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· Date : 29 March 2008 Honest eye witness account: “I don’t think I am the best person to write this because I walked almost half of the ride”, I protested when Azmi asked me write this. “It’s not how you get up there but it’s the experience that counts”, said Azmi. OK, boh pien . This I had to agree. So, here goes. This the account of my bike pushing experience up Penang Hill and the unforgettable downhill ride. The ride up Penang Hill was no joke. If you asked me to hike up after many months of not exercising I’d most likely just stop at 84. To hike, let alone cycle all the way to the top was unthinkable. I had been away and fitness was practically down the drain. A month of heavy eating and no exercise didn’t help either. Initially, when I was informed that we would be riding Penang Hill I thought it would be a relaxing ride – taking the tram up and riding down. Well, that was what I thought until I called Azmi and he asked me to rendezvous at the Youth Park car park - there went my leisure ride. I later found out the tram service was disrupted due to some maintenance work. As I rolled into the Youth Park car park at 8.20am I could see Jane already warming up – cycling up, down and around the parking area. Azmi was speaking to two new faces: Tap and Zam. They are the 2 Singaporeans joining us today. At 8.30am, we were good to go. It had been raining for the past week but that day the sky was clear. The ride started with a steep uphill on the tarmac. Our first stop: 84. Well, it didn’t take that far to show how unfit I’d been. At the second turn I was so exhausted that I felt nauseous and was dizzy. I needed a long break and everyone was far ahead. I thought of calling it quit to avoid black out midway up. Luckily, Zam was there, as ‘pamcit’ as me. After catching our breath, we pushed our bikes up; resting in between breath. Yes, fitness was really down the drain. Anyhow we persevered knowing that whatever “goes up must come down”. Our motivation was the downhill. After pushing what seemed like eternity we finally reached the 84 rest stop. There were many hikers resting. We took a few photos. After 84, the road was rideable for my standard so we rode more and walked less. The final quarter of the journey was pretty steep. So Zam and I were walking more and cycling less. We had to stop to catch our breath at almost every turn. To cut the long story short, we finally reached the peak. Azmi made us cycle the last 30 meters or so to the peak so that it looks presentable in the photos. At the top of the Penang Hill we had brunch at the food court. Azmi recommended us ‘Milo Si’. It was good. Azmi was telling us about kacang kuda and how it was used by the Commandos as it contained good carbo(so I was told by a former Commando-Azmi). That was something new which I never knew. I also learnt that the kacang kuda seller up in Penang Hill is the second generation of kacang putih seller. Must be very good business to last for 2 generations!(his kacang puteh is a must try!-Azmi) After brunch things started to get interesting. We were going downhill – finally! We rode up a relatively flat area of approximately 3 kilometers. The trail was of cemented single track paths and really narrow gravel trails. The trail was really steep and narrow. I nearly flew off the trail on a few occasions but luckily I managed to stop in time. I went slower after that. Azmi, Tap and Zam were already way in front. I could see the tyre marks on the trail most probably by Zam since he liked to lock his rear wheel every time he took a high speed sharp turn, just like those seen on downhill ride videos. Tap and Zam were riding DH bikes and they were really going fast. A few near crashes but still in one piece, I managed to regroup with Azmi, Tap and Zam near a farm. After the farm I wasn’t so lucky. I crashed...again! For the record, I would crash at least once in every KOTRT rides and that day was no exception. This time around the incline was not that steep so there were fewer cuts and bruises. I should seriously consider increasing my insurance premium. At the rate I was crashing, it made perfect sense. No pain, no gain! Well, lesson learnt: always look to the front beyond the wheels when going downhill. Where you looked determined where you are heading. Tell lah earlier!(thought you know already mah-Azmi.) We regrouped at Iron Cross and then proceeded to take the jungle trail to the Ayer Itam Dam (AID). I have ridden this trail before but it was from the opposite direction. It wasn’t as much fun then as there were more uphills than downhills. Well, this time around I am coming from the opposite direction. We were zooming down from the word ‘Go’. I think this is one of the most fun jungle trails I have ridden to date. It started with a cement track then to gravel and gradually to tracks covered with layers and layers of leaves. Occasionally there were areas where we need to cycle a bit uphill but it was manageable – for my standard la. At one point I was on the lead but I could hear Tap and Zam. Apalagi? Full speed ahead! No biting dust on this trail. Before we knew it we reached the end of the trail to the tarmac heading towards AID. Jane and Azmi arrived shortly after us. Jane was trying her new clipless