way. Two of us climbed over first and facilitated in getting the bikes over. Then the others climbed the gate and jumped off to relative safety. I was so glad to be on tarmac again. With help from a couple of kind locals, we managed to make our way back to the main road, emerging some 10km away from Sungei Rengit. It was pretty late to continue to town so we decided to have lunch at the simple food stalls in the area. Fortunately, Shirley managed to get through to Joey and saved me a ride down to Rengit.

Lunch was a really simple affair. Nasi goreng cost no more than RM3 and for me, it was decent enough to stem my hunger. The headwind on the ride back to the jetty was pretty significant but we were taking turns to draft each other and that really helped a lot! =)

We hung around the jetty waiting for our boat and spent most of the time taking pictures. Wen Jie and Joey pulled in ahead of the road bikers, and Joey joined us on the boat back while Wen Jie remained behind to link up with the others. On the boat, it was more photo-taking and just slacking as we made out way back to rainy Singapore.

The ride home was a very wet and cold affair. I was pretty hungry and my vision was blurred out by the rain. It was a relief to get home but washing up was a complete nightmare! I drained four pails of water to get most of the mud off my bike but looking at the Dakar in my room now, anyone would be disgusted at the mud-crusted machine. So much for my efforts to get it cleaned!

1 July 2010 – Causeway Point – 10km run
4 July 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 7km run

Total distance: 25km (off-road), 73km (on-road)
Money spent: S$22, RM7
Participants: LSH, NTU Cycling

A Hefty Bill

2010-06-29T22:54:00.001+08:00

28 June 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 19.8km
29 June 2010 – Servicing – 49.2km

The old chain was worn and the new one started skipping on the smallest cog. I had no choice but to replace the cassette too. How I wish they sold the cogs of cassettes separately! I think that would save consumers some cost. Wishful thinking on my part.

Replacements made:

XT cassette (~6250km)
Dura-Ace chain (~6145km)
Front & rear brake pads (~6250km)

Mountain Biking Plentong

2010-06-27T23:53:00.000+08:00

I was hoping the weather stayed clear (it did not rain on Saturday after Friday’s horrendous downpour) and although lightning flashed ominously in the west, the skies seemed clear as I made my way to Woodlands.

After meeting up with Vincent, we proceeded past the customs and on to Plentong. We used Jalan Tebrau, turned right at the junction past Taman Sentosa and headed on to Permas Jaya. The weather was turning bad when we arrived at our destination. We happened to run into Vincent’s friend, David, who was expecting several more riders. We decided to join them and as it turned out, the other riders drove in from Singapore.

The rain lasted almost as long as our breakfast and when we were quite done, the weather was clear and the other riders had arrived. We proceeded with the ride which turned out to be an enjoyable experience. While the terrain was generally mild and not technical (in comparison to the man-made trails in Singapore), the fun came in the form of mud pools, fast single-tracks, scenic views and narrow bridges across various streams.

Mosquitoes were really irritating pests throughout the 30km ride and I almost regretted not covering myself with insect repellent. Without a GPS, it was almost impossible to find your way round (unless you are familiar with that area) – I was reliving the jungles of Brunei, but with a bike this time round!

The pictures of my muddy bike provide a clue to how deep the mud pools we had to traverse were! Just look at the cake of mud on my rear suspension. Certain pleasure came in the form of unpredictability in the depths of the mud pools. Deep and sticky sections threatened to hold us down and there were a couple of times I got caught right in the middle of the pool! Mountain biking in Singapore never got this muddy! =)

My rear brakes have been out of action for several weeks now and all my braking power had to be concentrated on the front. Some of the steep single-tracks required pretty hard braking and after the most major downhill of them all, I found myself without any braking power! The front brakes had failed.

The last few kilometers out to the car-park were not exactly fun. I had no way to stop my bike other than to jab a foot onto the ground. A downward sloping section with a turn saw me desperately grinding my cleats into the ground and I managed to clear the turn since the path ahead of me was clear. However, when I spotted an oncoming scooter on another downward sloping turn, my heart nearly leapt into my mouth. I missed the scooter narrowly, the motorist probably unaware of the predicament I was in. I could only grin weakly.

Back in the relative safety of a sports hall where we could wash our muddy bikes with a hose, I set about dismantling the pads from my front brakes with Vincent’s help. I was horrified to see a gaping section burnt off one of the pads. At the same time, it was pretty interesting because I have never seen such a thing happen before! We were racking brains on how the brakes could be fixed out in the field, minimally the front brakes so that I could get home safely, when Vincent came up with the splendid idea of swapping pads with the non-functioning rear brakes. The idea worked – I got just sufficient power up front to slow the bike.

We found the others at a coffee-shop, thanked them for the ride and headed back to Taman Sentosa. Midway, we stopped at a stall selling tau huay and it was pretty good. The you tiao and hum jin peng went for RM0.60 apiece, very reasonably priced for today’s living standards. Lunch was a welcome relief when we reached Taman Sentosa and we lazed around till 4pm.

As expected, traffic (cars) was pretty heavy at the customs but a bike could easily squeeze through the jams. We found ourselves back on home ground pretty quickly and I pedaled my creaking bike home. =)

Total distance: 30km (off-road), 36km (on-road)
Money spent: RM15.50
Participants: LSH, Vincent

Hellish Ride to Pekan Nanas

2010-06-25T18:57:00.000+08:00

It was already raining when I left home at 4.30am in the morning. Thankfully, it was not pouring and my long-sleeve jersey coupled with a pair of long pants kept me comfortably warm. I elected to use my full-finger gloves on this ride and it warmed things up a little. I was optimistic though, that the weather would clear when we hit Johor. How wrong my judgment turned out to be.

Kah Kiong was already at our meeting point and unfortunately for us, his rear tire went flat right at the Malaysian customs. After clearing the custom booth, we had to change the ruptured inner tube before continuing. A stop at Petronas to pump up his tire pressure proved a waste of time as the pump kiosk was dead – my hand pump was called into action.

The roads were pretty wet but all went well until we hit the area near the roadside cendol stall (Sri Pulai). The skies literally poured upon us and we sought shelter at the stall. The rain would not subside however and we pushed on to Pekan Nanas. In my mind, I was cursing the damn weather – we were cold and the flooded areas proved to be nuisance by jamming up my gears (I had sorted the problem out before the ride but now it was back!). Visibility was definitely very poor and the “wave” of water created by a passing bus smashed into my face, threatening to throw me off my bike. I wonder how much water I drank!

Finally, we pulled into Pekan Nanas and as we stepped into the coffee-shop, all soaked and dripping water, I could feel the many pairs of eyes on us. No doubt, people were wondering where these two cyclists came from and why in hell would people actually cycle in a Category 1 storm. I ignored all the attention. It was a relief to be under shelter. I left the bike partially exposed in the pouring rain. Abuse. =P

We had a good meal consisting chicken rice (RM2.50) and tea (RM1). I went to the nearby “kedai ubat” to get a couple of boxes of Ho Yan Hor, then returned to the relative warmth of the coffee-shop. I was shivering and my teeth were clattering non-stop. It proved difficult to move our butts after awhile but we finally got moving to the bike shop where the uncle said his son’s shop would only open at 10am. We decided to wait.

The weather was finally warming up when the shop opened. We ogled at the bikes, mostly Giant models though there were a few other brands like Wheeler and Raleigh. The prices were just mind boggling on the star bikes (the Trance and Anthem models). Kah Kiong got his inner tubes and after a friendly chat with the owner, we went our way. I am in love with the road from Pekan Nanas to Kulai as it takes us past the foot of Gunung Pulai and a scenic number of pineapple plantations. Traffic was sparse and Kah Kiong was starting to enjoy the ride as well.

I treated myself to the usual nasi lemak and fried chicken (RM2) at Tesco before we made good speed back to Pusat Bandaraya. KFC was in store for us. =) Then came the all too familiar process of clearing the customs. And hearing the agitated honks of Singapore drivers.

Total distance: 120km
Money spent: RM40.50
Participants: LSH, Kah Kiong

New Gear!

2010-06-22T18:58:00.001+08:00

We had dinner at Sakura yesterday (in-lieu of the special occasions last week). I ate so much that I felt like puking but thankfully, we had a long walk to the Woodlands Waterfront which overlooked the Causeway and Johor. The space-net was just so tempting and I expanded significant energy trying to relive my childhood, which was great because I felt less bloated thereafter (the food had begun to digest).

Alrasvee informed me that my orders from CRC had arrived and many thanks to him, I could collect the new gear last night!

Thor Phase S9 Gloves ($23)
Schwalbe Black Jack Tyre, 26 x 2.1 Wire ($23)
Cyclo Glass Nylon Reinforced Tyre Levers ($3.80)
2 x Clarks MTB Gear Cable Inner ($5.80)

It was past midnight when I had reached home and washed up but that did not deter me from fixing my flat front tire. Patching did not work because the slit was too big, hence I wasted much time but gained some experience, and finally replaced the damaged inner tube with a brand new one.

Reveille was 0430hrs and I grabbed a quick bite. I wasn’t that hungry after last night’s dinner! My first stop was Changi Village where I intended to have zui gui but unfortunately, the stall was not yet open. I had to settle for nasi lemak. My rear was flat and after breakfast, I put in a new tube. Then it was Changi Coastal Road and finally East Coast Park. I took a break at Bedok Jetty before making my way home.

The clouds overhead were ominous looking when I hit Thomson but the skies only opened up when I neared Nee Soon Camp. By the time I passed Chong Pang, I was soaked. The Thor gloves were slightly too warm to wear even in the morning but in the downpour, it was a surprisingly good insulator.

My rear gear cable was acting up again and I had to spend at least a couple of hours maintaining it. The bike should be good to go!

Total distance: 80.4km
Money spent: $2.50
Participants: LSH

IPPT & The Trails

2010-06-21T17:08:00.001+08:00

I was glad to get my IPPT gold back during my ICT last week. I clocked 8:56 for the 2.4km run, possibly the fastest I have achieved on that particular running route. Tired from the hustle and bustle of the week, I decided to rest on Saturday and only hit the trails on Sunday. We did the Mandai trails and Bukit Timah last (at a leisure pace), before heading home feeling very satisfied.

I spent the rest of the afternoon resolving drive-train issues – my existing DuraAce/XTR chain was worn and one of the pulley wheels on my RD had a bent tooth. In the end, I swapped the chain for a lesser-utilized Deore LX one from my commuting hybrid and forcefully bent back the misaligned tooth. The “new” chain still skipped under intense pressure (probably due to bent cogs of my cassette) but it was generally roadworthy. I managed to test the bike for 16km today when I went out to get spare tubes ($5 each) from the LBS. Orane Concept had no stock so it was down to BikeLink.

17 June 2010 – Camp (return) – 25km [P]
19 June 2010 – T15 / BF / BT – 21.5km (off-road); 20.6km (on-road)
21 June 2010 – LBS – 16km

The Prata Spin

2010-06-13T20:28:00.001+08:00

I was tempted to take a day off riding but the invitation to a short breakfast ride was too hard to resist. I found myself eating a bowl of glutinous rice before heading out to meet Kah Kiong at 9.15am at the Kranji MRT station.

