I didn’t really know how to begin writing about our recent interstate ride. It was literally “One HELL of a Ride”. Four guys, 90KM (+/-) ride on two highways, a few dragon’s backs, a couple of hills , multiple cramps, uncomfortable crotch, battered legs, a few cans of Coke-100plus, sunburn, 35℃ hot weather and the wave of heat rising from the tarmac baked us.
This by far, was one of the epic and memorable ride so far for 2015. It’s not that I haven’t done this route before but taking into consideration a few variables such as long hiatus, sub par fitness and endurance level and over-confidence, this one ride truly tested my limits.
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.
Kg Gebok, Pajam
Last Sunday we rode to Pajam, Negri Sembilan via LEKAS highway. To be honest, I wasn't so keen on doing this route not because they were far but because the fine road condition! This would 100% guarantee me eating the dust if I brought my MTB instead of the Madone.
The weather was super fine given the current monsoon/rainy season. It rained in the wee hours Sunday but was bright and sunny the whole morning.
We had a good ride and I had had the opportunity to test the GoPro! I've been testing the camera on my MTB using the handle mount for a few days but the Pajam ride presented the opportunity to test the helmet mount on a long ride.
Hmmm.... where do I start? I've been staring at my MacBook Pro's screen for a few minutes and zip, nada, no idea how start writing about our recent ride. Reason? Disconnect. Things have been pretty hectic at work. There's so much one can juggle and up to a point, you need to put a side a few to refocus. But hey, that is what life is all about isn't it. And most of us if not all, are jugglers.
Enough about that.
Last weekend, a bunch of CA's went cycling to Pajam via the LEKAS highway on bright and sunny Sunday morning. Our exact destination was a Kg Gebok. So what's so special about this place? There's a small roadside restaurant called Warung Kita-Kg Gebok. We like it here because the dishes are freshly cooked and they are delicious. From roti canai, fried rice, fried noodle and char kuey teow to name a few.
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 caloriesper kilometre traveled.
So far we're on track with the Recovery Programme even though there are some tweaking and "creative" adjustment done during the tours. We haven't done any rides so far to Bukit Antu or Genting Peres. Perhaps the gang could consider doing either one this month and the other on the next one. It's just something for you guys to think about.
The ride destination for Sunday was Pajam, a small town in Negri Sembilan. The town has the average elevation of 60 meters above the sea and located 39 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur.
Even though we were short of crew members, the ride was on and it did not dampened our spirits. There were only four of us on this tour - Zam, Zack, Zaha and I. We had a good ride and a jolly good time, especially at the stall near Kampung Gebok where we had our break and meals, with exception of the dreadful headwinds.
Our journey from the Kajang toll to Pajam was generally good. The hovering clouds provided much needed protection from the rising sun. It was more like an easy ride and we cycled at a very modest speed. The hardest part was fighting the headwind that seem so cruel as a persistent and overpowering wind that seems to be doing everything it can to push you back. We decided to play along in order to conserve energy for the journey back, which in my opinion was much more challenging.
I missed cycling last weekend. Saturday was a false alarm and on Sunday I got wasted. I missed yesterday's ride due to a domestic problem and today, again it was a close call but managed to ride, yeah!
The Wasted Weekend
Last weekend was a complete mess. It was really cloudy and the ride was called off. A few minutes later, the morning suddenly turned bright and sunny but it was too late to start cycling. To make mater worst I went fishing that night and finished at around 3.30am, yes empty handed, the baits were intact. I got home at around 4am and the rest was history.
Man on a Mission...
After a no show yesterday, I was adamant that I'm not going to miss my Sunday ride. I was hoping that the gang would pick a short route like Sungai Long because my fitness sucks. Missing few rides and my "get-back-that-damn-fitness" was all but so-so thus far were just not going to cut it for long range ride.
When Zaha texted me the ride plan, I was a bit glad but still uncomfortable. It was Pajam. I was glad becuase it was not Mantin. Uncomfortable because Mantin was just 5 Km away from Pajam. It was still a 50-50 plan because it might rain on Sunday and there might not be enough take-ups. I don't know who were the ride crews other than Zaha.