pedals and she tried really hard not to crash. She was doing pretty well but finally kantoi-ed upon reaching the tarmac. Well, practice makes perfect! After regrouping and catching our breath we went downhill to AID and subsequently to the foot of the Hill before cycling to the mee rebus/goreng restaurant in Ayer Itam town. We had a good round of mee goreng and mee rebus before heading back to Youth Park. Azmi led us through a shortcut. It shaved 2km off the supposedly 8km ride. Upon reaching the carpark Tap’s bike had a flat tire. I think the tire finally gave up after all the abuse it has gotten from the downhill ride. Overall, it was a tough ride for someone getting reacquainted with the sport after a long layoff. The experience was exhilarating nonetheless and the climb leading up to the top was worth every inch for the rewarding downhill experience we had. I will definitely do it again sometime in the near future but hopefully the tram service would be working. Oh, before I forget – I would like to thank to Tap and Zam for the lunch and hope to ride with you all again. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| · Date : 29 March 2008 Honest eye witness account: I was at Tokun the day before for a warm up ride in the evening, kia-su mah! Must restart, warm up my two wheels and legs first before joining the “gao-gao” ride. After that ride, I quickly called Maverick asking him to keep his shop opened. I needed his help to fix my bike; I can’t wait to try out my NEW Candy pedals and Scott MTB Pro Lady shoes I bought in Hong Kong. (Kia-Su + Ai-Bin!) I was excited but scared at the same time as the next day I would be trying my new clipless pedals for the first time in my life but I told myself I have to overcome this fear of mine somehow! Saturday 8.00am; I reached our meeting place at Youth Park. I saw the two Singaporeans; Zam and Tub having a warm up ride around the park. While waiting I decided to practice clipping on and unclipping my shoes from my new pedals; while telling myself; "if anything goes wrong, DO NOT panic…just unclip my pedal". Hmm…felt like I was back in school taking my final exam! Really kin-cheong (tension) lah! There were only five of us; me, Azmi, Wei Liang, Zam and Tub. We started at 8.30am SHARP(punctual eh?-Azmi) from Youth Park riding toward Botanical Jeep Track. I “felt” fast in my new gear but Zam and Tub overtook me as we started the climb…mana ada orang ride fast-fast so early in the climb one? I overtook them eventually when they ran out of steam after the first bend. I finally reached 47 after the strong Chief, Tub following behind me but he pushed his bike. Continuing to 84 should be much easier after our climb to 47. We waited for Zam and Wei Liang but there were no sign of them, we decided to move on tot 84 and regroup there. Finally after about 20mins of waiting, Zam and Wei Liang showed up. After a short break and photo session, we continued our climb to the top. Riding all the way uphill was a mental torture for me as I struggled to coordinate my body and mind with the clipless thingy! I told myself not to lift my feet from the pedal, just follow the circular motion and to swing my foot sideways to unclip if I needed to get off. I really felt the tension…I just didn't let it show (to the guys) because kia-su and ai-bin mah. Finally 168! We reached the Top of Penang Hill. "Azmiway" promoted the famous food at the Food Court ie. 88 Coffee Shop Milo Si, Nasi Lemak, Kacang Kuda etc. After spending a month in China I really missed our local Ice Kacang so I ordered one but somehow today the Ice Kacang didn’t taste as good. After our makan and rest, it was time to reward ourselves on the downhill to Iron Cross. It was show time for Zam and Tub as they disappeared from our sight! Uh-oh, going downhill clipped in was a good challenge for me! We regrouped after the vegetable farm. I decided to let the boys go first as I was still adjusting to the clipless pedals and I recalled the series of rolling single track somewhere in the middle of the trail. I was worried I might cempedak if I couldn’t unclip in time should I lose balance in the middle of the climb! I rode at the back carefully; slowly but surely, my confidence level grew as I steadily cycled on the single track. I finally managed to catch up with Zam and overtook him. I was hoping I could finish the ride without any untoward incident but I couldn’t clear the little hump towards the exit to the tarmac (my left pedal unclipped and right pedal clipped) and all the momentum was lost! Cempedak lah! Chief sudah potong my markah…sigh! After the ride, as usual "Azmiway" was doing his part to promote our local delights; the best Mee Rebus/Goreng and Pasembur to our S’porean friends. While having our lunch, chief was already discussing on where to take Zam and Tub for dinner! Wah, really ride to eat! Myself "tam-chiak" one surely don’t want to be left out lah! Just because of my "tam-chiak", I was willing to drive over the Penang Bridge three times today; early morning for the mtb ride, later in the afternoon (second time) to accompany my mum for Cheng-Meng/Tomb Sweeping on the Island and the third time drive back to the island for my dinner with the boys. Upon my request we had our dinner at Sunshine Bay Seafood. Actually our dinner was supposed to start at 7.30pm but me and Rin were caught up in a bad jam all the way, so everyone (Azmi, Derek, Beh, Zam and Tub) waited for us and we only started our dinner at 8.00pm (there goes our punctuality!