We proceeded to meet Siang Jun at the junction of Woodlands Road and Mandai Road, after which it was the rolling “hills” of Mandai before breakfast at The Prata Place. After a chat over breakfast, we continued to Upper Pierce Reservoir to chill before making another stop at the Lower Pierce Reservoir. The others got a good chance to put their hybrids through a short dirt trail. Cyclo-cross, anyone?

It felt great just to be able to ride slowly, take in the fresh air and admire nature. These days, I have been pushing hard both on-road and off-road and today’s ride was a real relief from my usual pace =)

Total distance: 41km
Money spent: $3
Participants: LSH, Kah Kiong, Siang Jun

A Couple of Crashes

2010-06-12T18:39:00.000+08:00

Today wasn’t really my day. I felt very tired last night and the unwanted fatigue was still lingering around when I dragged myself out of bed. Running my rear tires in the reverse direction, I was hoping to get more traction out of the worn Nevegals but the response became unpredictable on muddy terrain.

Obviously I learnt a lesson or two when the tires slipped without warning but the biggest fall of the day was partly attributed to my rear brakes which had been out of order for nearly a month. I was descending slightly too quickly for the front brakes to slow me down effectively and my front wheel caught a rock, the movement sweeping the front wheel from under me. I skidded down the rocks and a tree trunk halted my progression, at the expense of my shoulder.

Total distance: 23km (off-road), 20.6km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Eric, Frankie, Shirley

Interval Speed Training

2010-06-09T20:33:00.000+08:00

4x: 50% power sprints
4x: 75% power sprints
4x: 100% power sprints
4x: 100% power sprints
4x: 75% power sprints
4x: 50% power sprints

8 x 12-floors Stairs Run & Sprint Training

2010-06-08T21:12:00.000+08:00

Upping the Tempo

2010-06-06T16:10:00.000+08:00

Buoyed by a good ride yesterday, I hit the trails again this morning. I covered Mandai with a pretty decent pace and kept the speed through the trails till I reached the Bukit Timah trail head. In a way, it was a pretty good warm-up. Since Frankie was late, I linked up with Shirley to do a lap. It was a good pace - leisure and soothing to my tired muscles.

Frankie showed up soon after and I did my third round. The pace was definitely a lot faster and later, we proceeded to Track 15 and Scorpion. I was getting tired when I took Mandai Road home but in a sense, glad that I was crawling towards better off-road fitness.

Total distance: 29.5km (off-road), 20.6km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Frankie, Shirley

The Rest Period

2010-06-05T16:14:00.001+08:00

I was down with flu after Vesak Day and spent three days resting. On Tuesday, which fell on the first of June, I got myself back on my bike and managed to pedal 2 laps of Bukit Timah. I wasn’t all recovered though but it was good enough.

I ran 21km on Wednesday. It was just another lazy afternoon but I managed to drag myself out (with Dad along) for a long run. Once again, my respiratory capability seemed restricted but a rest on Thursday aided in my recovery.

Pushing myself on a half-island at 5.30am on Friday morning, I managed to clock 66.3km in about 3 hours or slightly less. I took no breaks, just traffic stops along the way. Considering the climbs along Clementi Road, Mount Faber and Thomson, it was not surprising my already sore muscles felt worse.

Mountain biking this morning was great. Never mind my tired muscles. The pace was comfortable and I really enjoyed the ride with Jeremy and Pan’s bosses.

1 June 2010 – T15 / BT (2 laps) – 23km (off-road); 20.6km (on-road)
4 June 2010 – Half-island – 66.3km
5 June 2010 – T15 / BT / BF – 21.5km (off-road); 20.6km (on-road)

The Ride that Cost Me a Recovery

2010-05-29T21:39:00.001+08:00

As I returned late on Thursday, it was too late to do anything about the leisure ride on Friday. It would be irresponsible of me not to show up, hence despite the tiredness and flu symptoms, I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed a bite and headed for East Coast.

I had a feeling that most people would not show up and indeed, I didn’t see anyone around at the agreed meet-point. It was disappointing and disheartening that people could be that irresponsible in not informing the organizers beforehand that they would not be showing up had they indicated their attendance earlier. I waited till 8.30am, then headed for VivoCity where Yuva was waiting. I thank him for accompanying me on this ride which I would not have done otherwise.

I paid a price for it. By the time I got home, I felt even more sick and by nightfall, I was feeling bad. On an optimistic note, I surpassed the 1500km mark for this month. I doubt I will ride the next couple of days though.

Total distance: 78.9km
Money spent: $3
Participants: LSH, Yuva

Catching a Virus

2010-05-26T21:15:00.000+08:00

I was up early in the morning for a ride to Tampines with Pan. While “Teletubby Land” was closed, we managed to work on arguably the most tricky section of the trail – the rocky climbs. Thereafter, we took a longer way home via Punggol. I was glad to be out riding with Pan.

Later, it was lunch and a Wii gaming session with Bai Ting, Cong Ren and Kai Chen. I suddenly felt unwell. Somehow, I had a caught a flu bug. Medication controlled the flu symptoms and I was feeling better the next day.

Total distance: 4km (off-road), 45.6km (on-road)
Money spent: -
Participants: LSH, Pan

Too Lazy!

2010-05-25T21:40:00.001+08:00

A hundred crunches only made me feel lazier. The floor was so comfortable and I just wanted to doze off! I had to force myself to complete my “routine” flexibility training – not so routine since I left for the Malaysian expedition a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t feel like cycling, not to mention run and the wet weather only provided more excuses to laze at home. I had to drag myself and the bike out for an easy-peasy spin that didn’t even last an hour! I decided to cycle out of the saddle for 6.5km, working my muscles a little.

Total distance: 12.6km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

Mount Faber Recovery Ride

2010-05-23T23:42:00.001+08:00

I met Kah Kiong and his friends for a leisure ride to Mount Faber in the morning. As I plan to take a rest from cycling for the next couple of days, today’s ride also served as a recovery ride from the high mileage clocked over the last few weeks.

With the 66.3km clocked today, I have probably surpassed my monthly mileage record with a week to the end of May. Nonetheless, I know I am tired. I have been “living bicycles” for these couple of weeks. Take the previous 3 days for example. I have been rising early every morning to ride, returning home for lunch and catching some rest before spending the rest of the day servicing the bike. At night, I am busy with my ride reports and I barely catch a few hours of rest before hitting the roads again. It’s time to get a rest. =)

Total distance: 66.3km
Money spent: $4.10
Participants: LSH, Kah Kiong & his friends

More Pain on Bukit Timah

2010-05-22T19:08:00.001+08:00

I was surprised to see the condition the Bukit Timah trail was in. The first half was very muddy, certain sections almost too slippery to clear. Most of our energy went into plowing through the muddy resistance – I am sure mud lovers will savor every moment of it!

I was happy to be out riding but the mess was a real pain to clean up. Moreover, my shifters had jammed and the rear derailleur cable was not responding the way it should. I took hours to resolve the issues, at the expense of my lunch, but my bike is not working as well as it was when I pedaled out this morning. I will clock some mileage tomorrow, then see if I have the time to do a more proper clean-up.

Showering was not a pleasant experience. Two crashes certainly gave me more valuable lessons on mountain biking, along with a sprained wrist and abrasions in several places. Well, I was asking for it when I lined my bike for the drop-off and took off rather confidently but the landing was bad. Poor weight positioning (restricted by the saddle height) proved to be the main cause as I went down. It was a good lesson in crash recovery too. As a cyclist, it’s important to take your mind away from the crash and focus on the riding to be done. A lack of focus often means another crash will be headed your way.

Track 15 – Home (via Ulu Sembawang): 8.2km

Total distance: 23km (off-road), 18.5km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Lawrence

The Revamped Tampines Trail

2010-05-21T15:27:00.001+08:00

It’s about a week to the 12hr MTB night race to be held at Tampines trail. The Youth Olympics is also coming up and the trail has been wonderfully revamped to accommodate the event. Even though it was a Friday morning, we spotted a few other bikers making their rounds, probably trail familiarization for the upcoming race.

It has been years since I last rode with Kerry and it was great to see him all fit and well. His road biking exploits have certainly turned him into a lean, muscular and fast athlete. I am sure cross training with a mountain bike will further hone his bike handling skills and climbing abilities. In fact, he can edge out most competition in MTB races with his superior fitness level.

The revamped trail was a joy to ride, certainly a good place to work on switchback / turning techniques. The rock gardens added more thrills to the ride while the occasional drop provided an element of suspense. All in all, Tampines has been greatly improved and I hope regular trail maintenance is carried out after the YOG. In fact, we can play a role by using the trails responsibly. Simple acts such as avoiding hard skids will go a long way in preventing erosion and the formation of ruts.

Total distance: 10km (off-road), 45km (on-road)
Money spent: $1.20
Participants: LSH, Pan, Kerry

18 May 2010: The Return Journey

2010-05-21T14:08:00.001+08:00

The last breakfast of our tour was to be something different. We had dim sum (RM33), ordering till we were full, before heading back to our room to check out. For the third time in as many days, we headed for Shahab Perdana, this time on our bikes. There were no day buses to Johor. It was easy to get a bus to KL though. Moreover, it was a weekday and tickets were not in hot demand.

We found ourselves on a bus (Konsortium Bas Ekspress Semenanjung) to KL (RM90 in total, RM14 for the bikes). Halfway through, we had to swap buses as our bus was heading to Pusat Bandar whereas we wanted to go to the temporary bus terminal at the Komplex Sukan Negera @ Bukit Jalil. Lunch was at a Konsortium depot (canteen) in Taiping.

We soon ran into a thunderstorm and it was going to be a really wet affair at Bukit Jalil. It was past 5pm and Dad sought shelter at some tents while I went about looking for tickets to Larkin. It was a simple affair. One of the guys marketing tickets for Super Nice got us the tickets to JB and even helped to load the bikes into the luggage compartment of our bus. We bought burgers to quell our hunger and past 6pm, the bus moved off, half empty.

We arrived in Seremban where most of the passengers alighted and the company waited more than half an hour in vain for passengers to JB. Business was bad. We left Seremban with just a few people onboard.

The delay in Seremban meant we were not going to reach home early. Mum and Bro were waiting at home. They had bought food from McDonald’s. When the bus stopped for dinner, we starved. The prices at the food centre was exorbitant. We bought some donuts which were finished quickly. I think we were just about the only people on the bus when it pulled into Larkin! A couple of others had alighted in Skudai.

It was damn late, already 11.30pm and I was desperate to get home. We assembled the bikes and fixed on the lights. I felt the motivation to up the pace as we sped towards Komplex Sultan Iskandar but Dad was probably too tired to ride faster. It was an amazing feeling to cross the border. Our long 1048km journey was finally coming to an end! It even felt weird to be on our roads. Traffic junctions halted our progress every few hundred meters, a steep contrast to the “never-ending” roads in Malaysia.

We reached home around 12.15am. Bro was already asleep but Mum was still awake. We felt really out of place in our own home! The whole place felt so spacious in comparison to the hotel rooms we had made to do with over the last 11 days. I was just glad to be home.

