Cheap thrill, real risk!

I had my second 2hr long practical driving lesson after which I took the Final Theory Test at SSDC. Fortunately for me, all went well and I passed. So the final hurdle of passing the practical driving test approaches...

The main highlight of the day was nearly marred by bad weather. However, as expected, the skies cleared and after a nap, I set off for Kent Ridge at 3.15p.m. The headwind blowing in the south-western direction was super strong as I traveled along the Woodlands Rd - Upper Bukit Timah Rd - Clementi Rd stretch. Furthermore, I had to stop at almost every traffic junction. Just my luck, I reached Kent Ridge Park around 4.45p.m, panting heavily after the climb up Vigilante Drive.

Without further hesitation, I hit the MTB trail. It was very technical and steep on most sections. The downslopes were rocky, twisting, narrow and super steep. Slipping off the trail would mean falling or rolling downhill into some unknown wilderness. I have to admit that terrified was a good description of what I would have felt if I had hesitated much further.

Heart pounding and with a false sense of bravado, I just blocked out every thought and went for it. The bike shuddered, jerked and slipped down the rocky terain, brakes screaming against rims in protest. On many occasions, I almost failed to make the crucial turn in time. Deciding to play cautious, I brought the bike to a standing halt on sharp turns with me still balanced on the bike. My eyes would pick up the best path to take while I turned or hopped to face the correct direction. Brakes released, the bike would roll forward down the steep decline. Time to hang on for dear life. Later, I discovered that I had carelessly left the fork's lock-out on "locked" position but because it was a push-button system, the impact still activated the damping system. Hopefully, no damage was done.

The climbs were long and steep. A problem was to balance the bike such that the rear wheel had traction while the front wheel did not lift into a wheelie position. Often, huge slippery roots disrupted the climb as my tyres would slip and I had to push the bike to a suitable position before mounting again. At times, I just gave up trying to gain traction against the muddy surface and dismounted.

The raised platforms were interesting and I crossed without much difficulty. I will definitely give the alternate routes on the platforms a shot the next time I return. But I think my hunger for off-road rides has subsided somewhat after those slopes. Riding up the "99 bends road" was nothing compared to being "lost" in the dense forest. Relieved but energy significantly drained by the harsh terrain, I sped home.

Below are some pictures of Kent Ridge MTB Trail I found from various sources on the web. Hope the sources don't mind me posting them =P

Dense forest (left) and the ultimate drop-off fun (right)

Warning signs: expect the worst

A descent (left) and map of Kent Ridge Park (right)

A web of platforms that can be quite fun

Total distance: 60km (on-road), 8km (off-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

Little India

Sembawang - Orane Concept - Woodlands Centre - Upper Bukit Timah - Dunearn - Little India - Serangoon - Ang Mo Kio - Lentor - Sembawang

Went on a short trip with Gordon today. Before lunch, I was patching a punctured tube. As I could not locate the puncture, I had to put the damn thing under water and look out for the air bubbles escaping from the surface of the rubber. At last, I spotted the hole. Air was leaking from a patched area that had not been well patched the last time a puncture occured. Getting down to work, the problem was fixed within minutes with a cold patch kit.

The head-wind on route to Upper Bukit Timah was rather strong such that I was on gear "2-6" and unable to switch down to a faster combination. However once we hit Bukit Timah Road, the wind had died down and we picked up speed. We had a rest and chat at Little India. Tekka Market was under renovation and had moved to its temporary premises at Race Course Road. A cup of Bandung and some goreng pisang certainly boosted my energy and we headed for Serangoon. Gordon broke off for home and I continued to Sembawang via AMK and the super busy Lentor Avenue. As usual, I had to accelerate quickly from stand-still to over 30km/h just to get across the filter road from the expressway.

Back home, it was bike maintenance. I had been too lazy to clean the gears and chain for the past 3 weeks so now it was time to do some hard work. Dirt had accumulated and I used WD-40 (or some even cheaper alternative) to spray down the dirt before wiping the gears clean with a piece of rag. Pulling through the cogs was no laughing matter. It was tedious like hell. Next, I moved on to the chain and repeated the process. Satisfied that the drivetrain was shiny enough, I coated the system with Singer oil. Then, it was time to dismantle the seat. After 3 weeks of off-roading, sand and grime had gathered underneath the seat and it creaked every time I rolled over a bump. Get rid of the sand, apply a coat of oil, problem solved.

Total distance: 52km
Money spent: $2
Participants: LSH, Gordon

Lorong Asrama - Mandai T15 - Bukit Timah

Since no one was playing soccer today, we decided to take a little ride. It eventually became a dare so our little ride evolved into a short off-road trip to Bukit Timah and back by road. Other than hardened surfaces with little mud (due to dry weather) and slightly more mountain bikers than usual on T15, the ride was uneventful. I still enjoyed it though. We rode fast and made it home before 8pm, which means we took slightly more than 2hrs only.

Total distance: 19km (on-road), 15km (off-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSJ, LSH

Dreaming

I tend to daydream when I ride. My mind wanders off and I will soon be in my own world of fantasy. It is an awfully good way to relax and de-stress. There are occasions when I embark on my ride to nowhere. Sick, tired, troubled or angered, riding alone provides me some time away from the pressures of the real world to reflect and recover.