-Azmi). Sorry folks! Wah...I ate a lot (especially the yummy noodle crabs-Azmi) and I was the last one to stop. I thought I ate a lot by my standards but Derek said I have yet to live up to KOTRT's reputation! Wah, like this eat always mah pui thut-thut! After dinner, we headed up to Batu Ferringhi as our Singaporean friends wanted to do a little shopping, they contributed quite a bit to Penang economy! Then we continued to Esplanade for Ah Cheng's freshly cut fruits and the famous rojak! Yum! Yum! We chit-chatted till about 12.30am. Wah…really long and busy day for me...and I still have to drive back to Butterworth wor! Ever since my first try out on my new clipless pedals, even as I sleep-eat-work…my only thought now is how to improve and practice more on my new SPD since I have decided to play gao-gao on my bike…I should overcome my fear of this thing called SPD! As they say; “Practice Makes Perfect!” ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| · Date : 23rd March 2008 Honest eye witness account: FRIDAY It was Good Friday. Julee and I was on the way home at around 1130pm, after the evening service and with a full load of Hokkien noodles (KL style) for supper. As we drove along the Federal Highway, we were planning out our trip the next day to Ipoh. We had great plans to catch-up with old friends, including KOTRT from KL and Penang as well as 2 other ex-workmates. I was also going through my mental checklist of all my biking gears and bike prep-ups that were needed. Once we arrived home, I headed straight to my store room to get all my gears & lube my bike while Julee packed all the "domestic" stuff.
1 am. Everything was at the front door, ready for the drive the next morning. Yah-Yooooo!
SATURDAY Next morning, we work up late...930am....but according to plan. We had a leisure weekend breakfast, while reading the morning papers. After washing up, everything was loaded into the car and off we went at around 12noon. Everything was perfect. Even the car felt smoother than usual.
As we approached Rawang toll, things starts to look slightly less perfect. Bucket loads of rain came pouring down. My first thought was, "Good that it rain here, and rain now. Ipoh must be sunny and dry and perfect for Sunday's ride".
Well, I guess that was wishful thinking. It continued to rain hard all the way till we got to Ipoh at around 3pm. The image of chain-stuck and riding in the rain suddenly came to mind. The idea of skipping the ride also became like a real value proposition to be seriously considered. I quickly shake off such weak thoughts...how could I think that way? What would the KOTRT think of me if they found out that KL has made me more "whimpy" ? Cannot lah !
Upon checking into our hotel, we meet up with ST, Adrian and Pang who so graciously drove to our hotel to drop off my goodie pack Inspecting the goodie pack with the number plates and maps, while catching with these 3 guys give me the "semangat" to ride the next day, no matter what the weather may be. These guys are pump-up, with biseps larger than my skinny tight! Also, ST assured me that Ipoh Ride has never been so tough...very flat trail, and no killer climbs. My semangat continue to grow. I had a quick lunch and got back to the hotel early to put up my number plate on my handlebar and loaded my Camelback with water and food.
It was 7pm and it was time to meet up with the crew for dinner. We had dinner at this Malay worong, which served really good Nasi Lemak and of course all the regular local cocktails i.e. Milo, Teh Tarik, Kopi, Bailey, etc. As the dinner progressed, and the crew catching up with the good old times, the topic suddenly turned to the plan for tomorrow's ride. Slowly, the "whim" in everyone started to surfaced. Shamelessly, one by one giving all sort of excuses for skipping the ride. There were easily 50 excuses that were voiced out, of which 30 probably came from me ;-)
SUNDAY Everyone re-grouped at Sri Malaysia cafe for breakfast at 6am. Well...almost everyone. Several members came in only at 645am. ANYWAY, without going into the details, everyone arrived at the flag-off area at 715am. As we setup our bikes in the most hurriedly manner, we could hear the ride being flagged-off and hundreds of riders came storming down the the first tarmac straight.
We manage to catch up with the pack as riders slowed down to squeeze into the start of the "dirt" trail. At this point, KOTRT crew started to drift apart as we wiggle throught the queue of riders. Rin, ST, Malik, Adrian, Pang and Moon got further in front, while Sany and Fuji stayed cool at the back. Even at this very early stage, the impact the heavy downpour the day before had on the trail became apparent. Mud was everywhere! As my sparkling clean wheels splashed thought the first mud puddle, the all too familiar noise started, "Shing Shing Shing"...crap got in betweem my disc and brakepads. No worries. Just tap on my brakes and the noise stopped. However, within 30 mins into the ride, my chain started to squeel and creeks. I stopped to lub my chains with super-wet type of lubrication.