Money spent: RM208
Participants: LSH, Dad

17 May 2010: Langkawi – Driving, No Riding =)

2010-05-21T14:04:00.001+08:00

We had breakfast at the coffee-shop next to our hotel and left for Shahab Perdana thereafter, our bikes locked in our room. We had booked the room for two nights, intending to just spend the day on Langkawi. It was probably close to 8am when we walked there. We waited quite long for a city bus and finally got onto one which wasn’t going straight to the jetty, but rather, Pekan Rabu, where we had to make a transfer.

Imagine our surprise when we ended up at Pusat Bandar. Pekan Rabu was never reflected on our maps nor my GPS and I finally realised it was the name of a building opposite the bus stop. That bus stop was like an informal interchange though and we got onto another bus which only left after the driver and conductor had their breakfast. When the bus finally left, we soon found ourselves at a petrol station where the bus refilled and the driver took a toilet break. Great. We reached our destination at around 10am, an incredible 2 hours to cover a distance of not more than 12km (from our hotel to the ferry terminal). Nonetheless, the bus ride from Pekan Rabu cost only RM1.50.

We caught the 10.30am ferry and arrived slightly after noon. Settling our return ticket, we then rented a Perodua Kancil for RM50 and headed out of the vicinity. Inexperienced me suddenly realized we were almost out of fuel and had to drop by at a petrol kiosk. I wasn’t even very sure of where we were headed but finally, we found ourselves at the Seven Wells Waterfall where we had lunch. It started to rain and Dad definitely preferred the comfort of the car rather then hiking up to the waterfall hence we took a drive to the Langkawi Waterfall. We gave the crocodile farm a miss though but stopped by at the Black Sand Beach (Pantai Pasir Hitam).

By then, we were running low on fuel but I figured it was enough for a drive up Gunung Raya. The mountain (881m) had a pretty scenic 23km winding road up and it was as if I was taking practical lessons on driving up the mountain with a manual transmission vehicle. It was pretty cooling up there but the sun was setting and the scenery was blocked by mist. Interestingly, one of the slopes was so steep that our small Kancil couldn’t cope on second gear. The car then started rolling back. Fortunately there were no vehicles on the desolated road! Intense pressure on the gas at first gear got us inching up the slope again.

Driving down was also pretty fun but I had to be rather careful around the tight and narrow corners. We ran into a very heavy storm and with limited visibility, driving past 80km/h on a narrow single carriageway didn’t seem like a great idea. We refueled at a petrol kiosk near Padang Lalang before heading to Jetty Kilim. It was like a resort built around a river. We headed back to Kuah Town.

We stopped by Eagle Square for some photo-taking but the weather was wet and visibility poor. Returning the vehicle, we hung around the ferry terminal but there was nothing much interesting that could hold our attention. KFC sounded like a good idea but the service was so slow that we gave up our place in the queue and rushed to the ferry.

The 7.30pm ferry finally pulled into Kuala Kedah at 9pm. I spent the whole time on the boat watching The Hurt Locker. At Kuala Kedah, the taxi drivers claimed that there was no bus. Yeah right. They wanted RM20 for a ride back and refused to back down past RM18. We found two other tourists who had bargained to RM15 but the driver refused to take four people. It was funny to watch the other guys rejecting the drivers outright, saying it was a rip-off. Anyway, the bus came and we were more than happy to board.

Dinner was great. We had curry chicken noodles (RM3) which were among the best I have ever tasted. Next was satay, 10 sticks for RM4, but Pak Halim gave us 11. The same thing had actually happened on Penang and I wonder why. Perhaps to keep customers loyal? The satay tasted better than the one we had on Penang. We also had a Chinese bun which was just simply enormous that the two of us were almost too filled to finish, before retiring to our room for the night.

Money spent: RM266
Participants: LSH, Dad

16 May 2010: Penang – Alor Setar

2010-05-21T14:03:00.001+08:00

We didn’t bother waking up too early as we were unsure of the earliest time the vehicle ferry started operations on a Sunday. We set off at around 7.30am and it was an easy 1km spin from our guesthouse. Pulling into the ferry terminal, we were surprised to see a group of local riders. We exchanged greetings. They were heading for a training ride on mainland.

I watched the incoming ferry dock. I thought I spotted two bicycles! They were perfectly still with no cyclists around. As the ramp came down, I realized why. They were mounted on the roof of the first car off the ferry. The vehicles rolled off the ferry in a pretty organized manner. Bringing up the rear was a group of cyclists from the mainland. I was pleasantly surprised at the active weekend cycling culture in Penang.

On the ferry, I had a great chat with an off-duty cop. He shared with me a few useful tips as well as his experiences with touring cyclists. We wished each other well when we parted ways and I regretted not exchanging contacts. It’s such experiences that make touring truly enjoyable. On our way out of Butterworth, we met many cyclists out on their Sunday rides. I felt more motivated than ever to reach Alor Setar.

We missed a major exit off the highway out of Butterworth and had to take a small route up North. In Perak, it’s not uncommon to see miles and miles of paddy fields. On our distant right, mountain ranges lined the horizon. If we walked straight and pass the mountains, we would be in Thailand.

We reached Sungei Petani slightly past 11am and we explored the town a little, hoping to find a place for breakfast, or rather, lunch. We spotted a hawker centre but we had to give it a miss – there was no space to park our bikes safely. Several other stalls sold noodles but Dad wasn’t so keen on having them for lunch. Just as we were about to move off, he spotted a chicken rice stall.

The queue was long and we waited a good 20 minutes for our lunch. We weren’t disappointed though. For RM3, it was probably the best Hainanese chicken rice I have ever eaten in my life. The servings of chicken were generous and the soup was delicious. We had extra portions of rice.

We decided not to make a detour to the Langkawi Ferry Terminal at Kuala Kedah. Admittedly, we were tired. The climb up Penang Hill was no recovery ride and I was starting to feel the strain of the tour. I was contented to complete this stage, grab a day or two of rest and head home.

Under the scorching mid-afternoon sun, we finally pulled into the Pusat Bandar of Alor Setar. We checked out several hotels, finding none suitable but finally, luck was on our side and we found the very reasonably priced Hotel Grand Jubilee. The rooms weren’t great. In fact, they were pretty rundown and were just on the borderline of decency. For the rates we paid, there was nothing to complain.

We trekked more than 3km to Terminal Bas Shahab Perdana in the evening to check the place out. Thereafter, we caught a bus back to Pusat Bandar to check out the railway station. Unless we stripped the bikes such that we could hand-carry them into the train, we had to transport the bikes by a cargo truck which would travel to our destination by road. Also, the train would probably reach our destination earlier than the truck which might pose some inconvenience. Moreover, the KTM tickets were not cheap. We decided that a better bet would be to travel home by bus.

We had western food (RM10) which was satisfactory but not that value for money. There wasn’t much to look around at the shopping centers hence we headed back to our hotel. Alor Setar was really a dead town at night. Nearing our hotel, we decided to walk a few streets down to the 7-Eleven to get some water. Surprisingly, we found a good number of hawker centers selling a wide variety of Chinese fare!

Total distance: 96km
Money spent: RM104
Participants: LSH, Dad

15 May 2010: Penang Hill (altitude 750m)

2010-05-21T14:02:00.001+08:00

We knew our trip was reaching the end stages. With an average of a flat every single day, our spare tubes were more than well-utilized and scarred with patches. I was not even confident the patched tubes would not leak and none of the bike shops we passed carried spare tubes of the correct sizes or types. Furthermore, the irritating “loose nut” problem on my Dakar had occurred again and I suspected all the long descends had done my rear hub in since the nut was out of place.

After a good night’s rest, we went hunting for breakfast. The food in Penang was good and we stopped at several stalls to try the “delicacies” they offered. Our plan was to spend the day touring Pinang (Penang) and the two places I wanted to visit were Penang Hill and Batu Ferringhi. We also planned to stop by the express bus terminal at Sungei Nibong to check out our options.

Our first stop of the day was Penang Hill. Dad wasn’t really in a condition for another climb so we agreed that I would meet him at the foot when I was done with the climb (should he not be able to join me at the top). At 750m (which totally puts our Bukit Timah and Mount Faber to shame), Penang Hill is about 150m higher in elevation than Gunung Pulai but definitely pales in comparison to Genting Highlands and Cameron Highlands in terms of altitude. In fact, I should not be saying “pales in comparison”! (You will get what I mean later!) Anyway, the elevation of the hill qualifies it to be a “gunung” (mountain) but I guess it had always been known as a “hill” historically.

The fact that Penang Hill had an elevation of 750m with a 5.1km climb did not really register in my mind (Gunung Pulai is 654m high with a climb of 6km). I thought I had seen the worst on Gunung Brinchang and I was dead wrong. I had been to Penang Hill as “recent” as 2008 and I had seen a couple of mountain bikers attempting the ascend. They were in great pain obviously but nothing beats experiencing the real thing yourself.

On this attempt, I met a couple of mountain bikers on the descends. To date, I still wonder how many people can actually cycle up Penang Hill! On the first 1.5km, I “woke up” to the realization that this was no easy feat. There seemed to be little “flat grounds” and only steep ascends for the first few hundred meters but I was fresh and pedaled with an easy cadence. Then, the gradient became steeper.

It was the steepest tarmac (paved road) I had ever pedaled on in my life. The slope had reached an astounding 30%, which explains why only SUVs and motorcycles are allowed up the hill via the road known as the “jeep track”. A mountain bike can take a 30% climb. The problem was that the climb extended to more than a kilometer long and I had no idea when it was going to flatten out. I was drenched in sweat (almost the wettest I have ever gotten on a dry day!) and pedaling out of saddle on my lightest gear (22t – 34t). At that point in time, I was wishing Shimano made an even larger gear range! Anyway, pedaling up such a gradient was definitely way more inefficient than pushing the bike up.

That morning, I was defeated by Penang Hill. A lack of experience with the surroundings as well as the energy expanded over the past few days of hard riding found their toll on me. My lungs were bursting and my vision was totally blurred out by the sweat and subsequent condensation on my shades. I felt my calf muscles were under too much strain, almost to the extent of cramping, which would be disastrous to the expedition. I had to bail out and on really wobbly legs, pushed the few meters to the outer section of a turn (where the gradient would always be less steep). There happened to be a rest hut and I was more than grateful to stop and catch my breath.

The hiker whom I had passed earlier caught up and continued his trek up the hill. We exchanged smiles when he passed. This was going to be a tough day. I had slightly less than 4km to go. If the rest of the climb was going to be like what I had just experienced, I wasn’t sure if I could make it up. I thought of aborting. It was already noon anyway.

I pushed on and I was glad I did. The gradient was unforgiving but the climbs became shorter with more turns (flatter sections). I took a couple of opportunities along the way to rest and take photos – captured images which I believe will become a part of unforgettable memories in time to come =)

The view from the peak was rewarding. I was just glad to have completed arguably the most challenge climb I have ever faced yet. I took quite a few pictures (with the help of some kind tourists) and treated myself to a very expensive bottle of 100-Plus (RM3 to be exact, the touristy prices have not changed since my last visit!). I recognized the stall vendor and according to her, the train had ceased operation and was currently undergoing an overhaul (to make a dual carriage-way).

