The weekend was another ordinary weekend filled with loads of adrenalin & heart pounding activities. My long gone mtb ride was rescheduled & it was time to hit kiara again. Never felt better. The normal casual timing of mountainbiking were spent at every second of the morning. Started with a casual time to wake up & drive to Restoran Ismail for loads of mamak’s carbo & fat complete with enriched colored teh tarik. However, the mtb crowd that morning appeared to be fellow freeriders & downhillers. A few of us, the long gone cross country cyclists rather found it a bit odd mingling around them. The topic of upgradings & new stuff starts to flood the breakfast table. Yeah…it’s been awhile since we talked about upgrading. Mountainbiking is all about upgrading, unless you’re the patient ones…like me.
Three of us started climbing the tarmac to the cross junction where a bunch of XC riders gathered. It was a non-official regrouping, however place & time is the usual. Most of them opted to roll down 4K, but we chose to pump our hearts up to Twin Peak. Alwin was suffering at some steep sections due to his new single speeder. No cursing so far…yet.
We discussed quite a lengthy deciding which way to go up on twin peak. Nobody remembered the way since we didn’t plan to do the kampung loop. A few riders came which we opted to join them down to the kebun where we met the earlier riders from 4K.
The next sightings we came upon deep in Bukit Kiara was something devastating! It was not like the beautiful & sweet Kiara. Four 30’ wide earth road torn the place into pieces. Another cross junction right at the bottom of the trail. It was total madness. Definitely a bulldozer came in & ripped the place apart. These earth roads were tearing the place all the way top & bottom. The forest floor became sticky muddy, potholes everywhere breeding mosquitos & fallen trees destroying the bike & jogging trails. Yeah…talking about city green lungs & green spots & love our nature & stuff eh?
We made our way back to the cross junction. Had a flat front. A quick tube replacement did the trick & we rolled down 2K, beating every drop & switch backs as a revenge to the sorry state of the previous trails. Our awesome old times memories reappeared at every laughter & shouting of “woo hoo” down to the equestrian. The greatness of mountainbiking felt our hearts again where there were no strong nor weak…it was just plain skills...breaking & entering.
We ended our enjoyment humping the race track before making way back to the carpark joking around while washing the bikes from those unnecessary muds & dirts collected from bulldozed trails.
Sunday – no tarmac cycling. It was time to focus more on running. Yesterday was fun, Sunday is for run. The same Kiara fellows decided to run together making some milage part of our halfy preps. Tasik Permaisuri was the chosen place. 3.5km a lap where we did 2 & one hill killing run. Another significant weekend spent despite the warm weather making the afternoon part a nice time to stay indoor & nap.
Come Monday evening, I was involved in a new kind of sport. Sepak takraw, yes...it's kind of new for me. I won't missed those fellas flying around "lipat" the rattan balls when I was at college. The sight of them jumping & hitting the ball zooming across the net was something scary for me. Today, I was enjoying it! Maybe sebab dulu ramai sangat pro. Today, I joined my fellow neighbours with their new 2008 self-made grass court with "cat kapur" for the lines...hehe :) I guess maybe we were enjoying laughing at each others' clumsiness that made the game happening. Cool.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Janda ter-baik
Had the chance to squeeze a run on Saturday morning, saja nak gauge stamina sama ada still there or dah gone with the flu. The result was rather comfortable. Looks like Sunday is going to be like any other ride…long & sustainable. Selepas hampir seminggu stuck with a mild flu, my much awaited Sunday ride to Janda Baik turned out as anticipated…pongeh! Hehe.
A few of us started the ride from Sri Gombak Petronas at 7.36am rolling in to old Gombak road covering about 10km before meeting a few others at HOA. Ten of us rolled off, climbing towards Genting Sempah. However, a breakaway by a few friends split the group to two which ended me up chasing the front group in anaerobic tempo. 49 minutes…my fastest climb up GS so far. Deep inside told me that I'm going to suffer my cycle back.
We checked in at the usual breakfast inn for roti canai, nasi lemak, teh ais & mile ais. Nasib baik kali ni brader tu punya servis ada improvement sikit. My last ride here with PCC last year, roti canai was served after 20 minutes. Maybe sebab brader dah ada skill how to be ready for the hungry cyclists on weekends. On top of the typical Malaysian breakfast, ada pulak yang gatal bertanya kan buah-buahan tempatan. Despite having panas telinga listening to the brader's wife joking around in a laser-ly manner, we were finally served with a tray of fresh durians & manggis. All good, the table was filled with loud jokes & photographs were taken due to the rare ocassion...cycle & durian.
Having to cycle back with a belly stuffed with rare mixture for breakfast, the spirit to climb back up to Genting Sempah were dampened. Kayuh tetap kena kayuh, so we just rolled out of Kg Janda Baik, back to Genting Sempah...almost crying & back down to HOA & Sri Gombak.
Not forgetting to conclude the ride by Brahim who did a stunt when his rear wheel stuck in a drain grating just before getting into the carpark. Aiyo! Some scratches yang gerenti pedih & yang lebih pedih is noticing bar tape koyak + brake lever calar....aaargh!
