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 :))

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Cat fight

Nov distance: 376 km

To Seletar Hills, 22 km. With a hiss and a snarl, the two caterwauling cats (one a Siamese) spill onto the road. I yell back and they back off. Cycling among the landed gentry is interesting, to see how the rich and famous live. But, to paraphrase, richness isn't having the most, but being able to be happy with the least.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Overtaken

To Lim Chu Kang Road, 78 km. Another ride with the Singapore Women's Cycling Team. There are like four times more guys than girls, but I guess that's the way us guys are ... We take the Thomson route. The lead Thomson rider passes me. I surge ahead but flame out soon after reaching 48 km/h. The first peloton overtakes me, some passing real close. The second peloton passes me too; I guess they're going at 39 km/h. It turns out to be a solo ride for me but I don't mind that as it's a good ride. I've been wondering when it's time to oil my chain. The answer is obvious enough; when it squeaks. Wet lube lasts me for over a month but it's hard to clean. Dry lube dries up fast, but is easy to clean. Trade-offs; that's what life is about I guess. But some things are absolutes: chain should be lubricated!

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Stop and go

To Old Upper Thomson Road, 26 km. It's been ten days since I last cycled. On Sunday, I didn't even make it out the door despite waking up at dawn. Someone had told me: "If you have to ask whether you should ride, you shouldn't." So, I went back to bed. The only exercise I got was turning in bed. And that really helped to unclog - not my arteries, but my nose. I felt a lot better on Mon. When you stop, it sometimes helps you to go. Wisdom is knowing when to stop to go. I'm still sniffling a little, but when I sit on my saddle today, a smile flits across my face. For a while, office hard labour is forgotten. On the road, the incursions continue. A car crosses the line literally but veers away in time. As for the three walkers, they ignore me and I cross the line to veer away. Brushes with death on either side.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Still not easy

To Lim Chu Kang, 77 km. I join Singapore Women's Cycling Team charity training ride for a hospital. Thinking it'll be an easy ride, I have soft tyres. As it turns out, I'm the sole mountain biker among the six who show up. Another roadie overtakes us. In a flash, I'm on his tail. He makes a rapid S-turn while I slow down and he drops me for good. While I stop to wait for the rest of my group, I see the the lead peloton of the Thomson ride shoot by. It's a sight to behold, compared to the middle group who come in twos and threes. I continue chasing roadies who pass by, until I'm winded. And hungry. The charity riders are still fresh and I drop further to the back.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Easy? Not easy

To Rifle Range Road, 52 km. This morning's ride with Singapore Women's Cycling Team is called off because of rain. I decide to cycle solo anyway. It's supposed to be an easy ride. I venture to the end of Jalan Kampong Chantek and my heart leaps with joy at the sight of hills. And a bit of offroad too. And, for the first time, I find myself on Rifle Range Road. Sloping up and down, curving left and right. Exciting, and I'm not talking about women. I'm glad I cycle all the way to the end instead of turning back. Sometimes, success is just round the corner, if you hang on long enough. The hard ride isn't over yet. Along Lornie Road, a roadie in matching Bianchi togs passes me by. We exchange greetings and I crank away. 44 km/h, but the white man continues to pull away.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Beautiful village road

To Jalan Kampong Chantek, 49 km. The name means "beautiful village road". Lining the road are triple-story bungalows, with floor-to-ceiling windows, spiralling balustrades, multi-car car porches and swimming pools. One house is so big, it has a sign stating which entrance to use. It is a quiet neighbourhood of landed gentry. One house is abandoned, with a gaping hole in the roof. I check out the former turf club. Now, it's largely the hoi polloi who come here. Then, there were landed gentry too. In life, there are the haves, the have-less and have-nots. It's a troubled ride; only when I come across two groups of roadies do thoughts of my work woes fall behind.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Long ride around

Deepavali
To Lim Chu Kang Road, 72 km. It's a long ride. Not the distance, but the time taken: 8 hours. The six of us spend a long time sitting and chatting about bicycles, bikers and even what goes into Harvard Business Review. We cycle around Singapore - not round island (which I'd thought it was going to be), but just around. We lunch at Kranji Sanctuary (our first). This is the first time I cycle with MW and I play tour guide part of the way, riding beneath a glorious "Simpson's" sky. At Woodlands, I almost crash thrice. I could've met my Maker, or stare at the ceiling for the rest of my life. Singapore drivers ...