The skies were threatening to pour when I made my descend. Forget modulation. Just hold down the brakes. My already faulty brakes didn’t do much to slow me down and I was just holding the levers down as I threw the bike around the tight corners. An SUV ahead was descending way too slow and was forcing me to apply a lot of pressure on the brakes. I was glad for an opportunity to overtake the SUV when the road widened.

My rotors were crackling. It was amazing that the weather was burning when I reached the foot. Linking up with Dad, we proceeded in the direction of Batu Ferringhi beach, stopping for lunch along the way. Penang Hill exhausted me. We decided to head “home” after Batu Ferringhi.

Cycling lanes in Penang? Yes. They were not all that well-designed, comprising mostly of road shoulders but it was a great start to raise awareness of cyclists on the island.

Batu Ferringhi is a pretty nice beach to just chill out. I went swimming, jersey and all, and it was close to 5pm when we left for Georgetown. Back in the comfort of our room, I washed my sandy jersey and really enjoyed the shower. Dinner was again found on the streets and we explored the new Komtar Walk thereafter. Before retiring for the night, we just couldn’t help treating ourselves to another local delight. Satay!

Total distance: 45km
Money spent: RM114
Participants: LSH, Dad

14 May 2010: Ipoh – Penang

2010-05-21T14:01:00.001+08:00

I think we were pretty much getting used to traveling in the wee hours. The darkness was foreboding at times but the roads were pretty clear of traffic and weather definitely cooler. After a restless night in Ipoh, I was just hoping to get over this ride and catch some rest in Penang.

As the sun rose above the horizon, we found ourselves among mist-shrouded towns that seem to be lined with a never-ending range of mountains. Traffic was also becoming heavier and at one town, we saw kids cycling or walking to school. The luckier ones had their parents fetch them to school by motorbike. As we were hungry, we had breakfast (wanton mee) around 7.30am before continuing our journey to Penang.

By mid-day, the weather was incredibly hot. The last 30km “felt” impossible to complete with our empty stomachs. We pulled over at a fringe town to have a hearty lunch. I definitely didn’t feel like going out into the scalding heat after lunch!

Then our luck turned for the worst. Within the last 10km, I had a puncture. There were several patches of glass which we had to run over as traffic was too heavy for us to filter out. Some of shards had pierced through my rear tire. I removed the shards and replaced the inner tube.

By mistake, we turned onto the Lebuhraya Utara Selatan. There was no way to backtrack but we managed to find an exit due to some construction works. I thought we were finally crossing over to Penang when we approached the toll booths. Imagine my surprise when I was told bicycles were not allowed on the Penang bridge! The lady at the counter mentioned the ferry. Without any option, we backtracked to a side road and headed for the Butterworth Ferry Terminal. Uncertainty crowded our thoughts as we wondered if we could catch the last ferry.

Unfortunately, my rear went flat again. Some shards had been embedded rather deeply in the tire and had not been removed previously. I had to dig out the pieces with my Swiss Army Knife and pray my final tube held for the rest of the day!

The Butterworth Ferry Terminal was co-located with the KTM railway station and express bus terminal. We were a little confused over the entry point but some guidance from passer-bys pointed us in the right direction. Surprise, surprise. We found ourselves on a huge vehicle ferry. And the charge for a bicycle was RM1.40! The return leg was free.

I was so glad to be on Penang! We had yet again completed another epic stage of our tour up North and Penang had always been our primary objective! The evening traffic in Georgetown was crazy but we were fortunate to get around without any incident. It was difficult to locate the cheaper hotels – so much have changed since I was there in 2008! We finally found Hotel Rope Walk (the one which we stayed in 2008) but the old ah-pek in-charge of the hotel would not even listen to the idea of bringing bikes into the room. I think his impression of bikes (which I will not be surprised at all) was that of a “Flying Pigeon”-style, heavy piece of metal almost impossible to carry. Times have changed. We moved on.

Finally, we found the Crystal Guesthouse along Lebuh Chulia which looked relatively new and offered decent rates. The rooms were very small but the furnishing and air-conditioner were very modern. We managed to squeeze the bikes in. I was glad with my find but Dad seemed to expect a water-cooler around and windows to dry clothes (which our small room didn’t have). I thought his demands were pretty ridiculous for the price we were charged. I was very satisfied that everything was in working order and couldn’t ask for more. For the price, he would settle for an old hotel with the amenities he wanted (be it working or not) and I don’t trust his taste! A good rest was the most important! Lesson learnt in Ipoh!

Total distance: 169km
Money spent: RM104
Participants: LSH, Dad

13 May 2010: Cameron Highlands – Ipoh

2010-05-21T14:00:00.001+08:00

Goodbye Cameron Highlands. Till the next time. After our breakfast at the market, we returned to our room to pack our bags and checked out.

Several challenging climbs awaited us along the way but the incredibly long down-hills were exhilarating. Imagine maintaining a speed of 45km/h for hours. The scenery was good and we stopped to take pictures at unique sights such as waterfalls and the smaller towns.

Dad soon pulled ahead and disappeared out of sight. He wasn’t even pedaling. On a mountain bike, I didn’t dare to stop my consistent cadence. The bike slowed too quickly when you ease off. There were times when I hit “max speed”. Unable to pedal further, I just cruised and prayed for a steeper decline in hope of catching Dad. Fat hope.

In the end, I was just contented to play with my GPS and take pictures along the way. Our rest point was a drain. Taking “cover” there, we had our snacks and I finished the remainder of our tomatoes. My shoulders were aching from the load of my backpack. As I carried additional but essential equipment, my load was incredibly much heavier than Dad’s. But I was accustomed to such loads with experience from previous expeditions and frequent commuting to school. Dad was already complaining about the weight on his back.

We reached Ipoh in time for lunch and commenced our search for hotels. The first few hotels were more like brothels. I checked out a pretty decent one but they didn’t allow bikes in the room. That was the first hotel I have come across that didn’t want to accommodate us (I would come across a few more on the trip). Even Hotel Theme Park on Genting was willing to take our bikes in. I call that good service =)

I checked my GPS and found a “Hollywood Hotel”. We approached the building and immediately I was skeptical. How old was it? It sure looked past its glory years. Probably a 1960s hotel? The wooden ceiling had huge gaping holes while the exterior walls (wood) sounded hollow. I would give it a vote of no-confidence. Dad went to check the room out. He accepted it as it was only RM55. I remained skeptical when I spied few empty slots in the key-press. I signed in the logbook. We were the first guests of the day. Wonderful.

We went up to our room. I was astounded at the condition. And amazed at how low Dad’s standard can get. We might as well camp out. The idea was to get a comfortable enough room so that we can rest well. Never mind, I reassured myself. We were moving out at 3am anyway.

A shower was a wonderful reprieve. We walked the streets of Ipoh, checked out Jalan Lim Bo Seng (named after Singapore’s war hero) and “The Store”. At nightfall, we headed back to the hawker centre opposite our hotel for dinner. We had mixed rice which was reasonably priced but not great. Indian rojak didn’t look that good but it was uniquely delicious! The peanut ice kacang was great too =)

We couldn’t sleep well that night. The air-conditioner was almost non-functional. That model was probably older than me. When Dad got the windows open, in came the mosquitoes. I caught forty winks just after midnight but by 2.30am, we had to be up.

Total distance: 90km
Money spent: RM90
Participants: LSH, Dad

12 May 2010: Gunung Brinchang (altitude 2031m)

2010-05-21T13:59:00.001+08:00

We slept in late, exhausted from yesterday. Waking up “late” meant 8am – 9am as we didn’t want to miss our breakfast at the market. Stuff there, especially Cameron Highlands produce, are generally cheap. I got ourselves 6 tomatoes for RM1, totally unheard of in Singapore. We also bought ang-gu-kueh, nasi lemak and soya milk for breakfast. Then it was the dreadful task of patching spoilt inner tubes and packing necessities for our ride up Gunung Brinchang in the afternoon.

We had chicken rice for lunch around noon. By the time we were done, it was raining on and off. In the usual fashion, we proceeded with the ride. A little rain won’t kill =)

Having trekked 16km up Gunung Brinchang via the jungle trail and back to Brinchang via the road last July, I knew what to expect. That provided some form of mental preparation but once you hit the climb, physical exertion and mental exhaustion sets in. It was tough going but since Dad couldn’t climb the steep inclines on his road bike and had to push, that gave me a lot of leeway to rest while waiting for him at intervals. I took the opportunities to snap pictures that would help to preserve precious memories.

The rain didn’t really help in our progress. The weather on Cameron Highlands was cool enough and the rain only served to dampen my spirits. I couldn’t take nice shots with the limited capabilities of my hand-phone camera if the sky was dark and weather bad!

Several jeeps with mostly Caucasian tourists passed us and they were pretty surprise to see people cycling up Gunung Brinchang. The road up to the peak was steeper than Genting and Gunung Pulai. At that point in time, it was probably the steepest mountain I have climbed on a bike, though not necessary the most tiring. Genting was a real pain while the 60km climb up Cameron Highlands would be considered a nightmare after factoring in a 150km ride from Kuala Lumpur.

After passing the Mountain Strawberry Farm, the road became steeper and narrower. There were rocks, bumps and metal drains with pretty huge gaps, enough to pull in anything less than a 1.75” MTB tire. It started to rain again and at that altitude, the fog was settling in and visibility became extremely poor. We switched on our lights.

Past 4pm, we were finally at the summit. We took a break, snapped lots of photos and visited the observation tower. It was raining, the mist blocked everything past 200m, hence there was nothing much that could be seen from the tower. I went up for memory sake but it was freezing and the darn metal steps were super slippery! The steps were roughly half my shoe size, definitely not for the faint-hearted to climb in wet weather!

Descending was the fun part. Or I should say, madness. The turns were very steep and very tight. Dad had to walk several sections. My heart leapt into my mouth when I saw Dad skidding, his wheels locked out as he tried to stop before an impossible turn. For a mountain bike, descending was not a problem. By the time I was down, my rotors were fiery red and crackling (against the generally cool atmosphere). The permanent burnt marks left behind are probably a reminder of the action this bike has seen in the mountains!

Total distance: 24km
Money spent: RM82
Participants: LSH, Dad

11 May 2010: Kuala Lumpur – Cameron Highlands

2010-05-20T14:38:00.001+08:00

We started riding at 3.30am, hoping to be able to reach Tapah by lunch, get some rest then scale the 60km route to Cameron Highlands. Finding the route out of KL wasn’t that hard in the dark, aided by a GPS of course. We were pretty stunned to see a very steep climb over a mountain range just out of KL on Federal Road 1 but nonetheless, we scaled it and took a breather at the top. Descending was a relief to the lungs and we passed familiar towns like Rawang and Kuala Kubu Baru =)

Cycling is taxing on the stomach. We were almost constantly hungry and my breakfast (bread with sardines @ 2.30am) was quickly diminished within an hour! Fortunately, we always had a stockpile of biscuits, sweets and bread for these occasions. Nonetheless, a proper breakfast was a relief. The roti telur (prata with egg) was big, filling and gave me strength to pedal till lunch.

