Ketam!

IMBA-certified, Blue Square, Black Diamond, Double Black Diamond, Gravedrop, Black Cobra. At last, I was finally back on Pulau Ubin to ride the one-of-a-kind-in-Singapore Ketam MTB Park!

I was so excited that I woke up at 4am and had to force myself to sleep an hour more! The weather held up and after a 35km “warm-up” ride to Changi Village for breakfast, we embarked on a short bumboat trip to Ubin. A one-way trip cost $2.50 a person and an additional $2 per bike.

It’s difficult to describe the ride. Just absolutely fantastic. The climbs pushed us to our limits, the tight steep switchbacks threatened to throw us off the edge while the rock gardens provided non-stop adrenaline-pumping action. On my XCR Expert, I felt as if I were on a larger trail bike and it was simply a wonderful experience.

The scenery complemented the ride. Without the sights, the trail would not be that enjoyable. In fact, I wouldn’t want to race Ketam, it’s perfect for a thrilling cruise – with obstacles that simply blur the lines between XC, AM and DH. With an XC bike, the steep rocky descents will seem more fearsome, with an AM machine, the stamina-busting climbs will be made more painful! Such defines a well-built world class trail that simply allows the rider to push his rig to its limit.

Fearing that I may fail to clear, I just blasted off on my first attempt!

We had fun at the Free-ride Skills Park and no one wanted to do the trails a second time! The “Teeter Totter” proved an irresistible challenge and distraction from the trails. After a break, we cycled the usual routes around Ubin, helped a rider fix his chain when it broke, and visited Chek Jawa.

Slower approach on another attempt

It would be the first time I stepped into the boardwalks – Pan had been there before and this time round, he took care of the bikes while we explored nature. It began to rain when we headed back to the jetty, had coconuts (at an exorbitant $2.50 per fruit) and loaded up a bumboat for the return journey.

Ipoh chicken hor fun at Changi Village was very much welcomed along with a mug of grass jelly drink. It was still raining cats and dogs when we started our ride home but the good thing with the pouring rain was that it washed mud and unwanted crap off our bikes, making our jobs much easier when we got home! I was feeling damn cold in the rain but the rigours of cycling warmed me up.

Total distance: 70km (on-road), 20km (off-road)
Money Spent: $18.10
Participants: LSH, Pan, Gerald, Jasper, Terence