Cold, wet but hopeful

To Lim Chu Kang, 70 km. About 200 cyclists cycle the route of the Thomson ride, but this is no ordinary ride. It's the Sly Ride, in memory of a biker who got killed by a bus driver. Member of Parliament Ong Kian Ming says a few words, the widow delivers an eulogy, and we're off. I tag along the Cycleworx group; somehow I manage to keep up until Lim Chu Kang Road. Must be all the "training" I got during my 1,500 km ride in the past few weeks. It starts to pour. Most of us keep cycling. My brakes just skim the rims. I feel out of place, being the only mountain biker in that group, but a kind triathlete looks after me. I might have crashed if it isn't for him, as we cycle at breakneck speed; 40 km/h and above. My computer states the average speed at the end of the ride is 29.3 km/h, even after I stop to fix a puncture. The MP promises some action to keep the roads safe for cyclists. This time, perhaps things will change. We have a right to be on the roads, to ride, to be alive.