Sungai Lembing Ride

Faizal in front..

Passing a small town.

Next to it is Gua Charas...

Reaching Sg lembing...

The museum of course...








The final product. A melted bar of tin.


These shop houses must have seen better days...

Sg Lembing is a about 35km from Kuantan. What makes this place special, is that my dad actually lived there during his childhood years. The town had once thrived on the tin coming from the belly of the hills surrounding it. And my grandparents, and most of my relatives, had their roots there.

But it had been eons since I visited it. A good 10 years I guessed. So, when Faizal suggested we ride there, I thought it would be a good way for sight seeing.

Now, the road is not exactly flat. Rolling with some steep climbs is more like it. On the way, Gua Charas, which looks more like Batu Caves stood at least a hundred feet up in the air.

Took us more than an hour just to reach it.

Since we were there, I thought a visit to the Museum would be nice. It's located on a hill just at the end of the town. In fact, the town is pretty pretty small. Think Klawang, and then redial into the 70s. You'll pretty much get an idea. Even the petrol pump is analog, and unbranded.

The museum housed the relics of tin production and its' mine which lasted more than half a century. Looking at all those stuff transports you back to the time where the town had probably a more vibrant economy. Most of the things like lamps, type writers, tools were made in British.

Actually, my eldest uncle had worked in the mine before. It must have been dangerous, crawling hundreds of feet deep. Most of the digging is done using manual labor.

Anyway, then we left for some breakfast. I had roti telur, and surprisingly, it tasted very good.

Then we headed back home, on a faster speed, as we left a town that will most likely be there, but had seen better times decades ago.

As I rode on...a thought went on my mind.

The people of the past had shaped the world as know it. How then, one day, would we be perceived as we leave this world, and time seals us in a frame, for the future to see? What would they think of our lives? And would we really care to reach out, now, to tell them this is who we are, and how we had lived?

The divisiveness of time seems like a wall. Yet we are all heading in the same direction.

Mishaps

I was hoping to have an enjoyable ride up to Fraser Gap from HOA with the rest, but things got unlucky.

Thanks to Vong3, Stupe, Jason who stopped to help. And Mac as well. The problem was...

I hit a very large hole while going aero. Luckily the wheelsets didnt break. But as I went on, the back wheel seemed to leak air (slow leak).

I stopped, then found out that the extender valve was broken. Changed the punctured tubular with another one, but that proved futile because the size was too big for the frame's back wheel. So I stopped again and put back the original tubular, thinking that the problem was with the valve.

After Mac came to the rescue, and after a few KMs, it's confirmed a slow leak. Since the gang already went on, I turned back after clocking 74km.

The only way to do that is to pump air every 5-6km. Amazingly it worked. But of course it's not enjoyable having to stop so often. I stopped by Bentong ABC for drinks and nasi lemak before going back sempah.

Then just before the bkt tinggi climb, my portable pump had lost the valve. Must have dropped it somewhere. So that's it. I can't move forward. So I walked with the bike. Tried to call Sean Chang but they were way far behind.

Managed to meet 3 riders, whom I borrowed the pump to go on. But then after some time, the tubular proved to be out for good. Air just went out.

Then Jason came and we flagged down a 4WD. The driver was a real help. I don't think I could have walked another few KM. I think I've already done 9km.

So there you have it. I learned a lot of lessons on tubulars. Just hope this kind of mishaps won't happen during IM.

---

Now, we've all seen violence on TV, the internet, the newspapers and sometimes you think it will never happen to you. Well, all that went off when I came upon 2 guys trying to open the front door.

Before I could even asked who they are, both of them were already hand locking my back arm, and flung me to the ground. One guy said "Don't move" in chinese...All I could think of ...SHIT.

They took the keys from my pocket, then dragged me into my own house. Then I noticed a third guy appearing (he was the outside scout). One guy was anxious getting me to lie flat on the bed. The whole room was filled with foul smelling ciggies smell, as the men ransacked my room.

Now I thought I could make a dash for the door. Nope..bad luck. Couldn't make it. Then got whacked on the head with my bike pump. And of course more punches, but I couldn't notice how painful was it.

As they kept on ransacking, I was just thinking what's next. Come to think about it, my life was in real danger. One guy tied my hands with the cords from the iron cloth. They had suggested to tie my legs as well...but I think they wanted fast exit and decided not to. It could have been worse.