Oh lalala.....
Dutch cyclist battling the crosswind
Last weekend wasn't the best of cycling days. First off my old stead started to get grumpy. There was knocking sound coming out from the headset and the left pedal was a little tight. I had sent the bike for servicing but the pedal problem seemed to be there. When the bicycle is not at its best condition the ride will turn sour. It turned out the pedal stopper was broken . I was lucky it didn't fall of the bike during the ride.
Secondly, we're missing some of the members. Little birds informed us the some had trouble allotting time to go cycling due to domestic issues, work related-you now the kind of work that is rotation based, some had to spend time with new toys (big boy toys) and there is one who put his road bike in frame and have it hanged on the wall.
Some of the routes are getting very routine if you know what I'm saying. Apart for the CA arena and the long standing PD ride, we might want to consider other routes. Lets' discuss this at "The Joint" this weekend.
I've been a little busy these couple of days with work loads. Anyway, I found this interesting video while searching YouTube for headwinds. Just when we thought that LEKAS headwinds was hell, check this video out and watch a bunch of Dutch cyclist battling the crosswinds.
Abayo!
It's Sunday morning and the Mantin ride was on. Judging from the trend, I'd figure that we'd be riding in a small party, probably less than six people.
It was a rather cloudy morning. Sure it looked promising but if there is one thing I learned about cycling to Mantin via LEKAS Highway is that, don't be too happy or too sure the weather is going to be nice all the way. Firstly the temperature changes by the hour and let's not forget the ever unpredictable headwinds.
Dr Azlan, Najib, Zam Besar and Zack were at the Sungai Balak RV Point when I arrived there. Unfortunately Zack and Zam were on a different route, to Sungai Long and not Mantin. Azmi Cervelo made a surprise visit, not his new TREK 2.5 but on a motorbike. It's one of those last minute change of plans.
This was our first Mantin ride in 2011. The thing about riding through the LEKAS highway is that it will take the best of us, both mental and physical. The biggest test thus far are the headwinds and searing sun, not so much of the terrain. It's nice and cold in the morning but temperature changes rapidly after 10am. From a point of madness to insanity, literally.
It was a glorious sunny Sunday morning. I could see the bright orange sun ray brighting up the day creating a spectacular view. This could only mean that it's going to be one bright and hot day.
For those of us who had had experience riding to Mantin via LEKAS, would know for sure if you went full throttle from the Zero Km to Mantin, it's highly likely that you're bound to bonk at some point during the course. It's to-and-fro, not a one way ride. This rule however doesn't apply to "Gaban".
In total there were over 100 photos taken and 9 videos recorded in HD format. The photos published here are filtered based on time line of the ride mission. I hope to capture the experience to the best my ability and humanly possible to be shared on this blog entry. You'd have to scroll down until the bottom part to view the videos.
From left: Suhaimi, Zam (Besar), Syamsul, Ah meng, Razi, Faizol, Zack, Bro Man, Farizal, Wan, Zam (kechik) and Romzi Location: Bukit Kajang Toll (SILK)
Prelude
There was no solid plan for Sunday. There’s this seed idea on doing a ride to Mantin last week but generally most of us were a little hesitant due to few factors but the crazy hot weather was the mother of all reasons. The horrid time we had to go through during the ride to Pajam was still fresh on our minds.
I find this situation as very odd. At times during a ride, while under immense conditions (searing sun and headwinds), I felt like throwing my bike off a cliff or just ditch it on the road site. The LEKAS hell can bring the beast in you yet after the ride you yearn for more...One thing for sure, if you’re riding at 12 noon on LEKAS, you’d be running on adrenalin.
Going Dutch
Dutch Treat, Dutch Date and Going Dutch are variations of a common term for a slang, indicating that each person participating in a shared activity pays for himself or herself, rather than any one person paying for anyone else. Of course weekend ride has nothing to do with anyone paying anything but it describe the situation of late. Everyone went out at different times hoping to get lucky and met up with other riders. It seemed that no body was coordinating Sunday rides and everyone went "Dutch Treat".