After this "warm up" sections, the real ride begin. The climbs were huge, and muddy. For the first few climbs, I gave my very best to ride to the top, going against gravity and friction from the mud that clogged my tyres. Several climbs later, I realized it wasn't very wise to go against the forces of nature. Just be humble and push when need to ;-) Nevertheless, pushing was also not getting easier because mud was still causing friction and adding weight to the bike.
All the climbs did returned some sweet decents. Some were short, but technical, others were long and fast. The one I remembered most was a narrow and super muddy decent. Riders where pushing their bikes down. After hours of suffering the uphills and mud, I decided it was pay back time. I got on my bike and rode down this path. As my tyres sinked 3-4 inches into the mud, I slid down the muddy trail with my ass sticking all the way back, I yelled out "Rider Coming Down...Without Brakes". Some riders quickly joined in the fun. Now there was a pack of 3 or 4 riders kamakaze-ing down. We had a few tumbles, but with tiresome body and toasted brains, we had a false sense of confidence to continue.
As mentioned, the KOTRT crew was drifted apart right from the start. However, it was nice to see these familiar faces once in a while thoughout the ride: I first bumped into Moon around an hour into the ride. We were queuing up at a technical downhill section. It was so technical that many of us had to push down. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| · Date : 23rd March 2008 Honest eye witness account: It rained all the way up to Ipoh, on through the evening and into the night. We found A, Pang and ST in various states of undress (!) when we went to room 333 to collect our keys. R, M and Moon arrived shortly thereafter. Time for dinner with J & J driving over from the Heritage to join the makan convoy. Malik showed his great flexibility when the two of us had to squeeze into 40% of the back seat of Rin’s Freelander for the trip. And no, we did not sit on each other. J Nasi Lemak place on the fringes of Kg Melayu was our dinner spot, just behind my Aunt’s house. Moon made straight for the Nasi Lemak, “Nasi Lemak tambah Kak, yummy!” Eric and Low joined us there and we chatted the night away, while it continued to pour outside. Mmm, Sunday Breakfast at New Hollywood was sounding pretty good…. Back to the Hotel, showered, caught “The Island” on Astro and we agreed to leave the Hotel at 6am sharp to make the 7am start. My alarm woke me (and Sany) up at 4.40am and we were ready to roll by 5.50am. It looked like the others were too. Breakfast was served at the coffee house and we proceeded to load up for the ride ahead. All except Moon who made a mysterious disappearance. Suffice to say that we were extra late to leave due to the “pit stop”. We left the hotel at 7am and arrived at the MK Land clubhouse at 7.15am, just as the riders were about to be flagged off. Cue some frantic preparations and we were off, chasing the main pack. Thanks to the kind policemen who stopped traffic for us. Eric’s bike went kaput a few meters into the ride (freehub body) and he and Low abandoned the ride. Good idea in hindsight. Then came the Mud, the glorious Mud. And the puddles. Rode past Hospital Bahagia, which Sany mistook for a golf course (very nice, I must say), across the railway tracks, past the National Stud Farm (I think some of the KOTRTs may have spent their early years here) and up into the Hills, which were covered in Mud. Up and down, some sections of singletrack were like a long-playing version of Kiara on a wet day, with extra MUD thrown in. Lots of traffic jams on the singletrack. Stopped to clean off Mud and lube chain many times. Despite the Mud, was feeling in the zone on most of the climbs, thanks to my recent “not-so-secret-training”, and managed to stay on the bike for most of the climbs, grinding up s-l-o-w-l-y in my granny gear past the legions of “koyak” riders scattered by the trailside. Really. Then came the monster, slick, Muddy downhill which eventually claimed Rin and Lim Fu Zhen. Almost claimed me when some kid riding down it ran into me while I was waiting for him to pass. “Sorry Bang!” We finally made the water station at 10.40am, after about 20km of riding. Filled up our Camelbaks® and had some snacks. An ambulance came up the road to pick up Lim. While lubing up my bike, I made the decision to bail out and ride back to the cars. An additional 25km in the Mud with more climbs to come would see me back at the cars, totally wiped out, by 4pm and I had a family dinner to attend that night. I con-vinced Sany to follow me too and we got the directions from a friendly marshall. Two options, all road or road & Mud (back past Hospital Bahagia again). We chose all road and began our 15km + ride back, towed by a friendly Penangite who decided to join us due to mechanical difficulties with his bike. Down along the river to The National Stud Farm, hooked a right towards Chemor, through Chemor town (and past Restoran Samy, yummy banana leaf rice, guaranteed!) and back down the trunk road (“mostly downhill, Sany!”) towards