Sunday, August 30, 2009

Mileage of Week Starting 24 August 2009

  1. 24 August 2009 - Return trip to and from school - 56km
  2. 27 August 2009 - NTU Cycling Team's Inaugural Ride - 53.6km (1hr clocked on road bike to school)
  3. 28 August 2009 - Return trip to and from school - 56km (1hr 7min clocked on MTB to school)
  4. 29 August 2009 - Mountain Biking - 38km
  5. 29 August 2009 - Saturday Night Fever - 81.3km
  6. 31 August 2009 - Return trip to and from school - 56km

Mileage for August 09 stands at 1202.3km.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Saturday Night Fever

I must have been running a fever. When Dad got home, I bugged him about tomorrow's early morning ride to Mount Faber. My request was met with a strong protest - the sign of laziness - that sleep is more important than keeping fit. Knowing very well that I had just returned from mountain biking earlier in the day, he jokingly suggested that we cycle at night instead, knowing that such a request would be turned down by the sane.

I lost my brain at that moment and agreed. Of course, he was very surprised but I was insistent on getting him on his bike. We set off at 7.30pm for the eastern loop, covering Seletar, Hougang, Pasir Ris, Changi, East Coast Park, Balestier, Thomson, Yishun and finally home.

The first "pit stop" was the main jetty of East Coast Park, the second at a toilet to refill our water bottles and the third at Balestier Food Centre where we had minced meat noodles. The meal was sumptuous and at that instant, I thought night cycling was very rewarding. We arrived safe and sound at our doorstep at 11.30pm.

I was very surprised at my mileage for this month. Now I have another 81.3km and probably a little more distance on Monday's ride to school.

Total distance: 81.3km
Money spent: $6.00
Participants: LSH, Dad

Rain and Mud!

It started pouring when we hit Butterfly. The trail was crowded with runners today as the training sessions for the North Face 100 were in full force. At certain points, I was riding right behind the runners but I wasn't moving much faster than them over the slippery roots and branches.

The rain added to the thrill. We were literally covered with mud when we emerged from the trails and headed to the zoo for a meal. I could feel the stares of the public around us. Ben and I took the Ulu Sembawang shortcut back to Woodlands where we split up for home.

I went to the fruits stall at the entrance of Sun Plaza, intending to get some fruits as requested by Mum. The uncle was very unfriendly and told me to get lost as I was "blocking" his way. Damn it, why do you think I would be looking at fruits? There went his chance of making a sale. Not all bikers are bad boys. Not all dirtied and muddied people do not intend to buy anything.

I had a hell of a time getting the mud off my bike and doing basic maintenance. I had reached home at noon and it was 2pm when I finished washing my soiled shoes and took a shower. Lunch was next and I pampered myself with a Milo Dinosaur. =)

This weekend marks the end of the third week of school. More or less settled in, I am struggling with the increasing workload. Tutorials after tutorials, there seem to be not enough time for revision. I am quite glad there were no lessons on Thursday as it gave me time to catch up with the syllabus. I hope next week will be an easy week (dream on).

Total distance: 20km (on-road), 18km (off-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Ben, Pan, Dexter, Jonathan

Thursday, August 27, 2009

NTU Cycling Team's Inaugural Ride

I must apologize to everyone for being late today.

The ride was way above my expectations. Everyone was so organized - the most organized ride I have ever taken part in. The team leaders certainly did a great job and it was a splendid start to the team's first ride.

Moreover, I felt that the team really had potential. I broke off at Kranji. I heard from Pan about the bursts along Neo Tiew and Lim Chu Kang and I can imagine the speeds they were doing. It was great cycling with them for a start and I am sure everyone can only get better as training comes along.

Total distance: 53.6km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, NTU Cycling Team

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Part-time Courier Service?

I was back on my bike this morning. The first stop was Owen's place at Whampoa where I bought another jersey. Pan was not riding today, hence I met him at Whampoa.

Following that, the next stop was Elken at Ang Mo Kio. I purchased the health products required by Mum before heading home. I reached my doorstep before noon, less than 3 hours after I set off earlier in the morning.

Total distance: 36.4km
Money spent: $25
Participants: LSH

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Mountain Biking T15, Scorpion (reverse), Butterfly

I believe today will be another occasion to remember. The curse of the Butterfly struck me once again - this time, I was out of the trail though!

This will arguably be the worst crash I ever had, simply because it was a frontal, face-first impact against a hard, man-made object. Without my helmet, I would have required medical attention and possibly a stitch or two.