Facts:
A few of us started the ride from Sri Gombak Petronas at 7.36am rolling in to old Gombak road covering about 10km before meeting a few others at HOA. Ten of us rolled off, climbing towards Genting Sempah. However, a breakaway by a few friends split the group to two which ended me up chasing the front group in anaerobic tempo. 49 minutes…my fastest climb up GS so far. Deep inside told me that I'm going to suffer my cycle back.
We checked in at the usual breakfast inn for roti canai, nasi lemak, teh ais & mile ais. Nasib baik kali ni brader tu punya servis ada improvement sikit. My last ride here with PCC last year, roti canai was served after 20 minutes. Maybe sebab brader dah ada skill how to be ready for the hungry cyclists on weekends. On top of the typical Malaysian breakfast, ada pulak yang gatal bertanya kan buah-buahan tempatan. Despite having panas telinga listening to the brader's wife joking around in a laser-ly manner, we were finally served with a tray of fresh durians & manggis. All good, the table was filled with loud jokes & photographs were taken due to the rare ocassion...cycle & durian.
Having to cycle back with a belly stuffed with rare mixture for breakfast, the spirit to climb back up to Genting Sempah were dampened. Kayuh tetap kena kayuh, so we just rolled out of Kg Janda Baik, back to Genting Sempah...almost crying & back down to HOA & Sri Gombak.
Not forgetting to conclude the ride by Brahim who did a stunt when his rear wheel stuck in a drain grating just before getting into the carpark. Aiyo! Some scratches yang gerenti pedih & yang lebih pedih is noticing bar tape koyak + brake lever calar....aaargh!
Facts:
- Distance : About 80km (lepas Greenwood baru teringat nak on cyclo)
- Ride time : 3hrs 21min
- Weather : WIndy up GS & hot on way back at Gombak
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Jelajah Malaysia
The first attraction for local cycling crowd this year started with Jelajah Malaysia 2008. I was made known to this event last year when I stumbled upon some foreign cyclists among KL busy traffic did their training, but the temptation to know deeper wasn't there. This year, it was something different, I got to witness the event from a passionate cyclist point of view. Yeah, I can admit that we are a kind of a tribe on 2 wheels. All the familiar faces were there at Goh Tong Finish Line to admire the pros do it in style for their 2nd last stage of the tour.
Some of us opted to cycle all the way from Genting Sempah to Goh Tong & some drove all the way from home. I opted to cycle up to GS, went down back to HOA & drove back up to Goh Tong. The spirits among us were there all the way from HOA this morning. There were quite a few bunch who cycled up.
We were too busy admiring the pro riders, their race machines & their team jerseys which we just don't care what was the result from the race. Can always click here to check though http://www.jelajah.com.my/result.php
Not forgetting, Saiful & me happened to ran into abang Zul during our ride up, our long lost mtb friend. It was awhile since we rode together, my best bet was our awesome Cameron ride. He was on his Giant NRS just completed the GS loop via Karak Highway. We chatted for a moment there by the roadside, recalling our glory days bashing every single track available.
It suddenly struck my mind this moment to think about our ride buddies. Yeah, we started as the holy grale seeker, almost every single track, every drops, every rooted climbs, every mudholes were our playground. Those were the moments. Now, we followed separate ways though we still speak the same language. A few of us depart to freeride or downhill riding, some stayed with cross country & a few chose endurance ride. However far we go, however long we roll down, I trust someday we shall ride again enjoying every piece of grain from the single track.
Some of us opted to cycle all the way from Genting Sempah to Goh Tong & some drove all the way from home. I opted to cycle up to GS, went down back to HOA & drove back up to Goh Tong. The spirits among us were there all the way from HOA this morning. There were quite a few bunch who cycled up.
We were too busy admiring the pro riders, their race machines & their team jerseys which we just don't care what was the result from the race. Can always click here to check though http://www.jelajah.com.my/result.php
Not forgetting, Saiful & me happened to ran into abang Zul during our ride up, our long lost mtb friend. It was awhile since we rode together, my best bet was our awesome Cameron ride. He was on his Giant NRS just completed the GS loop via Karak Highway. We chatted for a moment there by the roadside, recalling our glory days bashing every single track available.
It suddenly struck my mind this moment to think about our ride buddies. Yeah, we started as the holy grale seeker, almost every single track, every drops, every rooted climbs, every mudholes were our playground. Those were the moments. Now, we followed separate ways though we still speak the same language. A few of us depart to freeride or downhill riding, some stayed with cross country & a few chose endurance ride. However far we go, however long we roll down, I trust someday we shall ride again enjoying every piece of grain from the single track.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Weekend in Langat
Doing Langat for both Saturday & Sunday was something. It is a great route for my backyard playground indeed. The best part was, I don't need to drive to enjoy the pleasure of thousands of rpm.
Saturday was more of accompanying a fellow beginner for his introductory road ride. He just bought a bike & was looking forward to add some stamina through cycling. With a bit of knowledge & experience, Saiful & me tried our best to share what we have. Both of us cycled from my place to meet waklah at Batu 14.