the clubhouse, all under a blazing sun with mud encrusted bikes and bodies. Through the finishing arch close to 11.45am, collected our medals and gifts (malu because I had only one sticker) and then bike wash time. One by one the other KOTRT’s drifted in, with Moon being the last rider to arrive, around 1pm or so. Someone stole Pang’s number plate and he wanted to make a police report about it. Incredible what people steal these days. We had lunch there. The organizers billed it as “Makanan Ringan” but there was nothing “ringan” about it. Rice, Fried Mee Hoon, 3 types of chicken dishes, 2 vege dishes, mutton curry, dalca, ice cream, lychee cordial and soya bean drink. Burp! Time to head home before more rain came. As we drove off, there were still many riders out there. And we saw a poor rider who had succumbed to cramps right at the traffic light before the clubhouse. L And then we were on the Highway, heading back to KL and Penang with our respective memories of the ride. And the MUD. Let’s do this again sometime soon, Guys! ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| · Date : 23rd March 2008 Honest eye witness account: The arrival followed by Ju Lian, Rin and gang followed by Sany and Fuji. Arrival time at noon for my team was unfortunately too early for check in to Hotel Seri Malaysia. So, we undertake the task to collect the groups goodie bags for the ride the next day. Where exactly are we suppose to collect the stuff ? ….dont ask me. My GPS is permanently not functioning. We manage to discover where is MK Land clubhouse afterall. I later learnt this will also be the start zone for the next Ipoh Century Road Ride on 13th July . Adrian was the GPS for lunch at old town. Among us 3, there was a debate on which white coffee was better Suan Yuan Foong or Nam Heong we ended up at both these places. I think this place has infidel food, so to my muslim friends – take note. Rain came pouring when we were having our late lunch. We had this ` kai si hor fun’ suppose to be Ipoh famous dish. ( translation Shredded chicken hor fun ). Did not live up to the fame and we or rather I started to be become restless and flirted with the stall operator albeit a little older. Under duress with knife pointed to my throat, ST and Adrian insisted I add their version highlighted in yellow !!!!!!. According to them it is the actual version of above paragraph. `We were in this Ipoh white coffee kopitiam, and Pang ordered Kai See Hor Fun with extra ingredients (kar lieu), an Ipoh classic like what Char Koay Teow is to Penang. While waiting for the food to arrive, he took out his toy camera and started shooting everywhere and everything in the kopitiam. This impressed the 2 hor fun makchiks who asked where he was from, thinking he must be some rich tourist from overseas. Pang then ordered a second bowl when the first one was hijacked by Adrian. He asked for extra prawns. The makchik brought over the bowl nicely arranged and asked pang to take pictures of the food, hoping that the food may be featured in some foodblog. Pang duly obliged, which impressed the makchiks further and he started flirting with them. Pang then asked for a discount, seeing he ordered 2 bowls and with extra prawns some more. The makchik say cannot, and countered by asking for some tips instead. Pang said OK. On 1 condition. You want tipsy, I will give if you let me fondle your ass. (more seefatt)! The 2 makchiks were not offended, but instead giggled at the prospect of being fondled by Pang. God, where do Adrian and I hide our faces, as this flirting was going on in full view of other customers in the packed kopitiam. Some more the 2 makchiks belonging to Pang’s age group, not some SYT!! Gosh!!....’ The rain continued to pour till evening and possibly the next morning!. At dinner table for the kotrts we had popular nasi lemak . The location is next to Billion Shopping complex, a very important meeting took place on the fate of Sunday’s ride. One can guess, the strong feelings to cancel the ride vs a good cosy Sunday morning nap AND breakfast at Hollywood whenever we get up. The objective for all may just end up as Ipoh Fellow`sleep’ ride. Eric B and friend joined us for dinner which was treated by Shamoon . Reason according to him was a `berkat’ thingy . To share his good fortune with his friends. From all of us thanks a bunch. I remembered one research done by Beh CC on his observation on Shamoon. Intake 1 liter and output 2 liter. Tell you more later. While most busy talking and catching up with old times , sharing of latest toy ( to me anyway ) like blackberry an etc etc. And you know who was very quite with impeccable co-ordination of hand to mouth movement. This means happy stomach and tiring hands. The next morning came with zero rain….most of us appear in mix feelings to go or otherwise. The first few who got up was Shamoon and he was the last to be ready!. Your guess is as good as mine. The food taken the night before has generated 2 if not mistaken 3 times the output. Tsunami happened at Hotel Seri Malaysia toilet . As all of us waited for him, we were all caught in the dilemma of leaving at almost 7 am from the