Cycling is like life. Cycling with no goal is meaningless. What meaning is there cycling in circles? Or living aimlessly? Meaning comes from direction and destination. Join me in my life's journey on a mountain bike :)

Blogging since 2003. Thank you for reading :))

Sunday, September 28, 2003

Sep: 547 km

Sun 28 Sep: Singaporean sheds blood on Malaysian soil
To Pengarang, 86 km. AD and I go on a charm offensive in Johore. To dispel the notion of stuck up Singaporeans, we wave and say "hello". But the ground rises against me - when I unclip my SPD on the left ... and fall on the right. This is the worst fall ever; the fifth fall on my fourth ride. My falls are all in Malaysia. Today, I bash my elbow and knee. My worst case of road rash ever as an adult and one of the dumbest moves ever. Someone asks me if I'm insured. I reply there's no insurance for stupidity. Also with me today are M and M, a couple (Z and S) on Dean titanium bikes, and medical student SY, who takes great interest in AD's first aid kit. I have a headache too on the way there - it's the heat. But when I get on my bicycle, somehow the pain is gone. I see trees, the sea, the road meandering through the tall grass which waves in the breeze, the hill in the distance.

Tech note Had been struggling to remove my SPD pedals, struggling till I sweat, to no avail. It's not that I'm screwing in the wrong direction. I drop by bikeshop man, who gives it two light taps and voila! it is done. SPD - rhymes with speedy, which is why I put them on. But so far, I haven't broken my 47 km/h record. And they cause me pain literally.

Wed 24 Sep: Cancer man
To Sengkang, 25 km. Mr Lim wears slacks and boat shoes. He used to ride a Honda Goldwing (1,500 cc). Tonight, he rides a rigid Gary Fisher. He's cycling now instead of motorbiking because he's a cancer survivor, he says. Also riding tonight is a cyclist with a well-lit rear: five blinkers from the saddle down to the seat stays. If he could synchronise the blinking, what a sight that would be. Tonight, the only regular rider besides me is WH. The rest are guests from Bishan Park group.

Fri 19 Sep: Slow motion
To Sembawang, 32 km. It looks like the speed limit was below 20 km/h. Sometimes, they were going at 10 km/h - on a flat road. Enjoying themselves, I guess. Or perhaps they were off form months after the NPCC round island? Maybe I'm off form too; with my SPD, I could barely hit 40 km/h; or perhaps I hadn't warmed up yet. I cut short the ride; instead of going to Admiralty Road West, we just go to Sembawang Park. Hope they like it; some of them haven't been on tonight's route. TKL, who organises all these NPCC night rides, brings a guest tonight - the guy who gave her a KHS. He rides one too.

Sat 13 Sep: Northern territories
To Admiralty Road West and Sembawang, 62 km. I recce next week's NPCC ride; don't want to lead anyone astray. At Kampong Wak Hassan and Sembawang Park connector, I'm the only one on the road, except for three other cyclists. I could've been off-road in Pengarang this weekend with Bikerboey & Co, but I'd to work all day.
Tech note I've logged almost 100 km on my clipless pedals. No falls so far, but two close calls. Pedals seem harder to unclip today. And I've not hit above 40 km/h on my own steam. Pedals too tight? Or I'm too tired? So tired, I tell AF (I'm at his housewarming today) that I'll skip his Sun Johore ride. Have forgotten what it's like to snooze into a lazy Sun morning. I've been working - and cycling - so hard.

Tue 9 Sep: Riding like a newbie
To Sembawang, 36 km.
Tech note I buy a pair of Shimano 520 pedals. Last night, I install the right pedal plus all the cleats but the left pedal defeats me and my allen key gets bent. LSL tells me I screwed the wrong way. I buy a wrench and get it right. I try the clipping on and off a few times at home, then I hit the carpark. It's easier to clip out than to clip in; at first, I have to tap dance to clip in. My phone rings, I stop to answer it. I forget I'm clipped in, but manage to unclip in time. I get out of Ang Mo Kio go fast enough to overtake a tortoise at Old Upper Thomson Rd. I explore Sembawang / Canberra, stopping now and then to adjust pedals and cleats. Amazing how $45 (the pedals) can bring so much happiness. Cycling is cheap fun - for $10 (food and beverage), I can have fun all day. With my new toys, I can't wait to race with the roadies again.