His first lesson was to check the tyre pressure. 15 minutes pumping in the high pressure stretching my bicep & tricep. Off we went heading towards Batu 18. Along the way, cyclo meter was not functioning, the wheel sensor was off-position. Need to tie a few new cable-tie later. Lucky for waklah, saiful managed to notice that his quickreleases were loose. Never start a cycle without checking those stuff unless you want to taste the beauty of tarmac.
We reached Batu 18 & waklah decided to adjust his seatpost height. We pedalled all the way to Peres Junction & met up with Sharom our powerman athlete and Adib from wayride. We were brought upon with a good news when Sharom told that the duathlon series will be back. That's great.
Off we went back to Batu 18 for roti canai before trashing through the busy Saturday morning traffic from Batu 14 back to Batu 9.
Sunday, Azahari, Saiful & me did the Semenyih loop, also known as the "1-Lap" as named by a few. Totalling at 75km, we managed to clock at 2:59:33 averaging 25km/hr. The route was great, accompanied by a beautiful weather considering a long evening shower the day before. A good combination of short hill bursts, long climbs, endless flat road & low traffic volume at certain stretches.
It has been a great & ass-hauling rides since we started Bentung, Bagan Lalang & Kuala Klawang for the past few weeks. I think it's about time we give a light spin & some quality time with our love ones before repeating again for the upcoming duahtlon series.
Saturday was more of accompanying a fellow beginner for his introductory road ride. He just bought a bike & was looking forward to add some stamina through cycling. With a bit of knowledge & experience, Saiful & me tried our best to share what we have. Both of us cycled from my place to meet waklah at Batu 14.
His first lesson was to check the tyre pressure. 15 minutes pumping in the high pressure stretching my bicep & tricep. Off we went heading towards Batu 18. Along the way, cyclo meter was not functioning, the wheel sensor was off-position. Need to tie a few new cable-tie later. Lucky for waklah, saiful managed to notice that his quickreleases were loose. Never start a cycle without checking those stuff unless you want to taste the beauty of tarmac.
We reached Batu 18 & waklah decided to adjust his seatpost height. We pedalled all the way to Peres Junction & met up with Sharom our powerman athlete and Adib from wayride. We were brought upon with a good news when Sharom told that the duathlon series will be back. That's great.
Off we went back to Batu 18 for roti canai before trashing through the busy Saturday morning traffic from Batu 14 back to Batu 9.
Sunday, Azahari, Saiful & me did the Semenyih loop, also known as the "1-Lap" as named by a few. Totalling at 75km, we managed to clock at 2:59:33 averaging 25km/hr. The route was great, accompanied by a beautiful weather considering a long evening shower the day before. A good combination of short hill bursts, long climbs, endless flat road & low traffic volume at certain stretches.
It has been a great & ass-hauling rides since we started Bentung, Bagan Lalang & Kuala Klawang for the past few weeks. I think it's about time we give a light spin & some quality time with our love ones before repeating again for the upcoming duahtlon series.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
1-January 2008 : Kuala Klawang, revisit
I think yesterday & today time flew in a glimpse of an eye. After a tiring journey to Kedah during the weekend & an exhausting & boring day at work on Monday, the new year eve passed by almost unnoticed. I was stucked in front of Channel tv9 watching Starship Troopers with Amir & Umar sleeping at my side. The struck of midnight was nothing much to be excited about considering it was just another chapter of "spoil the social life for the people" in KL.
Though the next morning was going to be a tough ride, I was not cautious enough with the physically preparations. The weekend drive drained most of it. So, my new year ride to Kuala Klawang and back was done in a moderate pace.
Five of us started off from Batu 18 targeting to push our limits. It was a 2nd time for Awe & me while the rest were nervously expecting the torment with cool looks. The ride went out well without a hickup. All of us survived the trip to & fro, especially the big 13km climb back greeted by Barisan Nasional majestic signboard at the peak. The climb back was not left without a few moments of laughter. Axy & me were snooping up on each other as we unofficially raced up. While Syam was caught surprised by two dogs at the steepest climb & yet he was on his two feet due to cramps.
Ride facts:
Though the next morning was going to be a tough ride, I was not cautious enough with the physically preparations. The weekend drive drained most of it. So, my new year ride to Kuala Klawang and back was done in a moderate pace.
Five of us started off from Batu 18 targeting to push our limits. It was a 2nd time for Awe & me while the rest were nervously expecting the torment with cool looks. The ride went out well without a hickup. All of us survived the trip to & fro, especially the big 13km climb back greeted by Barisan Nasional majestic signboard at the peak. The climb back was not left without a few moments of laughter. Axy & me were snooping up on each other as we unofficially raced up. While Syam was caught surprised by two dogs at the steepest climb & yet he was on his two feet due to cramps.
Ride facts:
- Distance : 106km
- Ride time : 4:45:44
- Ave. sp. : 22km/hr
- Max. sp : 56km/hr
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