We failed to meet our target of reaching Tapah before lunch. The weather was incredibly hot and Dad had slowed quite a bit. Also, very unexpectedly, my Navigator phone died. There went the GPS and camera which was a real pity because the most beautiful sights up Cameron Highlands (the Lata Iskandar waterfalls and the Senoi tribe “Orang Asli” settlements) remained un-captured. The last couple of shots I managed to take were probably that of Slim River (of historical importance during World War II when the British failed to stop advancing Japanese tanks).

Lunch, comprising Nasi Ayam, was good but I had to replace Dad’s rear inner tube before leaving. It had been slowly leaking air. We finally reached Tapah around 2pm and after refilling our water supply, we commenced the 60km climb up Cameron Highlands. I had hoped to reach Brinchang before dusk but we weren’t about to make it. Dad was exhausted from the 150km leg (KL – Tapah) and the 60km climb proved to be more than a match for his fitness.

I pedaled ahead, stopping every few kilometers to wait for him. I waited around 15min each time and by the time we hit the 20km mark, it had started to pour heavily. We rested under a makeshift hut before continuing the agonizing climb. Dad was already walking his bike up steep climbs and cycling only the less steep sections. I pulled ahead of him, cycling till my body protested for a rest.

I bought more water from the stalls at the foot of the Lata Iskandar falls. My backpack felt so heavy as I maintained a steady cadence and the weight effectively drained my energy, slowing me down tremendously. In the end, in a bid to lighten the load on my back, I ended up tying water bottles to my handlebar. It sure provided some relief to my shoulders. We passed the Senoi tribe settlements along the way and I couldn’t help but marvel at the simplicity of the lives they led. They sat by the roadside watching vehicles, ran through incredibly steep jungle terrain barefooted and did not seem the least affected by the cold wind and rain.

It was getting dark. I waited at least 30min for Dad and he came up panting, totally exhausted, frustrated and not thinking straight. I saw the source of his frustration. A punctured front tire. I quickly changed the tube (using the final 700cc tube we had) while trying to talk sense into him. Many times I have seen people do silly things when they are totally worn out and demoralized. Throughout the years, I have realized that impregnable mental strength is crucial for survival. I was feeling very weak, hungry and cold. But I told myself to push on. I challenged the remaining 20km to take me down. I wasn’t about to give up and I didn’t want Dad to succumb to his mental weakness too.

We reached Ringlet (around 1200m above sea level) late. It was already close to 8pm. The town was bustling with life (the pasar malam was on every Tuesday night). We had dinner at a zi-char restaurant before deciding to move on to Tanah Rata. In pitch black conditions, the 13km to the higher-elevated town was a nightmare. Even walking up the slopes were torturous to Dad. He had reached his limits.

We took forever to get to Tanah Rata (roughly around 1500m above sea level). I checked several hotels out but they weren’t available. Dad was disheartened when he learnt we had to push on to Brinchang but Hobson’s choice, we had to move. I carried his backpack. With two loads on my back for the final 6km to Brinchang, I felt as if I was cycling with full FBO load! I was just relieved to see Brinchang within sight and gave a last burst of speed up the climb past the KFC.

Hotel Jasmine was available and we checked in, totally tired. I felt a grim sense of satisfaction – at completing the longest climb in my life.

Total distance: 210km
Money spent: RM199
Participants: LSH, Dad

10 May 2010: Rest Day in KL

2010-05-20T11:47:00.001+08:00

I am sure both of us appreciated the rest after 2 days of cycling nearly 200km each day! Bike maintenance had to be carried out after breakfast, punctured tubes had to be patched (we encountered punctures on almost every single day of our expedition!). We had lunch at our favourite Chinatown mixed rice stall – great food at great quantities at great prices.

Despite the weather – it just makes you want to stay cool in a sheltered, air-conditioned place, we proceeded to the Menara, passing Taman Eco Rimba and Muzium Telekom on the way. We didn’t have the budget to spend on the rides and galleries at the Menara, hence it was more of a sightseeing trip. Interestingly, there was a display of old public phones used in Malaysia during the past century. I thought the displays should belong to the Muzium Telekom?

The rest of the day was spent at the Bukit Bintang district – walking through the malls, shopping at the Giant supermarket (Sungei Wang Plaza) and browsing books at Borders (Times Square). And we also “browsed” the cameras at the Nikon display store in Times Square. I particularly liked the capabilities of the D90.

We retired to our hotel (Petaling Street Hotel) early in preparation for our ride to Cameron Highlands the following day. We had a simple dinner of nasi lemak, Ramly burgers and Coke.

Total distance: 0km
Money spent: RM35
Participants: LSH, Dad

9 May 2010: Melaka – Kuala Lumpur

2010-05-19T16:29:00.001+08:00

After a strenuous first day, we decided to sleep in longer and start our journey later. It was easy finding breakfast and after filling our stomachs, it was time to pack-up and starting the journey to KL. We left our hotel around 9.30pm.

It would be a mistake to assume the 150km to KL was an easy feat considering the much longer 240km covered the day before. Firstly, any physical and mental ill-effects from the first day would be carried over and secondly, we had yet to factor in the “memorable” climbs we would experience once out of Melaka (before Seremban). In fact, the climbs slowed us down and the wet, chilly weather was not making our progress any easier.

In the rain, we pulled into Rembau for lunch, then it was back into the rain again for another 30km to Seremban. In Seremban, we seemed to be making many turns without covering much “useful” distance thanks to ongoing construction works. We stopped for a hot meal, then it was on to KL.

I decided not to take the windy Federal Route 1 but instead Lebuhraya Kajang – Seremban (E21) then Lebuhraya Cheras – Kajang (E7) into KL. The route was probably not much shorter but definitely smoother. An interesting sight would be the mountain ranges as well as the bird nest “farm” (seen in the photo below). Traffic into KL was heavy and atrocious. We rode among hordes of fast-moving vehicles but thankfully, all was well.

Hentian Puduraya was under construction and Bukit Jalil (Komplex Sukan Negara) was being used as a temporary Terminal Bas Exspres. It did not affect us anyway and we proceeded to find a hotel at Petaling Street. I was considering my usual “hide-out” but we found a newer hotel at similar rates.

Total distance: 150km
Money spent: RM187
Participants: LSH, Dad

8 May 2010: Singapore – Melaka

2010-05-19T15:40:00.001+08:00

I expected a tough first day and there was never going to be any doubt of the challenges we would face on the first day. I was a little apprehensive in fact, as it would be the first time I would ride this route and such a long distance on a full suspension bike. Recalling the agony nearly 2 years ago when I cycled the similar route home from Melaka on a hard-tail, I was wondering if I would survive! Waking up at 2.30am, we had a light breakfast and were ready to roll by 3am.

Crossing the border was pretty much a smooth affair and we took Federal Route 5 (Lebuhraya Skudai) out of town (Pusat Bandaraya, JB). This time round, I decided to go up to Kulai and subsequently Ayer Hitam, before making a left turn to Batu Pahat. Other than the sheer darkness to contend with, it was smooth going. The weather became terribly hot just before we hit Batu Pahat, in time for lunch.

I gave the Pusat Bandar (city centre) of Batu Pahat a miss since it was a little off our route. In the end, we had an Extra Value Meal (McDonald’s) each at the Summit Parade where a boy approached us to have a photo taken together. It was nearly 12.45pm when we left to cover the final 98km to Melaka. That was when things started to go downhill.

The intense afternoon heat was wearing us down. Dad was extremely tired and hungry and we started to slow. We stopped for several breaks too long – I failed to enforce time discipline – and the last 50km seemed to take hours to cover. We could have reached Melaka by 5pm but at 5.30pm, we were still 50km away! In fact, we probably covered only 20km in hours! Worse still, Dad’s frustration increased when he encountered a puncture. He rested while I went about fixing the problem but it was the dusk by the time we were ready to roll.

By nightfall, we were still on the highway to Melaka. I increased speed, distracted myself from the intense pain caused by the many hours in the saddle with music and rode on. For some reason or another, the song “Chasing Cars” stuck in my head as we pedaled down the never-ending road.

I told myself that the lights in the distance meant we were near town. I told Dad that to encourage him. When we drew closer, I realized the lights marked a junction and soon after, we plunged into darkness once more. I was pretty disheartened but I knew the torture would end. Just a matter of time.

A sense of relief washed over me when we pulled into town, 240km away from home. We had dinner but Dad was way too exhausted to make a further 3km into the heart of Melaka where accommodation was cheaper. In the end, we settled for Hotel Accordian, which at RM100 per night, wasn’t exactly the cheapest place to stay. Water was scarce – the grocer and petrol kiosks marketed mineral water at exorbitant prices – we had to settle on a 5.5l “bottle” from the 7 Eleven nearby. We were dehydrated and the water was a welcome relief.

Total distance: 240km
Money spent: RM160
Participants: LSH, Dad

Ip Man 2, Bike Servicing and XLB Buffet

2010-05-07T12:35:00.001+08:00

5 May 2010. I was glad when the invigilator announced that the time was up. The last paper of the Semester was finally over. Lunch was at Pizza Hut with ZK, Deborah, HY, Kezia and her friends. When I got home, it was close to 4pm and not long after, I left home to meet Dad and Bro at Woodlands.

It was near 6pm when we finally left for the Causeway but the crossing was relatively smooth. We bought the necessary stuff, had dinner and caught the 7.10pm screening of Ip Man 2. It was a great movie – I would give it 5 stars for the action scenes. We got home pretty late but I had to stay up to plot maps for our expedition up North.

6 May 2010. The next morning, I left home at 9.30am for Yishun MRT (to pass stuff to Pan) before heading down to Thomson Plaza where Terence and Jasper were waiting. The three of us went down to Hup Leong where I got my bike serviced and Terence got his brake/gear cables changed. He’s definitely a happy man now with the XT cables (XTR housing) providing responsive shifting. We also bought two bike tool kits.

We had lunch at the Chinatown Complex hawker centre, myself patronizing from my favourite seafood soup and fruit juice stalls. When I got home, I did some quick tweaking (the chain was skipping under heavy pressure) before I had to leave to meet my classmates for dinner. We went to Crystal Jade at Holland Village for their XLB buffet. The steamboat was okay; it was the XLB that stood out. Later, we headed for Vivocity and chilled at Ben & Jerry. It was a great night out.

It was late when I got home last night but I had to check the bikes and settle some miscellaneous stuff. I still have quite a bit to settle today!

Total distance: 49.2km
Money spent: $4.50
Participants: LSH, Terence, Jasper

Sembawang Circuit – 7km run

2010-05-04T22:00:00.000+08:00

With just one more paper to go (Marketing), I was feeling rather relaxed the day before. I decided that a run would be great, thus I did my usual route, a maximum rep of 18 pull-ups, practiced my SBJ and did another 10 pull-ups before calling it a day.

