Passing thru Bandar Baru Bangi

It has been almost 2 months since I was in a saddle. If Alain is reading this, that 1 botched ride we had on one Saturday didn’t count. To start siding from a long sabbatical is one tough gig. So i decided that the best way to get back in to shape is by using a bicycle that will make my muscles work twice harder than road bike. Hopefully this will help speed the process up a bit if not a lot. And this bike is my newly refreshed MTB.

Why MTB? Well I discovered that when I used my MTB to ride with my buddies not long a go. The distance was 14 KM but the amount of calorie burnt was 2.5 times higher compared to when I was on my road bike. And not to mention I had better heart rate than the target zone too.

Alain and his new BMC

Things have been pretty hectic these past few weeks. I guess its true that the world does seem to spin faster as you get older.  Anyway, I got a call from Alain late on Friday evening asking about Saturday's ride. Actually it was pretty much a "done deal" courtesy call confirming that the ride was ON.  I was a little hessitant to confirm because the weather  had been incredibly unpredictable these few weeks and the coming weeks (based on the Met. Dept. Report)  as well. He's answer was elegantly baffling, Rain or Shine...I'm still riding.

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'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?

It has been a while since we last ride with Cikgu Sham. We recently met him at a mamak restaurant at Precinct 14 when we did "The 38°C Putrajaya Ride" last Sunday. If there's anyone with the latest and rare bicycle gadgets,  it would be him. From odd looking portable bicycle stand to shoe cleat's cover, he'd have them first.

Cikgu Sham joined us on our Saturday ride. Zack, Dr. Azlan and me rendezvous with him at the Sungai Ramal's RnR area en route to Sungai Ramal's toll plaza.  We rode casually on the SILK highway all the way to the 2nd RV point at the Kajang Perdana's clover leaf.

Jacky and Liu

It's 7.30am and there's nobody at the Sungai Balak RV. Yes, another solo ride through the SILK highway. It was a cloudy morning and slightly breezy.  Weather like this, most people would just pull their blankets and continue to lie on their beds.  For cycling addicts, this is a perfect weather to ride, especially when you live in a country that is generally hot and humid.

So many things happened in the last couple of weeks. Its interesting to see some new "hupgrades" in the family. It started with Azmi from his Cervello to TREK 2.1. Quite recently Zam Besar had had his Raleigh frame "hupgraded" to half carbon Specialized fame. Yesterday I saw a Giant with a brand new Spinergy Stealth Wheelsets at the a workshop. Little bird told me it's going to be another half-carbon Specialized too.

Okay, I had an upgrade too. I traded my TREK 5900 USPS for a brand new TREK Madone 5.2. I've been dreaming and saving for this bike for quite a while and now I am riding one.

Personally this is the best price point for performance level bike. You'll get Shimano Ultegra groupsets, good frame and a get crappy good Bontrager Race wheels. They are lower level sub one thousand MYR wheels but suprisingly, they still provide great performance. Some suggested that I change the Dura Ace C24 on the TREK 5900 to the new Madone. While it might be not such a bad idea, I'd prefer to ride the Madone as it is. I just want to savor the "smell of a new book".

Both Saturday and Sunday were blessed with sunny morning. Even though there were clusters of moving white clouds hovering above the city, the sky was bright and blue, radiated by the golden-rich light of the sun. Too bad we're still on recovery plan. It would have been nice if did a long distance ride.

It felt great to get back in the saddle after a long break. Last week we only managed to cycle on  Sunday since Saturday was a no show due to the rain.

Friday, September 16th is a public holiday commemorating the establishment of the Malaysian federation, a sovereign nation. Happy Malaysia Day everyone!

Group Photo @ 2nd RV

We missed Saturday ride due to the rain and the weather didn't get any better on Sunday either.

It was gloomy Sunday morning. The road was slightly wet because of the rain in wee hours just before dawn.

I had a busy evening on Friday filled with back to back adrenalin pumping activities, a speedball game and go kart race with colleague.  I went home exhausted, flat and even missed dinner. I had no idea that waking up on Saturday morning would require an effort. Nonetheless I got to make time for my morning ride.

Saturday route will almost always be the CA Arena. I started late again. Yes, I almost overslept but manage to bring myself out of the bed.  There was nobody there at the 1st RV point so I'd figure the train would have left the station. I continued cycling and true enough I saw two riders about one Km infront of me. At this point I couldn't possibly know who they were so I pressed on but couldn't quite catch them as they consistently rode through hilly roads from the Sungai Chua's cloverleaf all the way to Bukit Kajang.

Zaha has been one resourceful ride organizer and since he’s out of range this week, the schedule was slightly a mess. Everybody was wondering what’s the ride plan. It’s even tougher especially during school breaks due to “domestic responsibilities”.

The guessing game is counter productive and I believe nobody likes to wait. So lets make it a rule that starting next week, all ride plan will be posted on the blog’s chat-box every Friday. We only save the text message for last minute changes.

This morning was my 2nd ride since the last hiatus. I felt better during the climbs even though my left thigh was strained. It was fun playing the attack game with Syamsul during the climbs. I’ve lost count how many warning beeps from the Sigma HRM every time the session reached the power zone.

There were only four of us at the 1st RV point, Najib, Zam Besar, Syamsul and me. Other than Zaha, the rest fell below the radar except for Saipol who seemed to retire from road cycling this year.

Its June now and we are halfway through the year in a blink of an eye, literally.  I have to admit that my cycling calendar isn't looking very good. To many "short stint hiatus" in between the days and the things happening around the office is not helping at all.  Advice? Well, I've heard it all. Striking balance and yada yada yada are easier said than done.  Balance finds its own way, the more natural it is, the more sustainable it will be for a period of time until your boss comes out with more new "bright ideas".

Sunny Saturday Morning

Rising sun...manyak panas woo..

I hope its still not too late to wish a Happy and Prosperous Rabbit Year to all our Chinese friends.

Saturday ride crew @ Kajang Perdana clover leaf

Yesterday I came across an interesting article about diet plan and how recent studies showed that running on strict regime might actually caused weight gain instead of weight loss and even can have negative affects on overall health.

The study concluded that the weight-focused approach to health is unsupported by the scientific evidence and has in fact been detrimental and costly.

Rather than focusing on weight loss, the researchers recommend that people focus on improving their health status.

I find this very interesting as I recently had an argument with a colleague who tried to get me to join a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme's herbal based diet products. The initial package would cost me an “investment” worth RM1500. That’s what they called it, an investment instead of the word “fork-out” or pay. Creative use of words can actually change the way you think and perceive an idea or situation.

Word choice in marketing and advertising is absolutely critical. When advertisers spend millions of advertisements, you can bet they have tested every word they are going to use to psychologically lead you to believe their product is the best, that it will change your life.