Then they left. I was left there struggling to get the hands untied. It was hard. These guys must have been pros. Finally after dislodging my watch on my left wrist, did I finally get it out.

The room was a mess. And I was disoriented. Then I cycled to the nearby police station for the report.

The damage was having a bump on my head and a few scratches. Now the weird thing is after taking a beating, I don't feel much pain. I think after so many races, and ultra distances, the body just adapts to it. I felt more pain running 84km. And the funny thing is, they took my defunct laptop. The good one, they missed.

You don't have time to think. You just hope they won't kill you off as evidence. I just told them to take whatever they wanted.

Humans are born to choose the path. It's either right or wrong. These guys apparently were able bodied and choose to do crime.

Broga Jantan reloaded

Faizal approaching the top at Bkt Hantu



The rest of the group soon came...

Tubulars on steroids....continental Grand Prix 4000

Bkt Tangga top...hot but windy...

Bacin..


The last climb...Genting Peres...


Looking at the FB events, broga sounds nice. It's even nicer if there's lots of cyclist around.
Arrived at Bt 14, and along I brought the argon 18 TT bike. And it's the first time I am doing the hilly broga with it.
For flats, TT bikes rules. Not quite for hills.

I've just upgraded the usual Hutchinsons to Continental Grand Prix 4000 (tubulars) at Joo Ngan's. So I was able to try it out in this ride.

For the first climb we hit Bkt Hantu. I was quite in front just before the ascent, so I slowed down to let the other guys come by.
Then, as we enter the hills, I went solo just to see who would come. To my surprise, it was the one legged man, or the bionic man as we called him.
But I know he won't last. After awhile I looked back and saw Faizal doing a solo pursuit.
Anyway, all this was just for fun and testing the legs. In no way Bkt Hantu is easy. You just sit there and pedal. Some parts you have to stand and climb.

We briefly regrouped at the top, and then sped off to Semenyih. Now here's where the Conti tyres really shine. I went fast with not much effort, at all.
The tyres were rigid, responsive, light. Another thing it's smaller than my previous Hutchinsons making rolling easier. The road however was pretty bad condition.
I joked to Faizal, that I wanted to join politics and become the `wakil rakyat` of this area, so I could get the road fixed for cyclist.

After Semenyih and turning into broga, the head wind was atrocious. I couldn't go aero all the time. At one point the wind pushed the bike an inch to my right.
Falling now will be bad news for IM 2010.

After stopping for breakfast at Ulu Beranang, we attacked another 2 minor climbs, and then the mother of it all, Bkt Tangga, which is a 4-5km gradual climb from the base.
Actually it's not that hard, only that the climb is long. Then, it was downhill all the way. I didn't go fast, and applied some brakes just to slow down.
Breaking is actually harder on carbon wheelsets.

After Klawang stop, it was TT mode back again. Managed to chased down Roger, Prakesh, with Faizal at the back. Then it was the usual hell climb up Peres.

After descending Peres, I was rolling at 40km/h back to bt 18, which is kinda surprising because I wasn't even pushing it. It must be the tyres.

Opted to stop to have ABC at 18 before heading back 14.

It was hot, but great thing was I had every inch covered, so it wasn't that bad.

Distance: 140.79km
Ave: 27.4km/h

Malakoff Penang Ride

At Juru starting line...

First stop at Petronas (first day)


The devil has arrived...

We get to ride penang bridge...just don't crash overside into the sea.





Keat Seong, Poh Seng, and my bro.

Adli reaching...

Balik pulau view at the top.

Teluk bahang dam....

Actually I had wanted to cycle to penang for this ride, but 2 days after an ultra run is not enough to recover. So I opted to drive there with my younger brother, bringing 2 bikes.

Since I didn't get to cycle, I decided to drive all the way to penang without using the highway. So it's going from KL-KKB-Tanjong Malim-Bidor-Tapah-Ipoh-Chemor-Sg Siput-K. Kangsar-Taiping-Penang (butterworth). That's almost 8 hours of driving plus rest. Using highway could get you there by 4. Driving from KL-Ipoh is pretty ok, but not from Ipoh-Penang.