On the plains heading towards T15, I had attempted to move onto a pavement from the grass at high speed. It was a stupid mistake (all fault lay with me) as I failed to clear the height difference, causing the side of my tyres to catch the edge of the path. The bike careened onto the path and I totally lost control of the skid. I found myself slamming into the fence of the PUB compound, face first. I thought I was done for. My visor got ripped off by the impact and lay dangling when the front of my helmet contacted the fence. The force pushed my shades off and I was glad the SAF really meant "heavy duty" and "shatter-proof" when I bought the shades last year.

I guess I have to contend with a dent in the helmet, bruises on my forehead and a slight headache for the time being! Not that my last finger is not giving me enough trouble... =P

Total distance: 21km (on-road), 19km (off-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Ben

Thursday, August 20, 2009

First Post via HP ProBook 4310s

I finally sorted out the glitches when installing Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium on the new notebook. Firewalls, user account control and even MSN all contributed to a host of problems which took me the whole evening and night to solve.

I installed CS3 first, expecting the software executable program of CS4 to detect the installed version and upgrade accordingly. Fat hope. I ended up with 2 versions of the Creative Suite installed. Well done - I had to uninstall one.

Transferring some essential files over to the notebook, I found the files to be corrupted. It took me some more time to trace the corruption to a faulty thumb drive - the new one we got at Welcome Day. Great. At least, on the bright side, some progress has been made. =)

Mileage of Week Starting 17 August 2009

  1. 17 August 2009 - Return trip to and from school - 56km
  2. 21 August 2009 - Return trip to and from school - 56km
  3. 22 August 2009 - Mountain biking - 40km
  4. 23 August 2009 - Errand Run - 36.4km

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Sembawang Circuit: 7km run

I decided to dedicate time to Financial Management and ended up spending the whole day tearing my hair out over it. By the evening, I was half-done with the tutorial and decided to take a short run to let out all the pent-up frustration.

I think I ran quite fast today. The weather and frustration in myself certainly aided.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Dinner @ Hougang Central & a Cyclist Rants

I think Dad was just bored today. He decided to cycle in the evening and I did not want to go at first - I had intended to go for a run - but when I heard he was heading down to Hougang, I decided to tag along. After all, that meant we would be eating out and I did not want to starve at home waiting for him to return with packed food.

We ended up having dinner at Hougang Central. I thought the hor fun was quite good and reasonably priced. I think most people will question our sanity when they learn we went down to Hougang just to have dinner. =P

On the way back, misfortune struck. Somehow, a lady driver on her first year of probation had stopped too close to the kerb at a junction and as I passed, my handlebar grazed the left wing mirror. I must emphasize on the word "grazed" as the contact was neither strong enough to push my steering off nor cause a scratch on the mirror. Nonetheless, the car inched forward and the husband rolled down the windows. He wasn't that unreasonable and it was my fault anyway so I apologised and we got on our way.

This reminded me of yesterday's incident along Mandai Road. There were ongoing roadworks hence there was only one lane open. As we cycled through, a car behind blared its horn. Daniel probably gestured to the driver and unfortunately, the bugger took offence. Alrasvee was at the front, with me in the middle and I witnessed the car overtaking us, cutting into our path and braking abruptly. After the junction which we turned onto Sembawang Road, the driver overtook us again and pulled over at the bus stop, as if he was waiting for us. We ignored him and rode on.

Cyclists face many hazards on the road, day in day out. Tempers often flare on both sides (cyclists and motorists) over seemingly minor issues but it is unfair to point fingers at either party. There are bad cyclists as there are inconsiderate motorists. When I drive and encounter cyclists on the road, I wish they give signals before their "unpredictable movements". At night, I pray they have theirs lights on lest some careless motorist rams into them. On the bike, I just wish the motorists will give us cyclists a break!

Not everyone rides a bike "for fun". There are many of us who rely on pedal power to get us to work or school. Day or night, rain or shine, we ride. We have every right to be on the road (cyclists should avoid the pavements as it inconveniences and even endangers pedestrians) and although we do not pay road taxes, we are not contributing to pollution or traffic congestion. Fine, the other road users pay taxes. They deserve to sit in comfort, contribute to pollution and laugh as rain-soaked cyclists struggle through their paces.

We do not request to be treated specially. Damn it, for God's sake, just leave us alone.

Total distance: 35.5km
Money spent: $3
Participants: LSH, Dad

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Mandai T15, Scorpion and Owen's Place

We had a short mountain biking session at the T15 and Scorpion trails in the morning as Daniel had something on later while Alrasvee and myself were dropping by at Owen's place. I didn't bother to release some air from my fully inflated tyres and the lack of traction was apparent. I went slow and anyway, I was still quite mentally and physically tired from last night's ride.