A message from Zack to Saipol
Note: this is a 1st draft entry with raw images and video footage. Changes will be made from time to time
The recent Sunday ride was an interesting one. It was both enjoyable and torturous at the same time. The fun part was that we had Zam, Razi and Ah Meng with us on the ride even though it was a short notice.
I was planning to give Zam a call earlier on Saturday but considering the weather at that point of time, the idea was put on hold, at least until there was a glimpse of hope that the rain was going to subside in time for the road to dry.
The not so fun part was that we had to ride under blistering hot condition all the way through the old road from Mantin town filled with uneven roads and pot holes. Lucky for us it was not a doggy day out though we did hear few barks from a far along the LEKAS. To compound the situation and my mental state, I forgot to put on the sun block leaving my face with sun burn coupled with pattern marks left by the eyewear and helmet straps.
Don't be deceived by the grandeur of this blog title, thanks to LEKAS highway, the routes to Pajam, Mantin and pretty soon Seremban are now more accessible. I don't have the right word for this but yes, there's an alternative highway to Seremban other than usual KL-Seremban Highway.
Anyway, we came about with the plan on the Saturday ride while "lepakking" on top of the last hill after the Sg. Long Toll. Unfortunately Syamsul, Saipol and Cikgu Sham couldn't join the ride due to certain categories of domestic problem or challenges.
Last week was a no weekend ride for me. I took the opportunity on the long weekend to visit my folks. Friday morning was not the best of time to hit the PLUS highway. True enough several unofficial report confirmed that the Damansara Toll and few miles ahead were packed with cars heading north. It was apparent that three lanes is not solving the congestion on the northbound PLUS highway. Maybe we need an alternative highway beside PLUS...but i digress...
Ride Poster: Bukit Puyuh's Waterfall
I had a good ride last weekend, both on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday ride was pretty much a warm-up ride. Short distance in nature and a mix of low and high cadence intervals.
Different people might have different opinions on how one should ride but for me, right now, I'm on to low-cadence. I sorta want my legs to feel the strain and pain because the feeling is "good". Regardless, the point is, the one person that I'm challenging is myself not others.
Cruising the LEKAS highway
Route: Toll-Bukit Kajang-Mantin via Lekas Highway
Mileage: 86 - 100KM
Total Tour Time: 5:46'15"
Total Cycle Time:3:33'12"
Calorie Burnt (according to my bio-spec): 3799 with 44% Fat.
Average Heart Rate: 131
What a ride it was.
The RV point was Toll Bukit Kajang where Man Ciocc and his gang assembled. From Toll Sg. Balak, Zack, Sham (Balakong), Man (Utusan), Romzi, Cikgu Sham and my self.
We started the ride from Toll Bukit Kajang, 13 man strong. The weather was sunny and warm. The sky was blue, promising to be a hell of "berasap" ride and it was true enough.
Pheew...It has been a while since the last posting.
My apology for those who came for updates and found out that the blog has been very quiet this few weeks. December has always been challenging to organise rides.
During this period of the year is where all the domestic issues escalate: weddings, vacations, balik kampung etc. It's a predictable pattern...sigh.
Anyway back to the activity.
Shamsul texted me yesterday informing about the Lekas Higway Ride. Zaha and I responded. I was a bit late due to unprecedented event that took place at Sungai Balak Toll this morning. I have to thank Shamsul and Zaha for waiting. Thanks for your patience guys
Lekas Highway was just awesome...not too to steep not too flat...suitable for heavy gears, overall...coupled with great weather (sunny and windy) the ride was just fantastic.
Thank you for organising the ride Shamsul...looking forward for the next one next week
Video: (Jangan jealous Saipol!!!)
Images:
Shamsul and Zaha at Starting Point
Perghh..Colnago tu....
Zaha...taking a peek at Shamsul's bike while he went to re-fuel