First day. My legs are pretty ok by now. Nothing much about this ride, except the view at Bkt Merah was spectacular. At one point, I was doing solo in front on my TT bike pushing around close to 40kmh. But since this was a social ride, it's best to keep speeds around 35kmh.

Actually most of us are just drafting the motorbike or vehicle in front, so it's was all really easy.

My bro was doing good. He's fast, but still lack experience, but with more training, probably he'll be better.

Second day. Now this is actually more fun. We got to ride across the Penang bridge, which was a tad too windy. Almost had my TT bike wobbling on the descent.

Then we started to hit the first climb. And that's where you see who are the real strong ones. In cycling, you could save a lot of energy just by drafting. It's only when you hit the hills, that's when you can see which guy has the stuff to power on.

The first climb is just as tough as going up Gohtong Jaya, and I was actually liking it. I didn't pushed too hard because I didn't know how long this would take. Soon, we reached the first resting place overlooking the island below. Then it was a harrowing time downhill. With the carbon wheels it's even harder to brake, so I opted to be safe instead of hammering it all the way.

The 2nd climb was a bit more merciful, which brought us to Teluk Bahang Dam.

Up until now, everyone were well behaved. But not afterwards as the peloton separated and we were like racing up and down the roads towards the ending point.

Well, it was a pretty nice ride, and well organised by Malakoff and the participating agencies. We felt like super important Tour riders. Looking forward if they are having it next year. Thanks to the THG guys who had helped out on accommodation and planning too.

Ultra Run: MR 25 ultra marathon 2009

The reservoir..

A photo before the start...

This is 3rd loop. The guy behind was pacing me all the way.

2nd loop starting..

After 8 loops to finish it.

The top runners this year.

I didn't took this run too seriously. It would be just an attempt to see how many loops I could run it. Each loop is 10.55km around a lake named Mac Ritchie reservoir.

There were a few malaysian runners. Our friend Tey went all the way down to support us, and of course to take pics as well.

I anticipated blisters will formed. So, I had 4 plasters taped on my feet at the prone areas. Frank and I then hitched a taxi to the starting point.

It was great to meet with some familliar faces during the registration. Mohan, the ever crazy dude, had done 22 marathons this year, and he looks pretty strong. Met with Sukaimi, the guy who won this race with 9 loops last year. I was actually hoping to run 9 times as well.

The race started precisely at 7am. Soon I found myself running at a blistering pace, and was soon in the front pack. We didn't actually pushed it so hard. In fact the guys (an italian, Tobias the german, a sg dude who won 50k TNF this year) were happily talking to each other. Tobias mentioned last 2 year he had won with 9 loops. The Italian advised us he was going this fast just because he wanted to do 5, as well as the singaporean runner.

But, it was a seriously fast past. The first thing that hit me was, it is a trail run. I thought this might not be so bad, with shades from trees, and soft dirt. However, some parts of it has pebbles, and big rocks, which could cause serious injuries if you stepped wrongly.

As I approached the station for the second loop, the Italian guy had a slip and fell, but he was ok. I decided to slow down and let them go on. Going at that pace would be suicidal. First loop was done in 0:49:33.

2nd loop is pretty much the same, albeit at a slower pace to finish 0:58:38. Some guys did passed me.

3rd loop was pretty ok as well. I remember one runner pacing with me all the way. However he was having a hard time breathing, a sign that he was pushing too hard. Time 1:06:47

4th loop. I had some pain creeping up. That's usual. Began to walk some of the uphill parts.
End of the loop means finishing a marathon. Time 1:15:33

5th loop. This is the decisive factor, or what you can call it as mid way point in the race. I was beginning to hate the rocky gravels and hard rocks path. Every step has to be carefully inserted, otherwise, it's like stepping on sharp edges. I think this might be, because of my flat footedness.
I was also getting hungrier. Luckily I had my powerbar, besides the banana at each end of the loop. Time 1:24:11

6th loop. I was slowing down considerably. Fatigue, pain slowly crept in. This is actually normal. It's part of suffering in long distance running. You just have to accept it. Pain is always your friend, but you can't make it stop you from running. I was feeling good so time was 1:26:25

The more I ran, the more I remembered the path.

