It's time for cycling...not F1

Isn't it ridiculous? We pay for highway usage, and still, we have traffic jams? Wait...that's like blaming others when we our selves are the culprits.

You see, Malaysians just like to drive. Either it's to schools, or work, or meeting up with friends. Partly the problem is there's not much alternatives. Partly is our demand for driving is always there. On average, last years passenger new car sales in this nation was 450,000 cars.

We yearn for comfort in our own car. And we aren't going to sacrifice this privilege for less. Going green? yea...rite.

Rather than blaming others for our traffic woes, we need to seriously look at our way of getting around. We could do so, by riding a bicycle. If not to work, then maybe, just maybe, to your nearest shops, and neighbourhoods. We need to humanise our roads. KL ain't big. I've rode a bike all over KL, and it's a pretty small city.

I choose to ride a bike, so that I could leave my car for longer distance, or off peak hours.

As many cyclist and triathelets do read this blog, well, it has to start from you guys. What's the point of training on cycling, just for the sake of triathlon? Make it a point to cycle to work once in awhile. If you could conquer 180km one shot, what is KL? Have problems with sweat? Get over it by bathing in the office. Find your own way.

Don't blame the government, public transport, or the hot weather, or others. Try to look at ourselves, and how much we drive, and how much we spent just travelling in a car.

If many Europeans can adopt cycling in their lifestyle, I don't see why not for malaysians.

We can change this....if we want to.

(from http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/)

And if you can join this group:

Commuting To Work On Bicycle

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=160118060459

Ultra cycling: 3 days, 650km

The beach was littered with jelly fishes..

Pulau Ular...it's close enough to swim across. And a good place to camp for one night.

It's really hot...

Faisal ...

finally reaching cherating...







It wasn't a planned ride. And I didn't intend to go back home for raya either. Then Faisal suggested we ride to Cherating. At first I thought it was cool, since riding from KL to cherating would be at least 300km. But it is supposed to start from kuantan, since his wife's house is near the town.

I made some mental assessment if it was doable to ride to kuantan, then cherating, then back to kl. One way to kuantan will be at least 12 hours, plus stops roughly. But the unknown part is, this is to be done on the first day of raya, after a month of fasting. And almost no training except for a few rides and run.

But it has to be done. Driving back would be a bore.

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This time, I got a few clothing, 2 spare tubes, 1 new tyre, and the whole backpack is 3.2kg. I started at around 7am, then proceeded northwards at MRR2. Just a few k on the road, met with Lee and Yap in their pickup with some MTBs. I told them I was going back KL, and then made my way again.

Upon reaching HOA, there were, but not many cyclist going up. Mainly the MTBers were doing their round. I passed a few of them, and thought of chasing one person in orange shirt, whom I thought was pretty fast. Later did I knew it was Wendy Wong on her kuota heading towards Bentong. We talk for awhile, and then she exited at Bkt tinggi for breakfast.

The road towards Bentong was fast, and I was doing 35-40 zooming along. Then it's detouring for a 15km at the highway before reaching Karak. It had took me almost 4 hours to come here.

Then it's going through Temerloh, where I had difficulty finding any eateries open. So, I just settled on an ice cream, bread, and 100 plus. Usually it's normal lunch with rice after riding so long. Stopping at Temerloh clocks at 145km. Another 125 to go.

Then it's Maran, Sri Jaya, and then Gambang. Gambang marks the last 30km, and the road ahead is pretty flat. I tried pushing up the average speed from 27, so I had the bike going 30,35 and topping 40.

Finally reaching my house at 6pm after almost 11 hours on the road. I was pretty happy with the 27.4km/h average in 270km.

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I don't know if I could cycle the next day, but my legs feels ok. So I cycled to Telok chempedak to meet up with Faisal. I was surprised it was only 9km from my house to the beach. The sea was peaceful with an odd sense of calmness in the morning. And it was a refreshing sight compared to KL.