Tribob Singapore Sprint Series

2010-05-02T23:59:00.000+08:00

Bro’s first triathlon (thanks to Pan who passed Bro his place in the race). We went down to support him. I guess for his first triathlon, it was a good attempt. We saw Eric there too and congrats to him for finishing the race with a great timing! =)

Total distance: 65.6km
Money spent: $4
Participants: LSH, Dad, Bro

The Lesser Known Side of Bukit Timah

2010-05-01T18:43:00.001+08:00

As the Chinese proverb goes “Yi Shan Bi Yi Shan Gao”, literally translated as “one mountain higher than another”. It means that there will always be someone out there who is more capable, skilled or has more experience.

Today’s ride with Pan and his team-mates was interesting, not to mention tiring as the pace was pretty quick. We went to several areas which we seldom trekked and it was a good eye-opener. And of course, at the pace we were hitting the roads, I wished for a faster and lighter hard-tail!

It’s about time to do a thorough servicing. When I reached the entrance of Track 15 in the morning, I found my rear wheel wobbling. First thing in the morning,Pan’s team-mates The nut securing the hub had come loose. We tightened the nut by hand and fortunately it did not come loose in the trails. Half a lap of Bukit Timah later, my fork was emitting weird noises. True enough, the top bolt had come loose and Pan saved the day with his multi-tool. Then towards the end of the ride, I was down with a rear wheel puncture. The Presta valve had dislocated itself from the tubing. Small issue though as I had a spare tube.

I am finding the entrance of Bukit Timah more difficult with each ride. My wheel keeps slipping and I went down at least twice today. I had to clear the slippery sections with momentum before my tires could get any grip and only by doing that did I manage to clear the entrance twice. It’s time to let my mind ponder over new tire choices! =P

Total distance: 21.5km (off-road); 25.6km (on-road); 7km (Ventura Race)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Pan and his team-mates

Meddling with the Cockpit Set-up

2010-04-30T20:50:00.000+08:00

I decided that the current set-up was putting unnecessary pressure on my wrists and climbing could be further enhanced with a more aggressive set-up. As such, I spent the afternoon tweaking the angles, hoping to get the best possible position. I took the bike out for a test-ride and it felt significantly different. Off-road tomorrow will definitely reveal more.

Total distance: 16.3km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

Sembawang Circuit: 7km run

2010-04-29T23:55:00.000+08:00

I was feeling real lazy today and after pampering myself with a chocolate ice cream, I was thinking of just slacking around at home. Somehow - it probably took great mental effort – I got into my running attire and once I managed to drag myself out of the house, it was no looking back.

I felt a little slow on the run today but surprisingly, I managed to hit a max rep of 17 pull-ups after the run. I think the last time I hit such a figure was nearly 2 years ago. I have never been particularly strong in my upper body strength anyway.

As I was walking home, I noticed several kids playing football at the multi-function hall and immediately, my memories took me more than seven years back when I spent my leisure time with a football. I remembered we played soccer so regularly and while we preferred the open fields, we had to make to do with whatever options available, be it the old street soccer court before it was demolished, the open space at the car-parks or the multi-function halls.

Trouble seemed to follow and scuffles aside, the major obstacle we faced were complaints from residents. They were just unwilling to accommodate a few kids (perhaps noisy and wild) on a lazy afternoon and often the police were called in to chase us away. We got so sick and irritated of being chased from almost every “pitch” we played on.

Kids will always be kids. As I watched the children play, surprisingly without interference from the same residents who were all-so-fond of giving us a good dressing down years ago, I felt a sense of nostalgia and delight that the kids were left alone in their own world. I will never understand why parents pressure their kids so hard these days and ironically, while they may have become more academically-inclined, their common sense seem to have taken a hit. Even more evident of an obvious degradation is their physical toughness. “Tofu” as the Chinese call, in reference to a weakling.

Another Neighbourhood Spin

2010-04-27T23:59:00.000+08:00

My mileage this month will be low, largely due to the exams!

Total distance: 16.3km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

Getting a Breather (Sembawang Circuit)

2010-04-25T22:35:00.001+08:00

Total distance: 27.2km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

Hitting 4000km…

2010-04-24T21:08:00.001+08:00

With 2 laps of Bukit Timah today, I should have surpassed the 4000km mark on my Dakar XCR. Time to update my bike log.

Total distance: 23km (off-road); 20.6km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Pan

10km Run to Causeway Point in a Thunderstorm

2010-04-23T20:55:00.001+08:00

It was difficult, cold, wet and my shades were fogging up. The flashes of lightning and subsequent thunder were irritating distractions as I endured the many stares in my direction. A distracted driver didn't realize the lights were in his favor until a persistent horn drew his attention back to the road. I must have caused quite a bit of trouble, eh!

Ride with Gordon

2010-04-21T18:28:00.001+08:00

It has been a long time since I rode with Gordon and at last, our chance came today. It was a great time to catch up after almost a year since our last cycling trip! We did Mount Faber before having breakfast at Seah Im food centre.

Total distance: 52.6km
Money spent: $3
Participants: LSH, Gordon

Weary

2010-04-18T23:50:00.000+08:00

The lack of sleep over the past few days is taking its toll on me. I tried to revise as much as I could but so far, I have not done any better than 2 chapters of Organizational Behavior every day, which is slow by all accounts, since I have barely started revising for Malay and totally left Statistics untouched.

I struggled to wake up in the wee hours for the past few days, grab a bite, pull on my jersey and roll my bike out for a spin. Or rather, some taxing action. 2 laps of Bukit Timah gave me some reprieve from all the revision but my thoughts were not really on the trail as much as I tried to enjoy myself. Most of the time I was wondering if I could get my revision done in time.

I just felt like quickly getting over the 2 laps and heading home but my muscles were protesting as I cruised over the bumps. On the climbs today, I seemed to lack my usual strength, perhaps a sign of accumulated weariness. Even the journey back home felt longer than ever.

My wandering thoughts nearly got me into trouble when I failed to notice I was climbing too close to the edge of the single-track. A branch caught my wide bars, jamming my front brakes and I nearly went over. Nonetheless, I would rather be out riding than studying!

It’s less than 3 weeks to the Penang expedition but we have problems with leave applications, last minute events cropping up, etc… I really pray that all goes fine and the expedition can roll, be it a couple of days late.

Total distance: 23km (off-road); 23.3km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

The Pender Loop, Mount Faber

2010-04-17T14:37:00.001+08:00

I hardly do the Pender Loop, usually preferring the steeper Mount Faber Road loop to this. Nonetheless, 12 continuous laps (2.9km per lap) of climbs still proved to be great exercise on the muscles. Eric and Amreet clocked 26 and 20 laps respectively, pretty sick numbers and there were a couple of guys going for 30-odd laps. I wonder if anyone continued till the magical 50!

I had fun on Mount Faber today and I hope Yuva had a great inaugural “climb”! =)

Total distance: 87.4km
Money spent: $3
Participants: LSH, Amreet, Yuva, Eric and his team-mates

Tree Clearing @ Bukit Timah

2010-04-15T16:57:00.001+08:00

Since Pan was going to be late, I dropped by the zoo but it was too early for it to be open. At least I got to see the sun rising above the Mandai reservoir and enjoyed a quiet atmosphere. I guess things didn’t really go well for Pan today. Soon after we started the trails slightly later, we found ourselves stranded with a broken chain. Unfortunately, none of us brought a chain-breaker and he had to take a cab home.

There were so many falling trees obstructing the the trails today, both in Track 15 and in Bukit Timah. I decided to cycle 2 laps but when I was back at the Visitor Centre entrance after 1.5 laps, I encountered this:

Hobson’s choice, I took the road home from Bukit Timah (18.6km). The sun was scathing as I made my way back and washing the caked mud off my bike wasn’t that pleasurable an experience.

Total distance: 14km (off-road); 32.1km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Pan

Causeway Point: 10km run

2010-04-14T20:30:00.000+08:00

A Bad Day at Bukit Timah

2010-04-11T23:59:00.001+08:00

When it isn't your day, it will not be. In just two laps of Bukit Timah, I fell twice and nearly totaled my bike against a huge slab of rock.

The first fall came when I was on the rock gardens at the entrance (2nd lap). There was someone ahead of me and I slowed, only to lose my balance on the rocks. The grips took the brunt of the impact. I believe I made 4 successful attempts up the entrance out of a total 6 tries today.

The second crash took place when we were practicing on the rock gardens. As I cleared the last slab of rock at the entrance, my control just went wide and the bike slammed sideways into a huge rock lining the path. I half-expected to see dents in the frame but fortunately the bottle cage took the brunt of the impact. My bottle flew off and what left of the holder was a twisted piece of metal which broke when I tried to pull it back into position. My crank arm also took some scars and the pump bracket nearly got ripped off. The plastic bracket was slightly damaged but what surprised me was the screws which held the bracket to the frame. They were twisted out of position. Imagine the force I had hit the rock with.

I just felt tired on the ride today. To mention that my control was poor would be an understatement. On a positive note, I met Jeremy – I think it has been 4 years since I last saw him. His new Giant Trance X3 is a beauty. Its slack geometry inspires more confidence downhill.

Total distance: 23km (off-road); 20.6km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Jasper, Terence, Jeremy Yeap

Volunteering @ Osim International Triathlon

2010-04-10T23:47:00.000+08:00

I guess being the lead bike / rear sweeper for the run component is a pretty good way to clock mileage. And the job is pretty interesting – at least I get to ride! There was the rain, the delay, the hunger, but also the satisfaction from a job done. The international youth athletes were fast. They were running at around 16km/h throughout the 5km. I am impressed.

Total distance: 90km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

Sembawang Circuit: 7km run

2010-04-09T23:34:00.000+08:00

Sembawang Circuit De-stress!

2010-04-07T23:32:00.000+08:00

Total distance: 20.2km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

Cycling Mount Faber in the Downpour

2010-04-04T20:33:00.000+08:00

I thought the weather would spare us early in the morning as I pulled myself out of bed at 4.30am. Unfortunately, before we reached Mount Faber (around 6.30am), it started to pour heavily. I was shivering from the cold as we continued our ride and Dad was not willing to take any risks with the slippery descends hence after one lap, he waited for me at the foot of the hill while I went on the smaller loop. One loop became two, two became three and finally five when I was finally done. We had a simple breakfast at Tiong Bahru before heading home in the rain.

Home - Mount Faber (23.8km)
Mount Faber Loop (1.6km)
Mount Faber Lap (Faber - Pender - Morse - Kampung Bahru) (5km)

Total distance: 60.6km
Money spent: $4.60 for 2 pax
Participants: LSH, Dad

A Muddy Bukit Timah on Good Friday

2010-04-02T17:00:00.000+08:00

Days of high rainfall meant muddy trails and after 4 laps of Bukit Timah, my bike was heavily coated with a layer of stinking mud. The drivetrain was also "grease-free", creaking as I pedaled home to a nightmare of washing up both rider and equipment.

Total distance: 36km (off-road); 23.3km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Jasper, Terence, Eric

6 x 12-storeys Stairs Run

2010-03-30T21:00:00.000+08:00

Until I get the broken spokes on my hybrid repaired, I am effectively "grounded" from riding to school. On a bright side, it's a chance to rest and perhaps do more cross training.