7th loop. The pain was enough to cripple my running. Running trails is something I haven't train. Frankly, running 100km bukit aman was easier on the legs because trails force you to use muscles which you don't. Continuous usage of those muscles had actually cause more pain. So I had to devise another running method, which is to lift my legs up, in a sort of marching movement, while not using the foot. This is the only way to go forward with less pain. Time 1:39:07

8th loop. Pace is now terribly slow. My mind was still strong. Heck, give me a pair of fresh legs and I don't mind doing this forever. There is something in ultra running that pushes you to experience things that you can't possibly have in normal life. The passing of time in eternity. The internal conversations with our selves. And the depths of endurance we have to go beyond.

Physically, I am battered as everyone else. It's only the mental part that keeps you going. To keep on going when everything is failing you, is the only moment you know about yourself. You don't do this to get some prize or medals. It's just not worth it with all the suffering.

After doing some time check, I thought it was impossible to go a 9th. So I decided to call it a day. I thanked the guys who had been manning the water stations for hours.

As I reached the station, I took of my cap to signal the end of the run. The ending was sweet. Time for last loop is 1:49.

However, as usual my legs were battered. Stepping on steps even had me in pain.

Total time is 10:29:19

Frank did 6 loops, which is quite an achievement. The winner did 9th loops in 10:52.

I did got a 4th placing, which qualifed for a medal and a pair of crocs.

---

MR25 ultra run is a nicely organised ultra run. 1 hour per loop will be a nice pace, if you wish to do this many times. Water at each station is enough for everyone. But you'll need to train on trails for this.

More nice pictures here:
Steve Choo
Tey's

Broga ride in heat

The eastern wind was blowing hard...which we find refreshing.






Broga loop is one of those loops, that can be rated as medium to tough, depending on weather conditions. If you are used to hot weather and hill climbs, it's probably enjoyable, but ain't so if you are doing it the first time.

Together with some first timers, we started from bt 14 hulu langat. Since my house is just 14km, so I rode there.

Just a few km into the ride, we were passed by MSN riders who rode at least 30km/h above. Faisal and I hitched the train for a speedy trip to the climb proper to Peres. Met with one dude who was just riding with one leg (the other is a steel one), which really had us in awe, when we found out the lightest he could have at the back is size 19. And up Peres?

Well, had some fun racing with Shang Leong up to Peres. For a big size rider like him, it was surprising he could climb so well..

Then it was heading towards klawang, where we regrouped at Petronas. Up to know, it had been nicely cloudy with not much sun. But as the ride to bkt tangga went on, heat was on the way.

We also passed through the tragic fuel tanker and house collision, which claimed 3 lives on the way. At first I thought it's just the house which went up in flames, but further scrutiny, I could see vehicle wreckage amidst the burned terrain. 3 lives, including the driver were lost.

---
Bukit tangga climb from klawang is 3km with no flats. I put the legs to work and try to sustain a moderate pace up, just as to keep the back riders at bay. Then it was attacking another 2 hills near Lenggeng, before stopping for lunch.

At this hour, the sun is right above. It was so hot we stopped at another Petronas in Semenyih for drinks.

Then it was heading towards Tekala, which is not really pleasant with so many potholes to evade. Had a regroup session at the base of Bkt Hantu climb. Now, broga loop is tough indeed, but with a bkt hantu finale is pretty pretty tough. Come to think about it, it was not about the climb, but the heat. Leonard went up the hill pretty fast, which I find incredible. I had to stopped by the waterfall to get some water.

Then it was 50-60kmh speeding all the way down. But I have yet another Ampang hill to climb. Tough but if you done it a million times, it's really just another climb.

Total mileage: 166km

Testing the new wheels...

Frankly, the tri spokes looks nice, but they weigh a lot. In fact, they are exactly 1.9kg both. Compared to the previous Mavic Ksyrium, I think it's an additional 400 grams.

But they are pretty pretty fast. I had no problems going uphills with them to Genting Peres, or up Genting Sempah. In fact, I felt it sort of propelling the bike upwards.

Had a bike ride to Bentong last week, and it was a blast. Onwards from Sempah downhill, I could easily reached 42km/h sustaining pace.

However, frankly my cycling legs were kind of lost after weeks of running. High profiles are really excellent, if and only if you have the power to push them.

I'll look into serious cycling next january for the coming IM 2010.