We started around 8am and went towards beserah, batu hitam, then reaching the port. Now the road was pretty pretty flat, but the wind was vicious since it's so near the sea. On the trip towards cherating, we both had turns pulling. But on the way back, there's was just no energy left in my legs, so I had Faisal pulled me.

I made a mental note to cycle more on the coastal roads. The view is scenic, with kampung houses, and cows loiterring.

Now Cherating is a pretty iddlyic beach spot. Water seems nicer compared to TC, but we still found rubbish nearby.

Then later we stopped at Batu Hitam for ABC. It was heaven with the strong wind from the sea blowing at our faces.

Upon reaching TC, we were pretty baked. The sky was blue, and there was not much of cloud in the sky.

Mileage was 100km.

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3rd day. After having some breakfast, I started the long ride back KL at 7am. It had rained the previous night, and the air was fresh with dew. But I knew it wasn't going to last.

I reached Gambang at an average speed of 30kmh. But afterwards, it was a slightly slower cruising speed. Sure enough, the sun was high and up. And the bag I was carrying more or less became a hindrance on the speed and comfort. I realized it was 3.2kg, when I used the weighing scale of the fruits seller in Sri Jaya.

Now, the road is relatively flat, but there are some long climbs as well. Not as bad as Bukit Hantu, but more like peres kind of. I remember the one before reaching Sri jaya, where it's a 2km way up. And there's major long climbs after Temerloh.

I was not bonking, yet. But it was mentally boring cycling for so many hours. I tried some mind games like trying to hold a particular speed for 2-3km. There were a lot of things going through my mind, because you were constantly trying to find the least dangerous path on the road. There could be pebbles, holes, that could have you ended up in a crash.

I also noticed Malaysian motor cyclist and drivers, acted dangerously on the roads. Not surprising, I passed by 1 car-and-car crash, and one motorcycle death. The ambulance were also busy up and down. These people asked for it. If you were on a motor cycle doing 100kmh and slip, you were pretty much mangled.

Soon, I reached karak around 3pm. I estimated 4 hours back from here, which should just be enough. Then it was heading towards Bentong. And since I was there, I thought it would be a good idea to have some ice kacang.

Afterwards it was a long long ride back Sempah. Frankly, I was almost bonking. And I prefer the steep climb up Sempah at Bukit Tinggi, compared to the monotonous ride before that. At least you can see the elevation gaining, and the view changes

Had a stop at Sempah, and did the final climb in earnest. The distance is still far, but this point marks the end of all of Pahang, and as I looked back, I can't help wonder at the distance traveled behind.

The evening sun shone shyly among the trees, as the darkness inches by. The route downwards was a reprise, and I was eager to get out of this jungle growth route.

Then it was passing the Gombak toll, MRR2, and back, in one piece to Cheras at 8pm. It was 13 hours on the road with a mileage of 280km, and always harder back to KL due to the climb.

Tired, but I still managed to meet up with Ray, Tony and Joanne for dinner.

To summarize, total mileage in 3 days is 650km with no training. Now could that mean, I could ride KL-Gua musang-Cameron highlands-Tapah-KL in 3 days? Probably....

Sorry not much pics because my Nokia went swimming..., but Faisal would have some pics in cherating later.

Genting Highlands: The Road to Amber Court

Stopping just before the goh tong roundabout. It's the first place where you can stop after 3-4km of climb.

Finally I got my Nokia photography skills correct. Remember to focus by pressing T.

Faisal climbing...

If you can pass this killer at 4km ... no problem to the top

Chee...!

Faisal thinks he'll beat Contador's time.

And the winner is...

Amber court. Smack in the middle of nowhere...and good site for ghost film shooting.

Another abandoned resort...



The climb to here is pretty tough as well..

The coolest scope I got...

You can see how steep the last 0.9km climb up.

