Rode with CA posse on our regular route today. The weather was perfect. I didn't check on the API but the haze condition was better this morning. The air no longer smell smoky and the sky is brighter but still a little hazy.
We've had had bigger group before. Today It was just the hardwired Cycling Addcits: Zaha, Misai and Zam, the hardcores. I guess you guys don't have any other hobbies. For that, each one of you deserves the hashtag #IAMLEJEN. Mietador, what a curious case. He went rouge, joined another posse's ride to Setul on LEKAS. Najib was on ninja mode. We couldn't see him. SBJ...he's on his Jedi training. I shall say no more. Just don't want to get the "So What?" message again.
I know some of the old gang member opted for early retirement for different reasons. What ever your choices are, we hope you're happy. One of these days, we should do a "Ngeteh" get together session. We've got a lot of catching up to do.
Good ride guys.
Mata-ne!
Ever had that thought? Or someone asked you the question?
It doesn't matter if you’re new or a seasoned, cycling aficionado, at some point in time you’d come across these questions: “Should I get a carbon bike? What’s the price tag and which brand or make?”. For the deep-pockets, It’s a matter of preference, just point and pay. But for an average person, this could be the most expensive hobby ever. He or she is about to make a hole in his/her savings for the first genuine racing bike than most people pay in full for a motorcycle. In fact, it could be more expensive than a scooter, a two-wheeler without engine.
Cycling has always been my all time favourite pastime ever since I was a kid. I cycled everyday to school and everywhere with my buddies. We had our weekend rides too and usually accompanied with “mandi sungai”, river floating, shooting birds with slingshot (never hit one actually), playing rounders, football and all other outdoor. My friends and I are always outside enjoying the outdoor activities. Then I went to boarding school in Penang. I was into hockey, played for the school and appointed as assistant coach of my school’s hockey club. I picked up cycling again in college but just for a brief moment because I was into serious hockey team for competitions.
I’ve been into serious cycling for a few years now. Come to think of it, I’ve come a long way since the day I bought a second hand mountain bike from a friend of a friend. That was somewhere in 2008. I started joining Saipol and Farizal on cycling rides. Our usual route was Sugai Long. Then we changed to road bike. My first road bike was a second hand Scott, then a second hand Trek 5200 USPS edition, it's Trek Project One Road Bike from the Lance Armstrong heyday. Now I am riding a Trek Madone and an MTB which I use for training and leisure rides. My cycling posse got bigger and we expanded our routes covering more miles, going to places like Bagan Lalang, Genting Peres and Port Dickson. We truly enjoyed the companionship.
Trek 5200 USPS edition
But once in a while we especially me would go below the radar because of mixed reasons. The hiatus period varies and so far the longest for me is close to 9 months. Hiatus means you need to do recovery training to get back into shape. This is the critical make or break moment that will decide whether someone will comeback to regular rides or forever be in the ride-in-the-park mode. Recovery is hard and requires support from your peers or cycling buddies. Consistency is key. Find things, stories or role model that can boost morale, motivate and inspire. Set realistic targets, stick the program, evaluate progress periodically and adjust the difficulty level accordingly. It’s hard but not impossible.
Speaking about inspiration, a friend shared a YouTube video, Martyn Ashton - Back On Track. It’s truly inspirational. The excerpt from the video description is self-explanatory:
Following his injury in 2013, Martyn Ashton, trials legend, creator of Road Bike Party 2, and, above all family man and bike rider, began his inspirational journey to get back on track. Joined by his friends Danny MacAskill, Chris Akrigg and Blake Samson and filmed by long time collaborator Robin Kitchin, this is Martyn Back On Track.
He is a former British and World Champion mountain bike trials rider, stunt rider and team manager. He had been riding professional trials since 1993 and a mountain biking legend, the star of Road Bike Party YouTube sensation. Click the link-> Martyn Ashton Videos
Thank you Martyn, you inspire many people out there to never give up, work hard and enjoy life. You've certainly have answered this quote: Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mata-ne!
Cycling can be addictive. You could pretty much tell when casual weekend ride is no longer enough and this could probably be one of the signs of you're addicted. Then slowly you begin to intensify your frequency. When your buddies aren’t keeping up, that's where the solo ride urge kicks in. It will start with familiar, safe routes. Over time your confidence builds up and you'll start to venture on different cycling routes.
But then there is confident and overconfident. You’ve grown so comfortable that you’d ride solo without considering whether you riding choices are actually safe. There were a few incidents of crime involving cyclists on Silk Highway and LEKAS last couple of years. If you’re cycling alone on lonely route, or during quiet periods such as early morning or at night, you’re an easy target.
These crooks know you’d be bringing some cash, a phone and gadgets. They know the perceived value and there's demand for cool looking, branded carbon bikes. Some cyclists were knocked down from their bikes, hacked with machete or the likes. The point is, they don’t usually say “hello” before they attack and rob you. The threat of being robbed and hurt during solo ride is real and the “not going to happen to me” attitude will just increase the risk.
NOTE: This entry was never published since the ride on January 21st, 2012. I really don't remember why, but it was there in draft mode all this while. I found it while reviewing the labels in the content listing.
It has been 2 weeks since I took my TREK Madone for a ride due to work obligations. My most recent ride was the The PD Recon Mission. A long break break after a ride like that could be a bit overwhelming since the the 2 weeks was mostly filled with classroom activities with minimal space in between the tight schedule to do cross training to maintain my aerobic conditioning. Gotta start slow and build back my fitness a step at a time.
The original plan for Saturday ride was a reverse Sg Long route from Jusco Cheras Selatan to Semenyih via SILK highway. I've done a reverse route before with CA guys but we usually carry our bikes across the road near the Sg Long Toll Plaza. I was really looking forward for the ride as I'd be I'm cycling with new gang of roadies, En. Azmin, Alain and Kwan (I hope I got your name right). All of them are proud Pinarello Paris owners.
We rolled out from Jusco Cheras Selatan on a sunny and bright Saturday morning via the SILK highway enroute to Semenyih. Most of us except for En. Azmin knew the route's special offerings, yes the dragon backs or rolling hills and the "Big Kahuna" or "Big Mac", the long climb at the last hill, perfect for cardio workout and to strengthen those legs.
Hello!
Those who dared...
It has been a while. Quiet but not without activities. It's just managing priorities. My love for cycling is still intact, in fact its expanded a little bit. Recently I bought a foldie bike for my son. To be honest, i was never a fan for folding bike or any bicycle permutations. Don't know if this is the right word, but yeah I am old fashion in that sense. It's either a roadbike or a mountain bike. Bicycle has been here long time ago and the history is a little muddled. The concept was probably invented in 1418 when Giovanni Fontana built the first human powered land vehicle which had four wheels and used an endless rope connected via gears to the wheels. As a product like bicycle develops over a long period of time new technology becomes available. This lead to changes in the way the product looks, its mechanical efficiency and design features to the consumers. To keep ahead of the game bicycle makers always look for modern technology to innovate and apply them to bicycle design.
