HOA - Bentong Ride

Darren, Kenny and (sorry..forgot)


At first glance, I thought Darren's bike was polygon, but it's actually a Look carbon frame.


Kow Po Ice Kacang...a heaven for hot cyclist

I've always wanted to do this ride. The road from Hospital Orang Asli to Bentong old road is a favourite among cyclits for its hill climbs and long stretch road of nature. I've driven there a few times, enjoying the tight turns while speeding downhill. Aka Initial D.

I was stuck in the traffic for the UIA grads convo. So I started a bit late. Paddled like crazy to reach the gang who had stopped because John's bike had a puncture. I was pretty happy to made it to Genting Sempah in 50 minutes. Usually it would take more than an hour. Met with crazyDarren and then Ariff. Then it was a speed fest all the way to Bentong.

With the occassional burst of speed, I was left hanging chasing Darren and Arif. Kenny was also in the fast pack. Managed to cling on to Kenny for sometime as he was doing 36km average. Sometimes I lead, then Kenny. I was pushing it. And the good thing was, I was able to reach 40km/h. When we finally caught up with the pair, I was stoked. These 2 guys are very experienced riders, so their riding style was kind interesting to observe.

Finally in Bentong, we had a ice kacang special at this famous shop 'Kow Po'. With RM 3 bucks per serving, it was pretty not bad.

On the way back to HOA, I tried to cling on to Ariff and Bernard, but they were too fast. So, for some few kms, I was riding alone. But I still pushed, and it was getting hotter. Soon I found Ariff, but Bernard was gone. He had trouble catching up with bernard doing 37km/h, and that's a bit uphill gradient!

I had wanted to stick with him, but then thought of chasing Bernard. The tough part going back would be the bridge just before the steep climb up Genting Sempah. And here, it was suffering. Cramps was on the verge of coming, but I kept on going. Had a break just at Sempah munching a few raisins, before the last major climb. And guess what, just when I started back again, there was Ariff. He had chased me down since I left him.

However back to HOA, I had a puncture, but kept on riding till we reached back. Reflecting on the ride, it was hot, fast, and lots of climbs. But I knew I need to do more long distances, and ante up the speed for Ironman. Thanks to tomatoman for organising the ride. Now...we should hit the holy loop (HOA-Bentong-Raub-Fraser-Ulu Yam-HOA).