Third time. I am beginning to have deja vu moments just thinking of it. Too much of a good thing is going to get stale any how. But this time the ride was great. Accompanied by Chee and Faisal, who had done it before, so it wasn't a problem for them (or so I hoped). Chee has done it so many times, he'd lost count. Faisal did it 2 years back.

We had a smooth and slow ride up to Sempah. Then, we embark on the 4 km nasty climb to Gohtong. Faisal was doing his best. I knew this is going to be mental. Been there, and done that. So I know how tough it is. Tried to keep things up by keeping everyone in sight. At least if you are suffering, you could always try to look up at the rider in front, and that keep things going.

We reached the Gohtong roundabout for a rest. Faisal said he'll stopped at Gohtong then back down. But I knew it's all in the mind. We'll continue up once we are fully rested and refueld at Gohtong mamak eatery.

After everyone had their chow, it's back to pedalling again. I had been able to go pass the guard alone, but would they let 3 guys up? Seems like, they never bothered. So we proceeded. First 2km is pretty manageable. Then it's all hard hard climb up.

Both of them showed they had the resolve and mettle to keep on going. I knew it's tough, physically and mentally. Reminded myself how hard it was the first time. But personally this time for me is pretty ok. It's tough, but once you got the right relaxing rythm, you can slowly inch up the mountain.

We stopped twice before the last 1km up. The ride towards the last 300 meters is hard as usual.

Then it was chilling at the coffee outlet. Chee suggested that we ride a nice route up Amber Court. It starts at the road in to mushroom restaurant. And the road itself was pretty hilly, and still yet some climbs to be done. But the view was breathtaking. Actually I didn't like the noisy fun fair and cars at Genting. I'd rather be at a solitary place overlooking majestic hills.

But amber court itself looks pretty haunting. I thought it was a personal residence until I googled up and it's really a hotel resort of some kind. My advice? Don't book it. Just looking at it gives you the creeps.

Had some fun with a sniperscope, which has 9x magnification.

Then it's all the way back to HOA. And just as I was turning into the car park, I almost fell because of something. That something turns out to be an exploded tyre.

Anyway, this is probably the last long ride before fasting month. And no more night runs up Genting :)

Genting Highlands: Racing towards Sempah

A superbike crashed just right in front.

The climb before this temple was steep.



0.9km before the final ascent..

Only a handful cycled..including Raymond Tan and Leonard Lim











They ought to put a cyclist up there, just in case!

Was supposed to meet up with Raymond Tan at 7:30am at HOA. I reached at 7:45, but he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he has went off? As I was preparing the bike, I forgotten my small back pack with all the bike tools in case of puncture. Damn...I could still ride, and I was hoping the tyres don't go bust.

I usually do HOA-sempah at my own speed. While not fast, it was fast enough to pass riders. Just like 2km after HOA, I passed a bunch of 15 riders. And guess what, 2 riders jumped into my back and we went ballistic.

I tried to cycled faster, yet the 2 hung on like leeches. It's definitely a race uphill, as we pant and cycled and attack each corner. Soon, the dude in the white shirt went ahead. I was tired, but not out. So I drafted behind the 2nd guy. The first guy is like 50 meters ahead. Never mind...we'll see how long he can last.

They are pretty young and strong, but maybe lesser experience when coming to hill climbs. The first guy stood up for most of the uphill when he could have pass on just by sitting. After sometime of chasing the leader, finally the gap is bridged. I went up ahead, but the race is not yet finished.

The final hairpin came into view. I was side by side with the white shirt guy. I knew it was time to attack. Dropped one gear and mashed the pedals. Another gear, and I was far ahead. Time to Sempah was done in 42 minutes ( I think my fastest ever). Later I asked where they were going and they said bukit tinggi. I was really thinking of joining them because I was totally spent racing. Btw, they were brothers. The white guy shirt's name is Edison.

Met Sam Matsunaga was said he was going to Bentong. Nice chap.

