First time first

Bike Quest 08, 136 km. I'd hesitated to sign up for this all-night race organised by National University of Singapore's Faculty of Arts and Social Science. Starve self of sleep, then go to work the next day. I sign up anyway. As it turns out, all four team members had cycled from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in 2005. Without prior arrangement, we wear the same jerseys tonight. Our route takes us from East Coast Park to Buangkok, Toa Payoh, Thomson and Bukit Timah. In this adventure race, big and small things count, like a plan and a pen. We think fast, cycle fast. Diversity means we know the different routes well. And are linguistic and numerically adept. There are cramps and raised voices, but we come in top scorers by a wide margin. #1 among 58 teams (half in competitive category). We divide up the spoils. Cash is liquid, but goods (one mountain bike frame as prize for a team of four?) would've to be sold and monetized. This is the first time I'm first in a race. Someone asks if I'm the oldest competitor. Probably.