Daniel and I went mountain biking at T15, Scorpion, Butterfly and Bukit Timah today. Butterfly really exposed the weakness of a hard-tail and perhaps less than ideal tyres on slippery roots. I went down a couple of times when my gears failed me on certain sharp, steep switchbacks. But the most unexpected of crashes came when I crossed a large root (I had even taken care to cross it in the correct angle!).
Before I could comprehend the situation, my bike was swept away from under me and I hit the ground, stunned. This time, I did not even have time to break my fall. Apart from a few bruised and a sprained pinkie, I was totally fine but my bike chain got twisted up and the RD was out of tune. Hobson's choice, I had to slow down for the rest of the ride.
We had brunch at the Bukit Timah hawker centre and Daniel suggested off-roading back to Mandai! At that point in time, I didn't think it was a very good idea! =P The skies looked menacing when we finished the meal hence we decided to bypass the first half of Bukit Timah. We entered by the Diary Farm way and turned out to Zhenghua Park and subsequently T15. By then, it had already started to rain and it was one hell of a muddy ride back.
I had intended to try and keep my shoes dry but within the first hundred metres, I splashed through a few mud pools and there went my shoes! There was no point in trying to keep "clean" so I just started to really enjoy the rain and the mud! I met Ben along Mandai Road. He had just come out of T15 with a friend.
The rain beats down on you,
you crank on.
Your shades start to fog up,
you ignore it.
You can't see anything,
maintain speed.
You bounce on the uneven trail,
fighting to keep control.
You splash through deep puddles of mud,
savouring the splatter.
You skid round slippery corners,
hoping to recover.
Brace for impact,
a drop is near.
Fear not always,
crashes are common.
Get to your feet,
it's time to speed.
Welcome to the world,
where adrenaline rules.
Welcome to the sport,
the world of mountain bikes.
And I have to thank a good friend for the book Tours of the World. Looking at the photos of Genting (Genting stage, Tour de Langkawi) brought back many fond memories of our attempt some time back =)
Total distance: 30km approx (off-road), 40km (on-road)
Money spent: $2.20
Participants: LSH, Daniel
Before I could comprehend the situation, my bike was swept away from under me and I hit the ground, stunned. This time, I did not even have time to break my fall. Apart from a few bruised and a sprained pinkie, I was totally fine but my bike chain got twisted up and the RD was out of tune. Hobson's choice, I had to slow down for the rest of the ride.
We had brunch at the Bukit Timah hawker centre and Daniel suggested off-roading back to Mandai! At that point in time, I didn't think it was a very good idea! =P The skies looked menacing when we finished the meal hence we decided to bypass the first half of Bukit Timah. We entered by the Diary Farm way and turned out to Zhenghua Park and subsequently T15. By then, it had already started to rain and it was one hell of a muddy ride back.
I had intended to try and keep my shoes dry but within the first hundred metres, I splashed through a few mud pools and there went my shoes! There was no point in trying to keep "clean" so I just started to really enjoy the rain and the mud! I met Ben along Mandai Road. He had just come out of T15 with a friend.
The rain beats down on you,
you crank on.
Your shades start to fog up,
you ignore it.
You can't see anything,
maintain speed.
You bounce on the uneven trail,
fighting to keep control.
You splash through deep puddles of mud,
savouring the splatter.
You skid round slippery corners,
hoping to recover.
Brace for impact,
a drop is near.
Fear not always,
crashes are common.
Get to your feet,
it's time to speed.
Welcome to the world,
where adrenaline rules.
Welcome to the sport,
the world of mountain bikes.
And I have to thank a good friend for the book Tours of the World. Looking at the photos of Genting (Genting stage, Tour de Langkawi) brought back many fond memories of our attempt some time back =)
Total distance: 30km approx (off-road), 40km (on-road)
Money spent: $2.20
Participants: LSH, Daniel
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