Le Tour de Langkawi 2012 @ Putrajaya

Reymond Krader, ProTeam Garmin Barracuda,
LTdL 2012 @Putrajaya

We usually ride to Sungai Long every Saturdays but on this one. This Saturday we rode to Putrajaya where the 2nd stage of 2012 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) was held.  There’s no way we’re going to miss it especially when we’re having two Pro-Tour teams, Astana and  Garmin Barracuda in this year’s  race together with other Professional Continental, Continental and National team. You can check out the full list here: http://bit.ly/wEKo8J

The four of us (Farizal, Zaha, Farihan and me) rendezvous at the SILK Highway PETRONAS Station at 0800hrs and headed out to Putrajaya via the SKVE. Some of the roads were closed down for the race. We were fortunate the police didn't mind us when we made our way through the safety cones and straight at the starting line on the Putra bridge,  not far from Masjid Putra. By the time we reached there, at around 9.15am, the crowds were building up. Cycling fans clad in jerseys in all shapes and sizes, school kids, media, photographers, race officials and also baffled tourists were gathering at the pre-race staging area. 

Putrajaya Ride with the New Node

My newly installed Node1

The hunt for Node1 had been been completed. I had to spend the entire Saturday afternoon, from going to Solaris, installing the gadgets and cleaning the bike from the smudge caused by the cable-tapes adhesive. Nothing beats the excitement of a brand new gadget. And I really was looking forward for the ride.

There were only five of us on this ride, Farizal, Zaha, Najib, James Newman and myself. As usual we rendezvous at the Silk Highway PETRONAS Station on the SKVE, near the LLM building. From there we cycled passed through the UNITEN and back on the SKVE before taking the exit to Putrajaya.

The terrain from the Persiaran Utara up until the ramp heading to PICC was mostly flat with few minor climbs. The only hill on the route was Bukit Wawasan. It's steep but distance wise, its shorter compared climbing it from the opposite side. From the ramp near PICC we cycled to Precinct 20 and climbed  the 2nd  round- Taman Cabaran hill. We made a quick stop here before continued on to the main road and "layan" the PICC hill.

While cycling towards the Red Mosque we bumped into  Hong Kong cycling team. They probably were doing a routine warm up ride for the 2012 Asian Cycling Chanpionship held in Kuala Lumpur.  Zaha and me took the opportunity to draft behind them while they were cycling on Precinct 2 up until the round-about near the Red Mosque. We had to slow down due to the uneven surface of the block paved road from that point up until Masjid Putra while the HK team rammed through the gravel road like a tank.

Node Mission to TREK Bicycle Shop

TREK Boutique at Solaris...

One of important accessories (or gadget if you like) for cyclist is Cycling Computers. Yes that small thing that looks like a digital clock attached to the bicycle stem (If you don't know what a bike stem is, please click the link) or handle bar. To better illustrate why this particular accessory is so important, try to imagine Batman without  his grapple gun or utility belt...get the picture?

Its easier to set baseline and achieve certain goals. From analyzing your progress to calculating cadence, measuring distance traveled, tracking the altitude,  cycling computers were designed to enable cyclist to visually outline aspects of our ride to make us a confident and informed rider. It help us to measure performance improvements from just normal workouts or preparations for competitive events such as triathlon etc.

The Limau Manis Double Trouble

How often have your plans changed when you least expected it? Not just crude oil or stock prices but weekend ride plans are highly volatile too. To many variables to the equation. In the case of our ride plan, all that is needed is someone to throw in ideas and few buy-ins that constitute a majority. When such things happened, luck favours those who are prepared.

It's best to bring along extra tubes (+ repair kits), 2 water bottles and a couple of energy bars or bananas. Well you could also bring along sun block, Tiger Balm, Deep Heat or Ammeltz YokoYoko if you don't mind the extra weight or bulky pockets. After all, there might be circumstances where fellow cyclist could benefit from the goods too, Mr. Utility man! This reminded me of Saipol, his Ribena pack and the Bagan Lalang trip.


Sunday, January 29th 2012
The original ride plan was Kajang-Putrajay via SKVE, Cyberjaya via Dengkil Highway-Putrajaya's Persiaran Selatan, RnR at Precinct 15 and ride back to Kajang via Jalan Ayer Hitam. Instead we did Limau Manis, Putrajaya's Persiaran Selatan, returned back to Wadi Ehsan Highway, Precinct 15 and ride back to Kajang via Jalan Ayer Hitam. The thing about the Limau Manis route is that it has awesome rolling hills with 11% elevation.

The changed of plan took place at the RV point (Petronas Station at SKVE near the LLM). Since the weather was  cloudy and most likely to be a shady day, the guys itched for an adventure ride, hence the Limau Manis route. Yes we're going to do a "ClimbMadness" ride! Gambatte!