hotel which is the start of mtb ride. Most of us arrived in helter skelter to assemble bikes and self preparation with the ride already started. MC on mikes leaving parting instructions at a distance AND I am not sure whether the gang paid attention to them. As I was writing last nite, the show Mindfreak was on TV with mind baffling act AND I was also equally baffled at how Shamoon continue to have this continuous Volcanic eruptions @ a.m. ! Well, the ride went on all the same. Sany who was the sole member who woke up undecided on the ride and I was very happy to see him joining the whole gang afterall. It is expected for the trail to be muddy from last nite’s continous downpour with ~ 600 to 700 riders passing the trail to tax it further. A very big number of participants I must admit. The ride was uneventful with predictable results. I remained ahead of St. Chia and Adrian. If I am not mistaken, I was ahead of Ju Lian at the finishing line. From afar, I thought I saw one small boy sticking his middle finger at me. As for the identity of that scum. Will confirm with Ju Lian later when we meet next. The downhills was fantabulous and will court major accident at slightest non attention of the trail. The climb is the matching pain opposite of the downhill thrill . I understand the trail is different from last year. ( I did not join that ride ) . The trail very shady and consider easy lah. My recommendation is to come an conquer the trail next year again. Collected 2 leeches along the trail and managed to shake them off. I packed them neatly and pass it on to Maverick ( or ` Mary’ to some of you) as tim sum. He was riding along side your truly. Heh 3. Rin wanted to show his technical downhill and competed with one young Lim from KL. It was a free fall all the way……….and Rin had to show how a bad fall looks like as an example to remind others to beware!!. Well, our hero brush mud , blood and everything away and continued. He gets a medal for bravery. Everyone including Shamoon, Sany and Fuji all arrived safely. On the way back, Adrian shared one of his experience of a transvestites who is able to tape a flat chest and transform to super cleavage . Anyone who like to have the cleavage and or curious as to type of tape to use… contact Adrian for details. That is view from my KOTRTpitt..... Pang || view images ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| · Date : 15 MARCH 2008 Honest eye witness account: It was a dark and stormy night. I could hardly see out the windscreen while driving to dinner at Unique Seafood. Then came the ominous message from Heath Chewy: “Guys we arrive at kiara jogging park at 830am sharp tomorrow. Finish by 12pm ie few breaks! Pls confirm. Dont let a little rain stop us.” With a tinge of sadness I replied “Sob, sob. Ok, see you there.” No better time to protein load so I ordered the Australian snow crab cooked with salted egg yolk for my family. Ju-Lian scared the living daylights out of me when he called out to me as I rode past his X-Trail. Hulk and Chew were waiting at the parking lot already. While we waited for J at the parking lot, I “borrowed” some chain lube from Chew and pumped up my fork and shock to account for the additional spare tire I was carrying. Then it was up, up and away, literally. Chew and J led on their bikes while Hulk and I made our way “slowly” up the Carnival race track. And up Shriners Convention to Twin Peaks and across Twin Peaks Summit. And down to the next valley and up the newly bulldozed DBKL equestrian path (“It’s all packed in already!” Ai-yoh, kita sudah kena con, bugger!), well you kind of get the picture of the net elevation gain when Chew leads the ride. A moment’s inattention on the way down to Snakes & Ladders saw me slammed into the ground by a sneaky root. Ouch. Had to sit down for a while to catch my breath and make sure I didn’t have any embarrassing holes in my shorts (that’s another story). Hulk broke out his ciggie to keep the mossies off me while I recovered. On we went. Then at the end of Snakes & Ladders, Chew had a brainwave “Let’s go ride Flintstone!” Never mind that involved climbing up ¾ of Twin Peaks… again! Watched the DH guys do their thing over the ramps and then it was down Rock Garden t-t-t-to the junction of Flintstone. Flintstone is cool, enough said. Back onto Rock Garden and b-b-b-back down to the Park. 10km in 2.5 hours. Can’t wait to see the elevation profile. Bike wash is also cool, no need to put muddy bike in the back of the car. Then lunch at the “corner mamak behind bus stop”. Obviously I take things too literally and ended up at Devi’s Corner, with no sight of J, H and C. A phone call located them at Restoran Ismail near KSH (Note to C: it is actually the end lot behind one of three bus stops in the area). Good food, good friends, good fun and a good ride. Nice way to spend a Saturday morning, aye? ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| · Date : 16 MARCH 2008 Honest eye witness account: “I’m so glad I’m not riding in the hot sun like those buggers. It’s so nice inside Rin’s car!” ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| · Date : 02 MARCH 2008 Honest eye witness account: Azmi set the meeting time at 8.00am and the meeting place was the shop lots just besides the road at the turnoff into Taman Desaria. Pang, Yascha and I arrived promptly at 7.55am and proceeded to wait for more suckers to turn up. 8.20am passed and still no sign of Shamoon so a call was dispatched and he was still at the coastal road. Sigh! KOTRT time is worse than Malaysian time. Apparently, his cat had some problems and caused him a delay which he more than made up with a promise of buying lunch. Hmm, seems like a nice way of making up. The ride up the Sg Ara hills was a trailblazing adventure. It was a long time ago since we last rode this trail and the place has undergone some upgrading. The many turn-offs did not help any, but the very friendly locals were a big help to guide us, as we inevitably ended up in some farmer’s house after a long steep climb to discover a dead end. And we were further delayed when Shamoon caught a fish bone in his rear tire and it took 3 MTBers to fix it. Pang to hold the wheel, Shamoon to pump and Yascha to hold the tire. Yascha got excited and told Shamoon to pump faster as he could feel it growing bigger and harder. And if we only recorded the sound bytes without the video, you’ll be forgiven if you thought a daisy chain formation was in progress! The Sg Ara trail to Balik Pulau was a long climb on single track cement, meandering through durian and rubber trees passing a few isolated farmhouses with the usual cacophony caused by fierce dogs defending their properties. The crest of this trail is a rambutan orchard, which became slippery and wet after the recent rains and was overgrown with bushes. It joins up with the car size cement path leading down to the main road just before the Bkt Genting restaurant entrance. We were happily down-hilling along this path when we caught sight of the Molihom signboard. Yascha was there the previous weekend and told us of the wonderful 360 degrees view of Bayan Lepas, Balik Pulau and Air Itam. So the plan for Bkt Genting was abandoned in favor of exploring Molihom. It was a long unrelenting 2.5km climb on a beautifully landscaped cement road up the top of the hill on which Molihom is located. We met the Thati housekeeper and was invited into the private property which happened to be owned by Stephen Yeap, another ardent MTBer. And was transported into the homes of the rich and famous, something you see on TV. We even got refreshed with a bottle of chilled natural Molihom spring water, and met a Mat Salleh MTBer from KL who was holidaying there. This place is used to host visiting artists and sculptors and we saw the sculptors garden by that Jap guy who did the wood sculpture at Komtar. So what was supposed to be MTB ride turned into a tourist picture snapping event, as we took in the beautiful wooden houses, supposedly transplanted lock, stock and barrel from Thailand and awesome scenery. It is like a 5-star Bkt Genting, complete with infinity pools, spa and sunset lounge. Seems this place is also for hire and serves Thai cuisine. Maybe a good place to hold our KOTRT anniversary dinner!! The ride down was fast and furious as we raced all the way to Teluk Kumbar for the delicious Pak Umar mee udang, washed down by 2 jugs of fresh lime juice. Yum. Yum. What a nice way to finish a Sunday morning ride with good buddies and great food. Some more free, no need to pay! What more can one ask for. Look out for pics courtesy of Shamoon, and Trail profile by Yascha. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| · Date : 01 MARCH 2008 Honest eye witness account: Normally before I go for any ride, I make it a practice to pack my stuff the night before. Experience taught me well on this. I’m sure most of you can relate from previous experience forgetting to pack in your riding gear ie. gloves(small matter), socks(also small matter), shoes(uh oh?) and (worse!)your helmet! Of course there were also occasions when you packed everything including the kitchen sink only to leave your front wheel behind whilst loading your bike to the rack or into your car. Ok, that’s another story. The plan was to recce the trails around Titi Kerawang area. If you have been on the 2002 Jamboree ride, just after the temple hut from Iron Cross(Len-chiau-yen to the locals!), after the durian orchard, is a pokok Melaka where we normally re-group to enjoy the scenic view. From this vantage point, there is a valley below and a very nice looking trail running alongside it. Our purpose for the recce is to find this trail. However, there were only 3 tongkois who signed up for the recce party; myself, ST and Moon. Back to the night before the ride; feeling a bit angkasawan, I contemplated to ride all the way to ST’s house in Permatang Pasir, Balik Pulau for the recce. I felt it will be a good work out for me as I won’t be free to ride on Sun. Good thing common sense prevailed and I changed my mind, I will drive over to Moon’s house and carpool with him to meet ST in Permatang Pasir. It was a decision I’m glad I made. More of this later. J It was quite late by the time I got round to packing my stuff and when I got round to checking