Oh well. Better to suffer going genting. I guess lets see if I could make it to Gohtong. I bid the two goodbye, as I said I was going up Gohtong. I could see disbelieve in their eyes.

Now the first 4 km from Sempah is pure torture. It's climb, climb and more climb. If you could preserver at this route, then you got a chance up Genting final ascents.

Reached gohtong mamak for refeulling, then proceeded to attack the peak. It's tough as usual, but this time I stopped more often because of the race to sempah. But I felt the climb was more manageable after knowing what to expect at each turn.

Reached the glorious arch, and then rested for some honey lemon, before a downhill joyride back to HOA.

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This is my third time up. And there's another one next week, which I have a confirmed rider as well. And Raymond Tan and his friend Leonard Lim did made it to the peak and back for a first timer.

Desaru Triathlon 2009: A better timing

Outta the swim leg...





Back from the cycling leg...

Running the last few km.

Kevin Siah, Ben Swee, Roger, Keat Seong, me...

This was a race that was not really on my books. I had booked Putrajaya Half IM, but with it bumping to Oct, I guess I would be bored to death without doing another tri.

Desaru is really really far. Travelling on road is at least 6 hours drive covering 400km of road. Raymond and I joked on how far we thought it would take to drive, but have no qualms riding the same distance.

Race day came. I wasn't nervous. I was just thinking of doing this the best I could. And this year the race started earlier at 9am. Thank goodness for that, as last year 10am had us cycling in very very hot wheather. As usual swim is pretty choppy, as we crested, and crashed up and down on the waves. Accidentally, I had gulped a few sips of sea water. My swim wasn't that strong. I just tried to maintain a good cadence of strokes and keeping the heart rate low.

When I reached the beach to go for the 2nd loop, I disbelievingly looked at my time of 15 minutes! Usually it's 20. The 2nd loop was far better with less swimmers. And I had the swim in 31 minutes. Note that everyone did better on a shorter distance swim. How short is anybody's guess.

As for the bike, I had a better transition than PD. Quickly got off to speed off for the 3 loops of ride. Now, the only flat part is the road just before the main one. The main road is not exactly flat. It's rolling hills all the way, and looking back, a Tri bike is not exactly advantageous.

The first loop was done below 1 hour. There's some parts of the ride which I can't help but stayed or draft behind the rider. It's not that I wanted to draft but I wanted to stay in front. After some time, I guess I'll just ride alone not to draft. But I do noticed pelotons going up and down. Yeap..drafting.

The 2nd loop, I was then going slower. I think Emma caught on me while going a long uphill. She was definitely using higher gears. Then Keat Seong went blazing up with his cervelo.

I didn't really push on the bike, but was just happy to make it below sub 3 (2:50) on the bike.

Then it was off to run the dreaded 21km. Last year I was mentally exhausted on the run. This year I could run more. Managed to bumped into Keat Seong and Kevin Siah who was at the lead. But somehow Kevin was walking?? He later mentioned he had cramps. Then managed to pass Keat Seong after 5km or so.

Now what's hard running after 90km of bike is not really the distance. It's the head, humidity and sometimes lack of wind. This year it was a bit cloudy, so it was pretty ok. You'll really need to be strong mentally just to complete the run. I find myself walking some parts of it, partly because I was getting bored pushing. I would rather enjoy the race.

Running was more fun when bumping into friends along the way.

On the 2nd loop, I was really low on nutrition. I had just half a gel on the bike and forgotten to take one on the run. Luckily Yee Hua came with some milo. Then I had 2 bananas. Well, that had me going..The last turn back, I turned on a faster pace. In fact it was the fastest part of the run. The faster the better to end this suffering.

Back in 5:21. The run was 1:55.

Thanks to all Lydia and Bernard for the photos and support. Without you guys, the race will be boring. And congrats to all the first timers in the long distance. It's certainly a battle well fought to the finish.

Genting Highlands: Riding into the clouds

The rain had cleared the skies. Peak is visible before descent.

Having lunch...