The weather was bad when I returned home from school. I was dying for a run but decided to do the stairs instead after my routine "station exercises". 72 floors later, I was gasping for breath and my legs felt like jelly. I called it a day. =)

Revisiting Gunung Pulai

2010-03-28T22:16:00.003+08:00

Pictures speak a thousand words. So here we go…

We started our trip slightly past 5am and reached Pekan Nanas before 8am. I have lost count of the number of times I have patronised a certain coffee-shop (in fact, every time I pass the "Pineapple Town") so we decided to try something new this time round. Jasper and Eng Joo sure looked to have floated off somewhere when we stopped at the "Nanas Besar" to take a few pictures.

By the time we reached the foot of Gunung Pulai (654m), it was already close to 10am. We had spent considerable time in town having breakfast, slacking and visiting the bike shop. We met many local hikers and a group of bikers who was waiting for more friends before they cycled to the peak. Everyone was so friendly and encouraging as they watched us suffer on the climbs. Amazing.

The weather was definitely more dry as compared to what I experienced on my previous trip a year ago. As such, the road up was more dry and less cluttered with debris. Also, the hikers have returned (I guess some time has passed since the tragedies and things go back to normal). However, the conditions of the road have remained as bad - road bikes will just get totaled at the huge gaps between damaged drain covers.

The gradient was refreshingly steep. Nothing like what you see in Singapore. I was glad to be climbing again even though more pain lay ahead. I gave myself a challenge - to use no lighter than the 32t (front) - 34t (rear) gear combination. I can't describe how painful it was. I nearly stalled on several super steep sections. My cadence was no longer smooth. Rather, it became a rather jerky two-pronged force-down, pull-up action. My muscles protested in pain, reminding me I was still at least 70km of tarmac away from home. The logical section of my brain urged me to regain sanity and shift down to a lighter gear but the crazier part told me to push on. I let my stamina take over most of the climbing effort.

The weather sure looked menacing at the top of Gunung Pulai. Dark clouds loomed over us and it was definitely much cooler at that altitude. We could not really see Singapore which lay covered by haze in the distance.

Then came the stressful part. We descended the narrow and winding road, hitting speeds of around 60km/h. Just like Genting, I put 100% concentration on the descend. There was no room for mistake. My brakes failed momentarily on a steep turn and I careened towards the edge. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. No roller-coaster ride had ever come close to that moment. Fortunately, I managed to steer the bike back on course. This definitely emphasises the importance of ensuring a functioning bike. My brakes have jammed up twice in recent months and after I did some maintenance work on them, the rear is in need of a re-bleed - the lever is almost touching the handlebar, while the front lever jams for a split second when the bike is moving. I had intended to get the bike checked a couple of weeks from now, underestimating the challenges of Pulai. Bad move.

We had "lunch" at Tesco in Kulai. It was nearly 2pm when we made the return journey to JB.

As expected, there was very heavy traffic near the CIQ. Well, the good thing about bikes is...

Ice kacang at Woodlands was the perfect welcome home gift.

Total distance: 132km
Money spent: RM7.80, $1
Participants: LSH, Jasper, Eng Joo, Solomon

Leisure Off-Road Ride

2010-03-26T15:40:00.001+08:00

It’s amazing Bro asked for an off-road ride. Since the Tampines trail is undergoing a revamp, I decided that my “favourite” Bukit Timah was the place we should go. It did not rain in the morning but the past few days of rain had rendered the trail muddy.

Not surprisingly, Track 15 and Bukit Timah were rather quiet on a weekday but it was a good thing too. The ride was short but enjoyable. We reached home in time for lunch.

Saya suka berbasikal ke taman Buikit Timah!

Total distance: 16.5km (off-road); 23.3km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Bro

Sembawang Circuit: 7km run

2010-03-24T21:00:00.000+08:00

Please Don’t Die On Me!

2010-03-20T14:54:00.001+08:00

When I arrived at my doorstep, I was covered head-to-toe in mud. I stripped off my top, shoes and socks outside the flat but that didn’t prevent the mud from staining the living room floor as I hobbled to the toilet (trying to minimize my muddy footprints). Washing the bike was a pain but servicing was worse!

The gears stubbornly refused to work properly (can shift upwards but can’t move down properly or vice versa) and 2 hours later (close to 2pm), after removing certain sections of the RD shifter cable and re-oiling it, I had only managed to find a “compromise” point. Shifting upwards was not as crisp but at least the chain didn’t jump when I shifted downwards. I believe removing and re-oiling the entire cable was the best option but I wasn’t going to do that considering my wire cutter was blunt and using it would only make matters worse.

Today’s ride was cold, wet and muddy. I ran on super low pressure and traction was pretty decent except on certain tricky corners and climbs. In fact, the 3 laps of Bukit Timah this morning would be very enjoyable if everything had remained prim and proper, Sadly, mountain biking is not for the risk averse and mechanicals are pretty common. I thought my bike had performed pretty reliably on the 3 laps but as I made the final half lap to Track 15, the gear shifting started becoming problematic.

Worse, after the large clearing, I was going at speed and had just emerged from a mud pool when I found myself heading for a brick in my path. No worries. I can just roll over it easily. To my surprise, the force I hit it dislocated the entire brick and flicked it into the air. As it ricocheted against my front wheel and flew upwards in my direction, I could only think of one word. Shit. The next thing I knew, my crank impacted against the damn thing. I was horrified to find a couple of bent teeth on the outer chain-ring and as I touched them, they broke. Now, my crank is toothless (a couple of chipped teeth). I don’t care about the cosmetic damage. I just hope it still works fine.

Total distance: 29.5km (off-road); 23.3km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

Mileage of Week Starting 15 March 2010

2010-03-19T16:10:00.001+08:00

16 March 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
17 March 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
19 March 2010 – Commute to NTU – 56km
20 March 2010 – T15 / BT (3 laps) – 29.5km (off-road); 23.3km (on-road)
21 March 2010 – Recce to Clementi – 41.4km

Kota Tinggi – Climb On!

2010-03-14T18:03:00.001+08:00

Thomas encountered a broken spoke on the way to Fabian’s place at 3am in the morning hence they had to drop by at my place to collect the Polygon, once again called up for overseas duty. I think it was the fastest I ever serviced a bike and it was ready (less a damaged race crown) by the time they arrived. Still, we were running late.

By the time we crossed customs, it was already past 6.30am and the darkness of the wee hours did not last long. We set a rather decent pace and pulled into Kota Tinggi before 9am, considering the multiple breaks we took along the way. After looking around for the “suitable” breakfast, we settled for bakut-teh – simply delicious!

Fabian and Thomas were reluctant to ride back hence we spent quite some time looking for the express bus terminal (eventually finding it at the original location where it has been all along, but I had forgotten about it). The next express bus timing was 1pm, way too late for us. In the end, I had a chance to practice my Malay and managed to convince a city bus driver to let the two of them onboard (bikes in the luggage hold).

The remaining three of us from the NTU Team set off for Johor Bahru. We beat the bus in the first couple of kilometres before it overtook our peloton and disappeared from sight. We did a wonderful pace back to JB. I was impressed.

Crossing over to Woodlands, Jasper and I headed for the hawker centre where I indulged in my favourite ice kacang before we went our different ways at Marsiling MRT. The rain got very heavy and I suffered the full brunt as I pulled into Sembawang.

The bike was peeing water from the drainage holes and I had to dry and lubricate the sensitive areas. The headset was also loose so some time had to be spent to reassemble the fork. I hope all is fine and ready for the next ride!

Total distance: 110km
Money spent: RM11, $3.80
Participants: LSH, Jasper, Jeremy, Fabian, Thomas

4 Laps of Bukit Timah

2010-03-13T17:50:00.001+08:00

This has to be one of the most tiring off-road sessions. After 4 laps of BT, even Track 15 and its new extension was a pain. As usual, I took Mandai Road home and I just seemed to take forever to cover the agonizing distance.

Total distance: 36km (off-road); 20.6km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

Sembawang Circuit: 7km run

2010-03-12T21:40:00.000+08:00

Mileage of Week Starting 8 March 2010

2010-03-11T22:42:00.001+08:00

10 March 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 21.6km
11 March 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
13 March 2010 – T15 / BT (4 laps) – 20.6km (on-road); 36km (off-road)
14 March 2010 – Kota Tinggi – 110km

12 Laps of Mount Faber

2010-03-07T16:13:00.001+08:00

Dad and I did laps on Mount Faber in the morning, with him completing 6 and me carrying on to complete 12. Still, it’s pretty obvious that Genting posed much much of a greater challenge and I expect no less from Cameron Highlands. Mount Faber is too simple and realistically speaking – training there can help a little in honing our climbing abilities but we will never be fully prepared to scale mountains above 1000m (sea level) unless we conduct trainings on-site.

I still enjoyed pushing my physical fitness to fairly strenuous levels and I would say mental strength is very important on long climbs. There were a number of road bikers doing lap trainings too and I passed them on the climbs. They just had to pressure me and since they were dying for some competition, I obliged.

Reaching the peak which was getting really crowded with tourists and buses, I slowed down for a road bike in my path and moved right only to find my path totally blocked off by two buses. Common sense – I had to stop and wait for the buses to clear but I think this really tired biker hot on my heels rode straight into my rear. He made an annoying protest but shut up when he realised the situation was not in his favour. Come on man, why take it so seriously? Just show a little patience in waiting for the vehicles to clear. No, they had to squeeze through a dangerous gap between the bus and the curb. No wonder drivers get irritated at cyclists.

On one of the laps, a road biker shouted at an old lady (most likely a tourist) in his path, attracting a bit of attention. I found that very rude. He just had to slow, let her move to one side before continuing. Ego gets to the better of our senses at times and this is very dangerous. You do silly things and pay a hefty price later.

Did he really need that few seconds on the descends only to lose it all on the climbs? No offence, but I think they better work on their climbing abilities which clearly is the weakness of many a Singaporean cyclist.

Entrance @ Mount Faber Road – Telok Blangah Road – Kampung Bahru Road: 5.1km
Mount Faber Loop: 1.6km

Total distance: 84.8km
Money spent: $3.10
Participants: LSH, Dad

Mountain Biking Bukit Timah

2010-03-06T23:30:00.000+08:00

With my workload piling, I decided that the quickest workout would be mountain biking, or rather, disciplined high intensity laps. The weather was very dry, the trail was crowded with hikers but I really enjoyed my 3 laps. There were fewer bikers both on the roads and the trails probably because of the OCBC race on Sunday. I was tempted to go for more but decided that Mount Faber on Sunday was going to wear me out anyway!

Total distance: 29.5km (off-road); 20.6km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Ying Han

Sembawang Circuit: 7km run

2010-03-05T21:00:00.000+08:00

7km (34min)

Sembawang Circuit: 7km run

2010-03-03T21:49:00.000+08:00

7km (33.5min)

Ride with Midpoint

2010-03-02T23:50:00.000+08:00

I was running late hence I quickened my pace and got there in time. I was surprised and glad to see Jasper with his road bike. The pace was great – leisure for a good night ride – but we could not help but quickened our pace on the climbs when the others pulled ahead. As usual, I broke off at Sembawang Park.