my bike…aiyah, the front of my Lefty had a flat! No prob, it’s a cinch to fix a flat on the front end of a Lefty. Having a single fork holding the front wheel has its benefits; no hassle to remove the front wheel but it was late and I needed my rest. So, I decided to set the alarm clock to get up a bit earlier to fix the flat in the morning. Morning came round too soon and I got up immediately the alarm buzzed! Upon taking out my deflated tube I realized the plastic rim tape has also disintegrated! @#%*!! Sigh! Luckily I have a spare. Now I have to take out the whole tire and remove the bits and pieces of what’s left of the rim tape. We have this joke, a “theory” on why some people keep visiting(lau-sai to you and me!) the throne room many times in the morning. We reckon it’s due to butterflies in the stomach caused by anxiety attack anticipating a kao-kao pending ride! So in this case my bike must’ve suffered one such attack, sorry, two of such attacks! A puncture and a disintegrated rim tape! I called Moon to tell him I would be late but hey(one good turn deserves another; last Fri I picked up his bike and sent it to Gary so he could ride with us over the weekend) Moon quickly offered to pick me up instead of me going over to his place to carpool. As if we’re not already late, Moon arrived late as well. His cat also had an anxiety attack…she vomited furball into the living hall just as Moon was getting ready to leave the house. So, poor Moon has to clean up the mess. Now, that makes it three anxiety attacks in a morning and we haven’t even started riding yet! J After a short drive, we arrived at the cul de sac to ST’s house. Our patient Knight greeted us with his trademark “senyum kambing”…triple anxiety attack, yea right! The ride up Titi Kerawang was shaded and a gentle breeze embraced us. We decided to check out some trails/cement paths after the waterfall at Titi Kerawang. We saw a very promising cement path as it looked wide enough to be the trail we saw from the view point, unfortunately the main gate was padlocked. There were chain link fences all around so there was no way we could get around that. Anyway, we don’t want to trespass, so we went looking for another path. Our next likely “candidate” was a little further up the road. It was a cemented and winding single track. The trail looked like it went on forever! We rode a short distance and came upon a farmer’s house. We dismounted and pushed our bikes hoping to find the owner and ask for directions. There was no one around so we continued our way. The trail got steeper after the farmer’s house and after a few sharp and steep bends, the trail leveled out. We saw motorcycles which meant the farmer must be nearby. There were some dogs barking away but not posing any kind of threat to us. We finally found the farmer who was busy trimming his durian trees anticipating a good harvest. He was surprised to see cyclists’ way up there as he didn’t expect a bicycle could be ridden up his steep pathway in the first place. We asked for directions and he told us the path ends at the top. Sigh! It wasn’t the trail we were looking for. He cautioned the gradient would be much steeper towards the end. Obviously he doesn’t know us mountain bikers! We found out the hard way just how steep as the trail snaked all the way to the top! This is not a trail for a newbie…“breathtaking” view or not! After coming down from the farmer’s path, we decided to check out another path opened by the telco company. A word of caution though; watch out for the over zealous dogs in the area! They snarled and growled menacingly. One of the dogs got too close for comfort, I almost ran into a pile of abandoned planks! The ride up was uneventful the rest of the way. Towards the top we discovered a nice big temple which would normally not be noticeable from the main road. It was very cooling at the top and one would be rewarded with a grand view of our Teluk Bahang Dam and its surrounding area. Moon reminded it was time to go as dark clouds were starting to form above. ST took us on another cement pathway off Titi Kerawang road that would take us down to Pantai Aceh. However before we could enjoy the descend we have to cross a farmer’s house and then portage our bikes down the cobbled steps. After crossing a ditch we found the old pathway that would lead us all the way down to the village. ST suggested we stop by the gulai ikan bawal gerai and reserve a bowl of the bawal fish on our way back but the sight and smell of the freshly cooked bawal stopped us straight in our tracks! We set our bikes aside and had our lunch there and then. However, we were a bit disappointed this time as some pieces of the bawal fish weren’t as fresh but still we cleared our plates in record time! Although we didn’t accomplish what we set out to do today, overall our ride was not in vain as we found two alternate trails to ride and they both reward the rider with breathtaking views! ST commented something about these being the kind of trails that Chewy and Jane would love to ride, especially the farmer’s trail. Until our next visit…
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