Hitting the trails is one good way to get a load off your mind. You will be too preoccupied and thrilled with the down slopes and switchbacks to think about anything else. On the steep climbs, you will be struggling to keep the bike on course and too busy with the lung-bursting experience to even give your woes a thought. Finishing the course will be a great pleasure. In your mundane life filled with failures, you feel a sense of achievement. It will take you a long way and you come back to mountain biking, yearning for more.

Bukit Timah Natural Reserve

The title of the post says it all. Finding the 10km Swing KPE competitive run not much of a "kick", I decided to have a go at the Bukit Timah Mountain Biking Trail right after I got home. In actual fact, this was not really the case =(

The herbal tea I drank this morning before leaving for the race nearly killed me. The race started off well and I managed to catch up to the first pack of runners but it all went wrong by the time I hit the 4km mark. The churning contents in my stomach decided that upwards was the way to go and I could not suppress the urge to puke unless I slowed. Left with no choice, I pulled over to the side and started to run/walk, hoping that the puking feeling would subside. Apparently it did not and with my slowing pace, Bro overtook me at the 6km mark. By then, I had all but given up. So I basically walked most of the way and did dashes of 200m. And watched in disappointment as everyone of different ages, shapes and sizes over-took me. Instead of my target 45min, my finishing time was a horrendous 57min =(

On the way home, I suffered several more pangs of pain but after lunch, they subsided. The good weather was too tempting and I found myself on the way to Bukit Timah =) The trail was terribly eroded with large loose rocks and deep ruts. Adds more fun, danger and excitement. I decided to go for the more challenging Quarry Loop and conquered it the same. After one round of sliding down the treacherously slippery terrain, I decided enough was enough, took a good rest and started on the journey home. It proved to be a wise decision as the clouds poured soon after I reached home.

Sparkling clean after a wash

I think I will take a good rest and not bike to work tomorrow.

Total distance: 38km (on-road), 10km (off-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH

It is pouring rocks...

September 11. What a day. It may have gone down in 2001 as the day the most successful terrorist attacks on the USA ever took place but there are certainly other stuff worth mentioning on this day.

I must wish my cousin a Happy Birthday and finish this entry off so that I can get some precious rest. We had a seminar today and guess what, the topic was on terrorism. Well done, it certainly sparked an interest which had diminished somewhat. I will hate to see the world fall into the hands of some lunatics.

My ride home is worth mentioning. Across the Seletar Dam, conditions were gusty and I felt large particles hitting my face! At first I thought it was a one-off event but the pounding continued until I got across the dam. I wished I had a pair of clear protective glasses as it was getting too dark to use my shades. I really wonder what had caused the turbulence.

Another interesting thing to note: I touched my wallet for the first time this week! Not literally of course. Other than treating a subordinate to a drink to encourage his contributions to the office, I have not spent a single cent! That's something I like about the army. Food and accommodation is provided. I am going to miss this privilege when I leave the force in exactly 2 months' time =(

You must be wondering how I am lucky enough to get free transportation to camp daily. Answer: Bus number 11 combined with a 2 wheeler =) I have accumulated $20 of savings just by biking to camp daily this week. Needless to say, I get to experiment the optimal rate of traveling without sweat: Riding at a pace to attain an equilibrium whereby the wind generated is enough to cool a rapidly heating body. i have not succeeded so far =)

Tour De Singapore

Sembawang - Seletar - Hougang - Tampines MTB Park - Expo - East Coast Park - Esplanade - Shenton Way - HarbourFront - West Coast Highway - Jurong Pier Road - Jurong Point - Jalan Bahar - Lim Chu Kang - Kranji - Woodlands - Sembawang

A group of 30 plus Caucasian roadies overtook me at the Seletar Dam area. At their speed and formation (drafting techniques), it really looked like a competition was in progress. They were riding even faster than most of the vehicles on the road.

Later, another group of 20 Caucasian riders passed me at Evergreen Park Condominium. Was it just a coincidence or was a Tour De Singapore in progress?

I had a spin around the totally deserted Tampines MTB Park. Soil erosion and ruts have made the trail more challenging =) but almost impassable at certain parts =( Too great risk of losing life and limb.

Later, I met Kerry and we headed for the Esplanade to meet Gordon. Through our trip today, literally Tour De Singapore, we met so many roadies. Perhaps today's weather was good as compared to the whole of last week so many cyclists probably grabbed at the opportunity to take their lean, mean machines out for a little spin.

We covered quite a bit of distance today and a good pace. This should prepare us for more arduous rides ahead. Pontian and Port Dickson, here we come!

Total distance: 110km
Money spent: $5.50
Participants: LSH, Gordon, Kerry

The Storm

The ride home from camp today was special because a storm was raging. In terms of rain and wind ferocity, I had been through much worse but the amount of rainfall I encountered in the Seletar area was just short of amazing.

As I sped out of camp, already drenched, I had to contend with riding through flooded areas which totally had my crank set submerged. There were parts where the water level was up to the aluminum stanchions of my fork (roughly 3/4 of the wheel)! The retarding force was significant and the bike could not clear the flooded patch, forcing me to pedal and totally soaking my shoes. Best of all, I got a free mud bath from the passing vehicles which sped into the puddles, spraying up water in their wake. I bet I could not be seen through the spray caused by the passing vehicles!

Nevertheless, crazy me still maintained a respectable pace home, only slowing down and being more cautious on the corners...

Total distance: 12km
Money saved: $2
Participants: LSH