Stopped at 2km mark...and it doesn't get easier.

Finally all done...

Descending...

This picture is a bit deceiving. It's steeper than it looks. Thinks my camera phone is distorting it.

There has been news that cyclist are barred from cycling up to the top of Genting. That had me worried, so I guess I'll try to ride up and see if it's true. Quoted by a pro cyclist doing the Tour of Langkawi as being as tough as two Alpe D'Huez, it's certainly a ride that any cyclist will think twice before going up.

I had also changed to a smaller handle bar, because the previous was a bit larger for my frame.

The morning rain was a great welcome for yesterday's hot wheather, but it also meant the ride had to start late, or not doable at all. But by 10, it seems the rain stopped, so I sped off to HOA.

Started the ride at 11:45am, and it was a pleasure ride up Genting Sempah. But due to the rain, humidity was super high. It had me sweating buckets. Just Before reaching the underpass at sempah, I turned into the opposite direction to proceed with the climb. At least, one don't have to go all the way down to McD and cycle up again.

At the first checkpoint, the guards don't seem to bother. So I proceeded. It was a tough time on the bike. With more experience on the belt, I thought it could be at least easy but that's not the way it was. A few km up, and I was already thinking of quiting. Yes, quiting. I was having a 25 casette at the back, and I was hoping it could grow to 27.

Just before the first roundabout, I stopped to get some breather. It was the first stop. And my heart rate is going through the roof.

Then I proceeded to reach a few more climbs before a welcoming descent. Then a some smaller climbs to Gohtong Jaya. It was lunch time. Rice would be too heavy so I had roti sardin. Bump into a few mountain bikers. I asked them if they were riding up, and they said they drove up, then cycled down. Wtf...How come I didn't think of that?

After lunch, I pedalled slowly up. Just before the 2nd checkpoint, there was a sign saying you can't jog here. So no more silly night run up folks.

The first 2km ascent is bearable. The next few are steeper. All I could do was slowly turning the crank. As long as the crank is moving, the bike move. No pushing all out. Just saving the legs for any dramatic incline.

The hardest part ironically is the last 4.4 km. First a hair pin that will go straight up after the bend. Then it was another steep incline after the Pagoda.

Just remember, that the route after this is pretty steep. You'll have to manage your heart rate well. It doesn't get easier.

I had a stop at the 2km marker for some rest. Then proceeded to pedalled up. Not easy, but the view was breath taking. As I inched up to the last 300 meters, I had to tell myself not to stop. And passing the brown arch took all the misery away.

Settled for some iced lemon at the Coffee shop, before heading down. Took 3 hours plus rest time. It was a blistering ride downhill...albeit a bit dangerous...

After the ride, I pondered if I was fit enough, and I couldn't say I was when coming to hill climbs. It was last year which I did genting but at that time, it was a heavier wheel set and I was using casette size 21. I'll never know how I could have managed that.

Check out the link on how tough genting is...
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6767

Shoe Review: Nike LunarGlide+

The first time I looked at it, it doesn't seem quite looks like a pair of running shoes. I thought it was for trail running.

From the design department, it certainly looks good. But the question is whether it could perform as good as it looks.

I took it for a 12km run, and surprisingly it was light. And the time I clocked was just a minute more from the usual Saucony pair I had. I could go faster and it will allow me to go, although the soles looks a bit thick. What I didn't expect was the bouncy feeling it gave. Somehow the bounce could translate to further distance per running step, which makes you go futher.

I also did a few walks in it. Now why would one try test walking? If you are comfortable walking in a pair of shoes, running would be the same. Ever walk in a pair of running shoes and you feel tired just by standing? And walking in it does feel naturally stable. You won't feel tired, even after you had walk miles in this.

I would say it's perfect for training up to 21km, but not for fast road racing. If you ever wanted a pair of running shoes that is light, stable and attractive, it's definitely worthwhile to consider.

Retail Price MYR 399.00