Total distance: 41.5km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Jasper, Team Midpoint

Sembawang Circuit Recovery Ride

2010-03-01T23:00:00.000+08:00

The weather was bad. We were only halfway through when it poured.

Total distance: 10.4km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Dad

Skirting a Gunung

2010-02-28T21:33:00.001+08:00

I only managed to catch some sleep at 1.45am and was up by 4.15am. I never felt so mentally drained on a ride that in the semi-darkness of the morning, my mind was threatening to switch off. By the time we turned off Lebuhraya Skudai onto the truck road leading to Pontian, I just wanted to stop and catch forty winks.

With much difficulty and an attempt to wake myself up by eating a sour mandarin orange, we continued our journey to Pekan Nanas. Dad had not rode for more than a month and obviously his fitness had dropped – he was saying that the journey seemed longer than ever.

Bro had settled quite well in his new SPD shoes, not forgetting to un-cleat each time he stopped; and he was also utilizing the speed of his road bike on the down-slopes. I had difficulty catching him on the downs but my optimum cadence ensured I gained on him with relative ease on the climbs. Man, I am starting to love long windy climbs. Perfect to pick out the weaker roadies.

We had “bakut-teh” for breakfast at Pekan Nanas at our usual hang-out. Around 9am, we moved on, buying four spare tubes at the bike shop before getting two boxes of “Ho Yan Hor” herbal tea at the Chinese medical hall. It was starting to look like a shopping trip.

I love the road from Pekan Nanas to Kulai. The windy yet scenic “village road” skirts the breathtaking Gunung Pulai, passing through countless villages and miles of pineapple plantations. The climbs were enjoyable. I forget the ache in my calves and the load on my back. My arms flex easily and I loosen my grip on the bars. I take the climbs face-on, undaunted. I forget about my speed – optimum cadence is the call of the day. Downshifting when necessary, I hold my cadence throughout the length of the climb. The mountain air is fresh, I love the winding road. I meet the curious stares of dogs on one side of the road and the startled eyes of cows on the other. I love climbing.

We pulled into Kulai around 11am. Stopping at Tesco, Bro and I went for a little shopping trip to get our morale boosters such as ice cream, yoghurts and isotonic drinks. We had a little feast at the basement car-park before continuing our journey back to Johor Bahru.

The mid-day heat as out in full force. Dad and Bro started to lag behind as I maintained my cadence. We took a couple of breaks along the busy federal road and decided to head for the Old Woodlands hawker centre rather than have a meal at the Pusat Bandaraya KFC.

I love the sight of the checkpoint. Energy surged through my veins as I sped down the CIQ, giving the motorbikes and cars a run for their money. Race back to Singapore? You bet. I idly wondered the number of times I had approached the welcoming sight of the Woodlands Immigration Complex – the safety of home.

Our favourite ice kacang stall was closed today. Nonetheless, we found a decent replacement. I ate till I was totally full. The ride back home was just relaxing and then there was always the dreadful task of unpacking and servicing of equipment. After a refreshing shower, I lazed on the couch and without realizing it, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I went to the bedroom to get something. I couldn’t help but lie on the bed. The next thing I knew, the sun had set. =P

Total distance: 120km
Money spent: $2.50, RM4.25
Participants: LSH, Dad, Bro

The Worst IPPT I Ever Had

2010-02-27T12:18:00.001+08:00

I have got to wake up my idea! Clearing the 234cm standard for Category X Gold during my past few training sessions certainly did not assure a Gold on the actual day. Furthermore, I was not familiar with the computerized testing system (used it only once early in BMT) and allowed that uncertainty to get on my nerves.

I thought sit-ups would pose the least of my problems as I have been consistently training every other day for the past few years but a strain on the abdominal muscles probably during training the other day nearly totaled my chances of even getting a Silver. I had shrugged the pain off during the past couple of days as nothing more than a dull ache but after 30 intense reps today, the pain and sudden weakness was so abrupt that I struggled to 39, the PTI rightly disqualifying several poor and attempts.

I even felt a bit slow on the shuttle run, having gotten my first attempt “unrecorded” by the machine first thing in the day. Pull-ups were not a problem but by the time I got to the 2.4km run, I was feeling rather disheartened. Nonetheless, I set myself a 1:30 lap pace, keeping strictly to the timing on the first couple of laps and on the last lap. I eased off in the middle three laps and finished with a satisfactory 9:25min, the fastest in my detail and almost definitely one of the fastest around. It’s kind of sad and demoralizing to watch how the NSmen slack through their IPPT (and that adds to my inner fear of not able to meet the minimum standards).

I guess the only positive takeaway from this morning was my 2.4km run which I felt had remained quite consistent. In fact, I didn’t have to push myself as hard as in the past. I am probably acclimatized to running much longer distances and keeping at this morning’s pace is not much of a problem. It’s a good wake-up call for me to work harder to achieve better results at the static stations, rather than just focusing on cardiovascular and muscular endurance over extended periods of time.

In the late afternoon, I decided to take a spin at Bukit Timah before meeting Bro at C2C to get his SPD shoes. As if to wrap up the unfortunate day, my rear RD shifter cable gave way at the entrance of BT and I managed to rush down to C2C in time to get a replacement. Since they were minutes from closing, I had to fix the problem myself back home and a blunt wire cutter proved the worse nightmare as the cut was poor, resulting in frays which were a pain to “twist” back. I was only done past 11pm and had yet to pack for Sunday’s ride!

Total distance: 38.3km (on-road); 16.5km (off-road)
Money spent: $4
Participants: LSH

Sembawang Circuit: 4km run

2010-02-26T23:15:00.000+08:00

Mileage of Week Starting 22 February 2010

2010-02-24T00:02:00.000+08:00

24 February 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]

Sembawang Circuit: 7km run

2010-02-23T20:04:00.000+08:00

2 x 2.4km (10 min each); total 7km (31.5 min)

NTU Bike Rally 2010

2010-02-21T23:50:00.000+08:00

One word to describe it all. Fun.

Indeed, the weather was great and the event more well organized than the previous year. After the recce which we cycled the full 168km route, I decided that the shorter 128km route would be more appealing on a Sunday morning. =)

I still saw the familiar faces of Jasper, Terence and the other NTU riders around at the first couple of checkpoints but after Kranji, it was just myself and Yuva. He slowed when he found his friends and I headed on.

I met Adamson and Eileen along Mandai; and after the Yishun Stadium checkpoint, familiar faces were scarce. I was glad to meet Eileen, a super fit Navy reg, and our chat reminded me of the memorable experiences the past couple of years have left me with. I find myself inspired by people like her who dare to pursue their dreams and passions – perhaps there is where the true meaning of life lies.

We finished around 4pm, if I am not mistaken, by far the earliest I have completed the event yet. Interestingly, quite a few of our friends (sitting around Jeremy and I) won prizes in the lucky draw! Chen Sao was definitely the biggest winner of the day – he walked away with the first prize, a Monotine foldable bike, Sworke shades, a bike-mounted camera and many other goodies.

A good meal at Carl’s Junior revived my flagging energy level and I headed for home with Jeremy, Jasper and Terence. When the others broke off, I found myself in the middle of an extremely heavy downpour. The water levels on the roads were rising and by the time I got home, the bike was just about at its cleanest in a while!

Total distance: 178km
Participants: LSH, 650+ riders not including safety cyclists

Sembawang Circuit: 7km run

2010-02-19T20:59:00.001+08:00

Mileage of Week Starting 15 February 2010

2010-02-16T23:50:00.001+08:00

16 February 2010 – T15 / BT (2 laps) – 20.6km (on-road); 23km (off-road)
17 February 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
20 February 2010 – T15 / BT (1 lap) – 18km (on-road); 19.5km (off-road)
21 February 2010 – NTU Bike Rally – 178km

Mileage of Week Starting 8 February 2010

2010-02-13T00:22:00.001+08:00

10 February 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
11 February 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
12 February 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 16km
13 February 2010 – T15 / BT (2 laps) – 20.6km (on-road); 23km (off-road)
14 February 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 15.3km

Dirtraction Cyclone Race Series: Ketam

2010-02-07T19:45:00.001+08:00

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

2010-02-06T16:09:00.001+08:00

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

2010-01-30T23:55:00.001+08:00

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

2010-01-29T23:49:00.000+08:00

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

2010-01-29T00:31:00.003+08:00

25 January 2010 – Commute to NTU – 56km [P]
27 January 2010 – Commute to NTU – 56km [P]
28 January 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
31 January 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 16km

The Temptation of Gangsa

2010-01-24T11:50:00.000+08:00

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

2010-01-23T23:24:00.001+08:00

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

Mileage of Week Starting 18 January 2010

2010-01-23T22:56:00.001+08:00

18 January 2010 – Commute to NTU – 56km [P]
18 January 2010 – Collect Ventura – 45.7km [V]
21 January 2010 – Commute to NTU – 56km [P]
22 January 2010 – RP/Admiralty/Sembawang Park Ride – 22km

Ketam was a Blast!

2010-01-17T19:58:00.001+08:00

We did 2 laps of Ketam at race pace and if the last practice was great, this was awesome! Joining the SMBF guys at Changi jetty after breakfast at 8am, we waited for everyone to turn up before heading over to Ubin in two bumboats. There were many other bikers heading to the trails on a Sunday morning and we expected a rather congested trail.

We broke off from the main group as we expected to do at least 2 laps and Pan set the pace for the first. He was just amazingly fast around the switchbacks, putting any AM/DH biker to shame! On our previous practice, we were still quite unfamiliar with the trail but this time, we were prepared for most of the switchbacks and obstacles. Clearing them was no longer a problem.

In a moment of “madness” fueled by the rush of adrenaline, I set my bike down the Black Cobra, clearing it successfully. My spokes were making weird noises as I bounced down the rocks but the worrisome creaking subsided after awhile.

We had a rest before doing the second lap which I attempted to time. It just felt great to pushing ourselves up the climbs, clearing every obstacle in our path and powering down the steep switchbacks at incredible speeds. Momentum was the word of the day, it drove us through the entire trail.

My front fork sustained its first battle scar when I attempted to power through a rock garden, failing, which resulted in me toppling to the side when I could not un-cleat myself in time. The bike slammed against the rocks and there went the fork! I know it hurts to see such expensive, valuable stuff get scarred but I try to live with the consolation that I had fully utilized the fork by pushing myself and the bike to its limits throughout the trail.

I completed the lap at 24min and Pan was coming in hot at 26min before Solomon pulled in at 28min and Chen Sao rounded up our finish of less than 30min. Great jobs guys! We were already cooling down when the SMBF guys started on their second lap so we decided to head back to mainland first after a drink.

Solomon and his dad were super kind to end our misery by giving us a lift to Woodlands. Thanks so much man. =)

Total distance: 50km (on-road), 20km (off-road)
Money Spent: $15.70
Participants: LSH, Pan, Chen Sao, Solomon, SMBF guys