Nothing eventful happened, which was great - I was not looking forward to adding to my collection of scars. After our off-road short session, we broke off from Pan along Mandai Road and Daniel along Thomson Road.

Alrasvee bought a jersey while I bought another pair of tights. I can't wait for the new stock to arrive. We had some food at the Whampoa Food Centre before hitting our beloved Thomson Road home.

Total distance: 48.1km (on-road), 10km (off-road)
Money spent: $25
Participants: LSH, Alrasvee, Pan, Daniel

Friday Night with Team Midpoint

Some say the ride was well-organised. Indeed, the turn-out was great (more than 20 riders I believe) and we were riding as a pack most of the time. The pace was also pretty leisure, even more so for the majority who were on road bikes.

From Changi Village to NSRCC, it was "OT OT" (own time, own target) and there was when the madness started. I was lucky enough to draft the second pack and we were cycling around 37-40km/h for that stretch. I think that took up most of my energy and my muscles started to ache in protest.

The section through East Coast Park was slow and steady, so was the ride down to Balestier. I was glad to have an egg tart, bean curd and grass jelly drink to replenish my diminishing strength. Julian and I left earlier and we parted ways at Marymount.

Alone, I faced the rolling gradient of Thomson Road and subsequently Sembawang Road. It was 1am at night. I started playing mind games with myself and kept a relatively high pace home.

Total distance: 86.9km
Money spent: $3.20
Participants: LSH, Team Midpoint

Thursday, August 13, 2009

First Commute to School

Today marked my first "return ticket" to school by bike. I realised that NTU is really quite big and getting things done can consume quite a bit of time (especially if you are still not familiar with the area). Yet again, I have spent more time "exploring" the school but have not made any progress in the stuff I need to get done.

Commuting to school by bike seems a novel idea but I know I may get real bored of the "fixed route" to NTU. That will be a very huge minus to my morale. For the sake of my fitness, passion, transport expenses, the environment and the sport of cycling, I must endure!

Total distance: 60km

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Sembawang Circuit: 6.3km run

The first day of school was yesterday. There seems to be a number of outstanding issues and I will be glad if they can be settled as quickly as possible. I went for a jog with Dad in the evening - I think it is my first since the 12km run on Cameron Highlands.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Kota Tinggi with Team Midpoint

I met up with the guys from Team Midpoint at Yishun MRT at around 6.10am. We headed to the next meeting point at Woodlands Centre where some of the team had breakfast before we set off, past 7am.

There were eleven of us (9 road bikes, 2 mountain bikes). Clearing the customs was smooth for the motorcycle lane - an immense jam had formed due to the incredible numbers of Singapore-registered cars heading over the causeway on our National Day.



We had a break at the Shell petrol station outside of Jusco (Jalan Tebrau) before continuing the tedious journey to Kota Tinggi. Jalan Tebrau - Jalan Kota Tinggi (Federal Road 3) has always been interesting due to its many steep, rolling hills. My breakfast had already been fully digested way before Kota Tinggi and I felt hunger. My speed slowed as my strength diminished. A packet of biscuits while waiting on the outskirts of Kota Tinggi for the others to catch up proved sufficient to get me to our next rest point. I was so glad for the plate of mee rebus, roti canai and iced tea.



Feeling replenished, we headed for the waterfall. Unfortunately, Katherine was falling out at Kota Tinggi so we were down to 10 men. The entrance fees to the waterfall were exorbitant in my opinion but that did not stop a queue of vehicles from forming outside the entrance. it was not only a Sunday, but also Singapore's National Day, which probably explained the queue!

The water was cold, refreshingly cold. We went into the pool with our biking attires but Lycra dries fast. When it started to rain, we got out to the shelter but the weather turned for the better. We had a bite before starting our return journey.

Valence was "lucky" enough to get two punctures - one before the Kota Tinggi town and the second shortly after we left the town. We had time to grab a meal since the skies poured but we got moving once the weather cleared.



It was straight back to JB and the climbs proved torturous. I never fail to be impressed by Malaysian motorists who are generally more courteous. A couple of guys in a truck transporting MTBs smiled and gave thumbs-up, but the motorist of the day was a white car which slowed to allow me to filter lane. I changed a lane to the right while the white car went to the left. The driver gave a thumbs-up as he passed and I was quite encouraged to carry on.

