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 :)

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Sunday, January 15, 2006

Winning number


To Mount Faber, 57 km. It's the first time I've body marking. The number: 103, which sounds like "surely third" in Cantonese. If I'm superstitious, it means I'm condemned to being third each time there's a podium finish, like in past races. Regardless whether it's an individual or team event or how many people take part. But superstitious I'm not. Today, the curse is broken. At Togopart's "King of the Mountain" time trial, I'm joint second at 4 min 10 sec, 7 sec behind the champ, a student (and 40 sec ahead of third place). It looks like I'm the oldest on the podium. And a crowded podium it was. The "queen" of the mountain is the sole roadie, who is so fast that the stopwatches don't stop in time. I could've done better. I got my gearing wrong. Lost air warning some pedestrians. I could've pushed myself harder at the end. But I could've been stuck behind a tour bus disgorging tourists. Or be third instead of second. The first time I did this (on a shorter route, on 16 Oct 05), I lost second place by one second. So, this is what it's like to be walking on air. This win is dedicated to my "coach" and friend, N. As a reward for the good performance, I see bikeshop man who saws off a few grams from my steerer tube.
Photo courtesy of Sehsuan

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