The Yellow Ride is Back!

Image soured from: LTDL 2012's website

The Le Tour de Langkawi 2012's Yellow ride is back! It's going to be held at different places and times but the Putrajaya ride is going to happen on Feb 20th, 2012. It's a night ride but you get to ride with Vinokourov and the Astana Team.

For more info or to register online, please check out LTDL 2012's Official Site: http://www.ltdl.com.my/2012/yellowride.asp

Jom!

Wet Monday Morning

It rained on Sunday morning, at night and it drizzled in the wee hours on Monday. It was still a bit dark and breezy at 7.00am. I took a quick glance through the window and saw loads of nimbus clouds over the horizon. But slowly the dark clouds subsided. That's it, that's the sign I was waiting for. The ride was ON.

We decided to do a short ride due to the unpredictable weather. I'd expected a lesser crew due to the long Chinese New Year holiday break. 

I cycled solo from the Sg. Balak toll at a moderate speed around 27-30Km/H. Though slightly breezy but the weather condition was getting better. It was all smooth until I reached the Sungai Chua's flyover when noticed that the road was slightly wet and it got worst from Sungai Ramal onwards.  I hate it when water splashing to the bum. It's freaking annoying but hey, my bike and back were already soaking wet. Might as well just pedal on.

The Epic Port Dickson Ride!

We made it guys! We finally did the PD ride. What a way to open the 2012 Cycling Addicts calendar.

Firstly our sincere apology to our friends for the black out. Trust me it was unintentional and pretty much a last minute decision that took place on Saturday while we were having a break at the Mamak restaurant after the 2011 Closing Ride to Putrajaya. It's not easy to commit ta crazy plan as the journey, in total, was about 140km (to and fro) on Sunday while enjoying Melodi and Nona on TV3 (other reasons apply too, no pun intended).

All these years of planning the PD ride with Saipol such as 2 day I night trip, the Lorry Plan (rent-a-lorry-for-the-ride-back) and the Missus Mercy Mission (Ask the missus to pick us up at PD) taught us one thing, when you add more variables to the equation, resolution becomes more complicated and more often than not, ended up as toilet papers hence the Decide-Plan-Act a.k.a "Just Do It Already".

2011 Closing Ride to Putrajaya

As 2011 comes to an end, it's high time to reflect things that matter to us be it personal achievements or the  (almost) forgotten previous new year resolutions. Do we have the guts to ask ourselves "What Have I Achieved This Year?" or do we just "Forget about it".  Yes, I'm referring to the illusive PD (Port Dickson) ride! It has been 3 freaking years and we still couldn't bring ourselves to do it. It's painfully disappointing and to make it worst, someone is laughing at us from across the sea in Toulouse, France.

Sometimes too many planning is just a waste of time. Now don't get me wrong. I am not insinuating that planning is bad. Planning is important. There's a marked difference between "Decide-Plan-Act" and "Plan-Plan-Plan". One yields result while the later yields nothing. So here's the decision.....shoooot....you just wait Saipol...time will tell. Oh wait, I heard a distance laugh...but not for long.

The December Syndrome

We're back cycling after a few short breaks, here and there, sort of. It's December again thus the spasmodic blog entry, perfect "December Syndrome": weddings, weddings and more weddings, holidays and the rainy season.  

We got back cycling together as a group last Sunday and did the Sungai Long route. The crew were Suhaimi (with his new Pinarello), Romzi, Cikgu Syam, Zam Besar, Farizal and me. It was pretty much an easy ride through the cloudy Sunday morning.

Romzi, Suhaimi. Zam and myself started from the Sungai Balak Toll Plaza and we later rendezvous with Farizal and Cikgu Syam at the Sungai Ramal RnR area.

Who's game for PD ride next week?

The Setul Epic Ride

I have to admit that I was a little worried about the reception of the Setul ride on LEKAS Highway.  One have to be crazy enough to spend his/her Sunday morning cycling 100Km against the unforgiving LEKAS's headwinds and under the searing hot Sun. Utter madness!

While it might seem like ordinary Mantin ride's routine, the Setul trip presented a valuable opportunity to provide the best exposure and simulation for the PD ride.  It's an arduous trip meant as a fitness barometer that tested both mental fortitude or endurance to a greater extent.  In other word, personally, the most app definition for this ride trip was a "Can You Handle It?" test.

It was hellish ride condition but at the same time it could be a blessing in disguise.

I don't think that there are  secret techniques to deal with headwinds except a positive attitude. You can't do anything about it till the road turns or if you scream your lungs out, so welcome the wind as a tool to becoming a better rider. It will significantly increase your pedaling effort and burn more calories per kilometre traveled.