Skirting a Gunung

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

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

Mileage of Week Starting 22 February 2010

1. 24 February 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]

Sembawang Circuit: 7km run

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

NTU Bike Rally 2010

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

Mileage of Week Starting 15 February 2010

1. 16 February 2010 – T15 / BT (2 laps) – 20.6km (on-road); 23km (off-road)
2. 17 February 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
3. 20 February 2010 – T15 / BT (1 lap) – 18km (on-road); 19.5km (off-road)
4. 21 February 2010 – NTU Bike Rally – 178km

Mileage of Week Starting 8 February 2010

1. 10 February 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
2. 11 February 2010 – Commute to NTU – 57km [P]
3. 12 February 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 16km
4. 13 February 2010 – T15 / BT (2 laps) – 20.6km (on-road); 23km (off-road)
5. 14 February 2010 – Sembawang Circuit – 15.3km

Dirtraction Cyclone Race Series: Ketam

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

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