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, August 29, 2007

From plodding to spinning

Aug distance travelled: 223 km

To Old Upper Thomson Road, 27 km. To think that the last time I cycled on a weekday was in May. Having done my first 10 and 12 km runs on 22 Jul (Mizuno Wave Run) and 26 Aug (Singapore Bay Run) respectively, it's time to turn plodding feet into spinning ones. My toes still hurt from the "piston" effect on Sunday. But I've got to gear up for Charity Bike and Blade next week. As I pant on the road on my circuit, a dog in the shadow keeps barking at me. Hmm, a familiar feeling ...

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Converge and overwhelm

To Choa Chu Kang Road, 61 km. When work, community, family and personal activities converge over a few weekends, it's overwhelming. My alarm clock rings but I feel too tired to join group training. So I sleep on till I feel awake enough to train for next month's charity ride. It'll be hard to keep training for that ride, since I'm also training for the longest run in my life next week, and I've got work and family obligations in the coming weekends. Today, as if to make up for lost riding time, I pick on a guy with a triathlete's build on the road. I blast past him but can't shake him off. He cruises past me, I sit on his tail but part ways when he banks to port. I next pick on a mobile crane with a "40 km/h" decal. It pulls away from me even when I'm at 54.1 km/h. Cheater-bug. Still, I reach home sort of satisfied, having cycled 2 hours 42 mins over rolling hills, non-stop except at traffic lights. And home in time to beat the pouring rain.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

When less is more and more is less

Kampong Kaki Circuit, 60 km. Having completed the circuit in sub-70 minutes last week, I want to shave 60 seconds off today. I reduce the weight of my bicycle by a few hundred grams and pump my fat tyres to the limit to have more speed. I pedal furiously, have a few close calls on the road, hurtle downhill at almost 53 km/h ... only to end up with about 60 more seconds added to last week's timing. Bleah.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

No more kampong "virgin"

Kampong Kaki Circuit, 75 km. I've heard so much about the circuit (which goes up hills seven times), it's worth getting up early to try it. Some veterans suggest I try it timed. Though this is my "virgin" ride on the circuit, I bite the bait and shoot off after the lead rider. While I'm sleeping, he catches the draft of a vehicle and drops me as he beats a traffic light. As the light turns against me, I'm fortunately awake enough to stop before four lanes of traffic roar into life. A couple more roadies overtake me as I'm out of position and have to stop at another light - and because I haven't been riding hard for four months. My time is 70 minutes and some seconds. The timekeeper asks if I'd like my timing posted online with my photo. "Yeah, with a bag over my head," I say. Well, there'll be a next time. Next time, I'll lighten my mountain bike a bit to even the odds against them road bikes, and hopefully I won't be making wrong turns again either.
Today is the first time I read with a new pair of "continuous wear for six days" lenses.