We were elated when we saw Jusco. Traffic was heavier but it only meant we were much closer to home. I think we drew a bit of attention as a few kids by the roadside were cheering excitedly when we passed.

I was so glad to see the Singapore customs in sight. I bet the officers were surprised when I wished them a "Happy National Day". =) This year's NDP celebrations were better than last year's, in my opinion, and some parts were rather touching. The boy who said he wanted to be the President when he grew up drew much laughter but kids are really cute.

Happy Birthday Singapore!

Total distance: 140km
Money spent: RM22.10
Participants: LSH, Team Midpoint

Saturday, August 8, 2009

The Pekan Nanas - Kulai Loop

I only caught around three hours of sleep last night. I guess my adrenaline was pumping. We ran into a large group of road bikers at Woodlands and although we took separate routes, I had a feeling they were heading over the causeway too. Most, if not all, were carrying backpacks/water bags. Truth enough, we ran into them again but I didn't get a chance to enquire their destination.

There were hundreds of Singapore-registered cars heading out of the country. The jam was massive. Fortunately, the motorbike lane faced a much shorter queue. By the time we got over the border, it was already past 6am.

The ride to Pekan Nanas (45km away) took us a couple of hours this time round and we ate at the exact same stall I had eaten on my previous trip. Before we left the town for Kulai, we bought Ho Yan Hor herbal tea (12 packs with 2 promotional packs at RM9.50) from the Chinese medical hall there. Most notably, we took the wrong route (Kulai should be in the direction of Gunung Pulai) but the mistake was quickly rectified.



We reached the Tesco at Kulai at around 11am. I braved the stares of everyone in the hypermarket to purchase isotonic drinks and a french baguette! We then had lunch and started our ride home. By then, the weather was terribly hot. I was feeling quite sapped of energy as we pulled closer to the checkpoint.

We were home before 3pm. Great that we are home so early this time round. I need some rest before another gruelling session tomorrow!

Total distance: 130km
Money spent: RM35.88 (inclusive of shopping =P)
Participants: LSH, Dad

Friday, August 7, 2009

Start of a hectic weekend?

What a fast ride to kick start the weekend!

Total distance: 37.4km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, William, SMBF bikers

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Rest!

It was great playing badminton with my JC classmates yesterday. And I am so glad that I have finished my entries for the 18-day Vietnam-Singapore expedition in July. That makes 18 entries in all. =)

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Sunday Mount Faber Training Ride

Speed and cardiovascular endurance training. This probably describes this morning's ride with Dad. The long distance Malaysian expeditions are great for endurance training but speed can be factored into such rides locally since we almost do not carry anything as opposed to our heavy supplies when cycling overseas.

I felt that we were going way over our usual average speed for the first part of the ride before we hit Mount Faber. The weather was cool and traffic was minimal, in a way facilitating us to ride at a higher than optimal speed. I was quite hungry when we reached the foot of Mount Faber. SAFRA Running Club was conducting a run and there were scores of joggers making their way from Harbourfront to Mount Faber. I think they were doing a circuit.

Anyway, the climb up Faber felt terribly taxing. Obviously, my flu had not completely gone away and I was gasping and coughing as I struggled to maintain speed. Perhaps, it has become unnatural to drop to a lighter gear and slow down, and I just couldn't help but to push at the heaviest gear possible.

The ride down was as usual - enjoyable. We proceeded to Havelock Road for breakfast, but were disappointed to find the hawker centre undergoing upgrading. In the end, we had to settle for noodles with curry vegetables from the coffeeshop next to the hawker centre.

I could feel the strain in my muscles as we made our way home in less than an hour. I felt that I could use more water today as my body had been overheating for the past week. But as usual, we both consumed only a standard sports bottle 750ml of liquid for the entire distance. I think acclimatisation over the years have done wonders.

Total distance: 80.1km
Money spent: $2.50
Participants: LSH, Dad

Saturday, August 1, 2009

T15 - Butterfly - Scorpion

Alrasvee got to test his newly acquired fork off-road for the first time this morning. Daniel didn't even join us as he had overslept thus it was only the three of us this time round. It felt great to go off-road after nearly a month's break (excluding what I did on Phnom Bakheng with a city bike =P).

The weather was dry and traction was great, also thanks to my tires which were running at low p.s.i. I shouldn't be commending a pair of worn out knobblies but low pressure certainly improved traction on the trails. I am usually too lazy to lower tyre pressure, hence hitting the trails with tyres pumped to the max can be a slippery affair.

All in all, I really enjoyed today's session and will be looking forward to our next off-road ride.

Total distance: 45km
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Pan, Alrasvee