Sun 7 Sep: Bridge over water
To Johore, 81 km. The road on the bridge soars over Sungei Pelentong, drawing me inexorably towards it. I spur my horse and charge uphill, overtaking the other cyclists. I don't want to struggle with the heavy frame at slower speed uphill. As I near the peak, I slow down to enjoy the scenery on either side. AF, who leads the ride, tells me it used to be a mangrove swamp. Down the bridge, I smell the pong. Ugly smell but negated by the beauty. Another beautiful scene on this ride: the east side of the Straits of Johore, where there's a short stretch of beach, with trees and shady spots. Feels kind of strange looking at the Singapore coast from Johore instead of the other way round. Other interesting memories of this ride: yong tau fu with chee cheong fun at a rundown coffeeshop, ice cream at McDonalds.

Tech note I drop by to see bikeshop man about clipless pedals. He has various Shimanos, the cheapest being 515 at $75. The price of convenience I guess, compared to half price at www.togoparts.com.

Wed 3 Sep: Escape velocity
To Seletar, 31 km. The "padre" lets me have a spin on his $4,500 Trek OCLV. A few spins of the crank and whoa, what a thrill. That speed would've put paid to the bloodsucking mosquito that flew into my ear at Seletar dam. While chowing down prata and stuff at Casuarina road, they talk about death defying US mountain bikers, and how people die on the mountain that towers above all mountains - Everest.

Sunday, September 21, 2003

Six falls at Kota Tinggi

Sat-Sun 20-21 Sep
To Kota Tinggi, 194 km. There are two falls in Kota Tinggi, one on the beaten track and one off road, made by water. As for the other four falls, I made them when I crashed on my SPDs. My first ever crash is on the road, when I make an emergency brake at the traffic lights. Good thing there was a nice grass patch on my left. The other three crashes are off road at Lombong, when I found myself on the ground after I lose traction with my slicks on loose gravel. The fourth crash has me landing with my right arm on a rock. Ouch. No bloodshed or major abrasions.

So, why am I on slicks off road? Because there's so much road between Singapore and Kota Tinggi, and perhaps 10% of that distance off road. Besides, I hadn't planned to go off road. I wanted to snooze after last night's ride. But LKS, whom I meet for the first time today, persuades me: "The trail is dry." Well, most of it is. But my bicycle, being chromoly, has such a magnetic personality - it attracts dirt. Oh, what a mess. I try pushing through the mud but that just gets my cleats all muddy. All the better to get stuck on my pedals. I'm so happy when I see the tarred road. A welcome sight, notwithstanding the series of rolling hills between me and a soft bed.

We stop by a car workshop to give our bicycles spa treatment. Hose it down, soap it up, rinse it and blow dry (no kidding!). All for two ringgit per bicycle. The air jet is so powerful, it blasts crud off my cleats and brake pads. First time I've ever played with an air jet; what a toy. Other firsts on this ride:

First century ride, first Malaysian ride, first off road, first crash (and more) on SPDs.
Crossing not one but two streams. The water is so clear. My shoes are wet but nope, didn't catch any fish with it. When I peel my socks off after the ride, my feet are deathly white.
I twist my chain! !@#$% front d mangled it while I'm trying to change gear at high speed, trying to keep Belgian W in sight. Had to straighten it with pliers.
Seeing someone trash me on road and off road: that's Belgian W. See him wheelie in the dirt. Cross streams without getting his shoes wet. Disappear into the distance uphill on road and off road. My consolation: he's only 25. He tells me was attracted to his Canondale mainly because of the yellow colour, and after the road test, he was sold on it.
TYS is there too, and she gains the respect of even W. We marvel at how she powers on slow and steady. In fact, she's the first in Singapore, way ahead of us. Duh, I didn't even see her overtake us. W and I get lost in Johore Bahru. We think the right way is left, but right is right. I pay for my folly by getting all muddy. Somehow, W stays much cleaner - what amazing off road skills. Aye, that's what cycling in the Alps does I guess.

The ride was so so, because I hate dirt on my bike and having to clean and lube it. But the company - and food - are great. Glad that Bikerboey and H are around. Bikerboey was the one who got me a gang to hang out with. H, his video and his song-and-dance. Well, that's the magic of the fellowship of the spins. LKS is a marvel too - look at his heavily laden bike - for once, my bike loses the "heaviest bike" contest. He (and TYS) knows Johore like home.

Tech note My knees don't hurt despite the SPDs. Glad I got the cleats in the right place after all the by-the-roadside adjustments on the past three rides. While they are risky, SPDs do make a nice difference in pedalling. Will keep them on for road rides. Too bad they're scratched now from the falls. Less than a month old, but how seasoned they look now.