The not so kao-kao ride
KOTRTpit view by Wei Liang

I am Wei Liang and I am new to the sport of mountain biking. I have not been riding since 1994 and this is officially my 3rd mountain bike ride since I got my bike. This trip is my second ride with KOTRT and my first write up contribution.

I initially decided to drive all the up to the Ayer Itam dam's parking lot and wait for the entourage there. That way, I would be able to conserve some energy for going uphill later. Tough luck. I received an SMS from Shamoon at 11.30pm the night before asking me to meet him at Greenlane Caltex station at 7.40am the next day. There went my curi ayam plan.

My legs were still aching when I woke in the morning due to the Cempedak Trail ride the day before. I wanted to watch Man United's match the night before at 1.15am but I have to abandoned the idea after Shamoon hinted me how tough the trail was. He convinced me that the ride was twice as tough as the Cempedak Trial. Boy, was he wrong. It was actually four times as tough!

At 7.45am I met up with Shamoon and Dennis at the Caltex Station in Greenlane and we proceeded in 2 cars to Ayer Itam. We parked our cars at a residential area, met up with ST and cycled through the hustle and bustle of the Ayer Item town area to the foot of Ayer Itam Dam ("AID") where we were greeted by Azmi, Adrian, Kevin and Jane. The ride began!

The first stop was the AID parking lot. Ten minutes into the ride, Azmi, Adrian and Dennis were no where to be seen. I was at the back of the pack trying to ride all the way up. Warm up? I thought my "radiator" was going to overheat soon. A quick glimpse at eveyone's muscles when we were at the foot hill, provided me with details of distance i was left strugling at the back. I managed to get to the AID car park without walking - an improvement over my previous ride there.

From the car park we proceeded to Iron Cross. Neither did I know what to expect nor how long the ride up was going to take. The last thing I wanted to hear from Adrian and ST was: " Get to the smallest gear. It's up, up all the the way!" .

Habis lah this time. That was the the last I saw them before they sped off uphill. The ride up was a torture to say the least. My legs were feeling really numb an on many occasions I had to get down to push my bike.

I was convinced that I was very far behind from the rest of the pack. In a way, I was relieved that Shamoon was behind me and was nowhere to be seen. He started last as he needed to answer nature's call, maybe trying to lose a few pounds prior to the climb. Well, at least someone to keep me company for now. Along the way I caught up with Kevin. He was sitting on the floor with his legs stretched when I passed. Nevertheless he was okay, so I moved on. As I trudged along I slowly forgot about my tiredness as I got reacquainted with nature. The fresh air, the trickling sound of water from the crytal clear streams and the chirping of birds. At times there were squirels dashing across the trail.

At the final quarter to the Iron Cross I caught up with Jane. At that juncture I was too tired to cycle and had to push my bike all the way up. The rest were already waiting at Iron Cross and there was another group of mountain bikers taking a break up there as well. Kevin arrived after me, followed by Shamoon. While Shamoon was struggling to cycle up Jane went down the hill and attempted to race Shamoon up on foot. That's when Shamoon demonstrated his fluency in cantonese with a well said TLMKCH that drew laughter from everyone.

After a short break, we were ready to go downhill. After the punishing ride up, I was eagerly looking forward to the downhill portion. ST led the pack and off we went. I was flying down the slopes trying to keep up with ST and Adrian and halfway downhill, it happened. I went head on into a big rock beside the path and immediately upon impact I felt the rear wheel lifted up. In a blink of an eye, I was flung off the bike and landed flat on the ground. I could hear someone behind me shouting "Biker down! Biker down!". *Sigh* This is the second time I heard those words in the space of 2 days. The most recent was the day before when I fell off the bike at the Cempedak Trail. Back to the crash: I immeditely picked my self up and the first thing that came into my mind was to assess the damages to the bike. I turned around to look for the bike but it was nowhere to be seen. Apparently, the bike flew off the cliff and landed a few metres below. Kevin was kind enough to lend a hand in retrieving my bike. Thanks bro! Damage assessment: The bike was OK! It still looked like a bike, cyled like a bike but I may have to get expert's help to determine if it's really ok ;-P. I escaped with bruises and cuts on the elbow, shin, knee and thigh. Azmi sprayed somesort of antiseptic over the wounds. It stung!

The ride continued. I went a bit slower after the crash but still crashed in similar fashion for a second time at the 27 swithcbacks but this time I landed on the grass. Escaped unscratched this time around. The 27 swithchbacks was a fast trail. A long plunge awaiting those unlucky enough to navigate off the switchbacks. Braking and turning correctly was crucial at this stage. Kevin was in front of me and his back tyres kept locking up upon approaching the switchbacks. Macam Initial-D trying to drift over corners.. technical betul ;P. The sight of tar road greeted us at the end of our descent. The road led to Balik Pulau and from there we cycled to Balik Pulau town to have the famous Balik Pulau Laksa Siam and Laksa Lemak. Along the way I was greeted by a few roadies coming from the opposite direction. It was a good few kilometres before we regrouped at the Petronas station before proceeding to the Laksa stall.

After our meal we proceeded to cycle up the hill again via the route that passed by Sacred Heart school. ST had to leave as he needed to head home.

Ascending again. I had just wall-up 2 bowls of laksa and was keeping my fingers cross that the food would stay in my stomach throughout the ride up. The ride up was killing to say the least. I was alternating between pushing and riding my bike. Good thing I had the bike serviced the day before. A day prior to the ride, my brake calipers were brushing against the disc and I did not think I want that kinda extra resistance going uphill! The sun was blazing down on us as we made our way up. As usual, Azmi, Adrian and Dennis was way in front and nowhere to be seen. After almost what seems like eterneity, I finally arrived at 'Hilton' which was nothing more than just a hut at the top of the hill but after a punishing climb on a sunny day, a shady place to rest was a welcomed luxury. We took a good few minutes rest before descending down the hill back to AID.

Next destination was lunch at Ayer Itam town. After 'Hilton' it is all the way downhill. Azmi was leading the pack. Halfway downhill I caught up with Azmi as he was attempting to overtake a motorcylist. I think he abandoned the idea after the motorcyclist showed no intention of letting him pass.

Lunch was a welcomed relief. We had a hearty meal and adjourned after that. Overall, it was a great experience. At the time of writing, my body was still aching all over. My left knee was swollen and my right elbow still hurt like crazy. Jalan tarak lurus, berdiri tarak tegak. Yea, walk also one kind. But I can't wait to do these all over again...must have dropped a screw from my head during the crash...

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