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.
Last Tuesday I paid a visit to a friend's bike shop because I wanted him to check on my cranky BB90. It was at about 9.30ish in the evening and typically during this time, they'd be cleaning up and calling it a night. But to my surprise I saw a few people on rollers and trainer busting their lungs spinning those wheels like hamsters.
Apparently this friend of mine now does "night class" program for those who want to improve their cycling techniques and cores such as posture, spinning, cadence, endurance and aerobics.
They serve nice food here...
The haze condition was kind of bad. From personal observation, while driving to the RV point in Batu 18, Hulu Langat, the visibility was reduced to approximately 50-70 meters. Initially I had second thought about this ride but i made a promise. The wheels go on!
In the morning The Batu 18 and Sungai Gabai are almost always covered with mist, plus the smokey smell wasn't that obvious. The only problem was the visibility. But certain areas en-route to Genting Peres were bad. The air was smokey and it was kind of hard to breathe.
This ride to Genting Peres was my first after 8 month of cycling hiatus. As expected my variables were all “out of tune”. But conquering Peres was an important morale booster for myself. The plus-minus 10km up the hill with elevation gain of about 400m from the the T-Junction was hard. My thighs were screaming out “murder!” and the crotch was extremely upset and cursing all the way to the top. After an arduous 48 minutes journey, cracking just at 9-10KM/H I made it to the top. Never thought the chant “Shut Up Legs!” actually worked wonder and helped me through when everything else said “Stop! Let’s call it and turn back!”. All in, I clocked 41.7Km and had a good meal break at the Bahulu Classiq with the Cyclone posse.
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.
My cycling posse: Alain and En. Azmin
Getting back into shape is a massive challenge especially so after a very long break. Not only to shred those extra pounds gained during the break but also to rebuild my strength, endurance and fitness level.
I'm basically rebuilding my base while everyone else is already up to speed to some level. The progress so far is pretty positive. The legs feel good, cadence and rhythms are there during climbings. I can’t burn matches during rides just yet. It will come back. Having patience, perseverance and consistency are keys to the recovery program.
The aerobic is getting better after each rides. For the benefit of those who don’t know, cycling, for the most part is aerobic. Most people will ride for extended periods of time and push themselves to elevate their heart rate for extended periods of time, at minimum greater than 20 minutes.
(Note: 3 ride videos shot with GoPro HERO2 after the break)
2012: With Alexander Vinokourov from Team Astana
I've had my longest hiatus since June 2013. I did have a few rides on my MTB and most of them were short rides. Few things have been going on with my life. The busy work schedules and most important of all is the birth of my baby boy. In summary, I was busy with domestic responsibilities and I didn't regret having to temporarily suspend my cycling schedules. That magical moments expecting the newest member of the family was something that I wouldn't trade for anything.
Once everything seems to have stabilised, it's time to be back on the saddle. I did a couple of rides with my cycling posse at Sungai Long and few tours to Genting Peres. Yes, the infamous Genting Peres, a cycling heaven for many city folks who seek to release their stress by burning calories and straining their legs climbing the hills filled with lush green trees, encapsulated with morning mist and the abundance of nature as well as fresh air. (Note: I've added 2 videos shot with GoPro HERO2 after the break)
Audi e-Bike.
Sourced from: Yahoo.com
Hello there! How's everyone doing? Wow, this must be the longest gap ever since the last post. I've not been on the saddle for at least a couple of months now. Why? Hmmm where do I start? No where! It's just that I've been busy, period.
One thing for sure, I'm itchy to get back on the bike. May be not straight away do the road but a few rounds on the roller first and see how that go.
Bicycle has evolved since early 19th century, from the draisine in 1817 to the mountain bike in 2000. It's interesting to see how bicycles and trends evolve these couple of years. Now there's foldable bike, fixie and then the e-bike. With easy and fast access to information, innovation is happening faster and faster every day. IMHO, for these genre of bikes to survive, they have to reach cult status fast. That means they have to go to market fast and wide, with the right price and package. The rest such as marketing etc goes without saying.
