Ipoh Ride 30 May 2010

The picture you see here was just the beginning of so many hills that would break your legs! And since this was the first hill, with over a thousand riders, bottlenecks were inevitable. Hence, me, the back of the pack, waiting in line. It took us at least 45 mins just to clear the first 4km!
The ride itself was as gruelling as any ride could get. With a total 42km of sheer forest, open oil palm (??) estates, a little bit of tarmac on the way back, thigh burning hill climbs which made steroid (FRIM) seem kiddie, and some nice downhills.
After almost 5 hours, I made it out, after missing about 6km of the ride as my legs just gave up on me. Was granted position 332 though and little medal, which was nice!
Best part of the ride is that I'm that much fitter now I think, and worst part of the ride is that I've got to upgrade my cranks, which is has a terrible scraping noise now! Probably from all the climbs.
Not much to say about scenery though. Malaysian jungle is Malaysian jungle no matter where we go. Link to some picts of us on the right.

Ipoh Ride... the preparation...

Going for a ride? Here are some of the basic-MUST-list-of-things that you will need to bring apart from your bike:
MUSTHAVE WEARABLES:
Jersey, shorts (padded), gloves, shoes, helmet, socks, shades, back/hydrapack or/and waist pouch, wrist watch.
MUSTHAVE CONSUMABLES:
Fluids (1 litre per 10-15km depending on the terrain); more is better than less.
Energy or carbo stuff. My preference are energy bars or just plain ol' bananas.
MUSTHAVE BIKE STUFF:
Pump, spare tubes, tools, tyre repair kit
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED OTHER STUFF:
Sunblock (spf = 30 or more)...make sure its water proof and sweat proof. I recommend Coppertone,First Aid kit,Mosquito repellent,Hand-phone (and containment from water),GPS, small towel
OPTIONAL:
Odometer, spare clothes, mp3 player
Done.
For my own personal ride coming up this weekend (and am very excited about it!) in Ipoh, I've got pretty much all of the above except for spare clothes cos my jersey and shorts are both 'quick dry' and in Ipoh, I don't expect any change in temperature, so warm clothes wont be necessary, and riding in heavy torrential rain has never been a problem for me.
So... wish me luck... Ipoh here I come... stay glued to this site for my update on the ride after Sunday!
By the way... that bike you see up there... that's my baby! A nicely modded full sussed Giant Anthem X3... mmmm... nice to own my own personal Porsche that's a thousand times cheaper than the car! (go ahead... click on it!)

Bike Climbaholism = Someone who is addicted to climbing (with a bike)

(Can you find my bike in that first picture?)
With a 45km off road trail coming up next week, I was determined to be ready for it. Today I daresay that I'm ready. The weather this morning at FRIM was perfect, temperature-wise, but with the rain, things were a bit tough. It rained heavily and I was caught while climbing up steroid. Uphill tasks was tough as the earth was slippery, muddy, and fairly soft. But nothing was gonna stop me from getting into shape for next week. Managed to do the climb twice over (some would think it mad!).
But with today's ride, my confidence is a little better than it was 2 weeks ago. My fitness, a little better than it was in the past few months. I think Ipoh will be tough, but I think should be ok. Wish me luck! This picture below is the little stream that forms all the way from the top of the hill...

Off to Serendah...

After laying off for more than 2 weeks due to bouts of flu, cough and the like, and coupled with the fact that there's a HUGE ride coming up in 2 weeks over at the Ipoh Jamboree (http://happytoride-ipohjamboree2010.blogspot.com/), the ride today was much needed. Amazing how the lungs can clear of its' phlegm from a nice midrange ride.
Today's was obviously not a much visited trail, and we could tell bcos of very long lalang and thorny underbrushes (managed to catch one on my wrist too)
At the start, we had a start when we saw someone coming down the hill with a shotgun!... and dogs!! As it turns out, they (there were 2 shotguns (hunters)) were hunting boars.
Not much to say about this ride. Just a forest like all malaysian forests, long lalang, muddy paths. No major climbs other than some small 200m inclines; which was a good start for someone with my level of fitness at this point. It was much needed and a good prep for the coming Ipoh ride (45km of gruelling off road madness into the Banjaran Titiwangsa... God Help Me!)

Ye Olde Taman Desa road ride...

Ah, what memories like memories... from 1990. Took a ride out the old road route of Taman desa, water park, taman seputih areas.
I remember when these routes would drain my lungs with its "long" 600m climbs...
Alas, I remember when good ol' Kim would train me and coax me on..."cmon ... abit more... !", and I would struggle with my last bit of breath, like a fish out of water...pedal my way up the road. Thanks Kim!
Had some time to kill when my son went there for his seasonal basketball tourney. It wasn't a major game, since his team was already 1st on the leader board, so I decided that I needed my own little exercise after a bad bout of flu and last weeks pathetic 3km-and-died ride. So, thought it was a good plan to start where it all began some 10 years ago!
I've come a long way now... Hate to say this Kim, but this time I think I'll be the one with the "cmon... abit more!".
The route, much easier now, is still one of the best routes for a get-fit-quick rider. It is undulating, tarmac, and not so many cars, with some nice climbs. A few sprints up and down these climbs will do amazing things to your fitness level. But watch your heart rate tho...push too hard and you'll be pushed on a cart to the nearby Desa hospital.
Well, suffice to say... for me... it was a trip down memory lane while I quickly try to get fit for a big ride coming up in the Ipoh Jamboree end of this May; a full 45km off road trail!
"C'mon Kim... get off that excel butt and come along with me!... There's extra space in the car for 2 bikes and 2 riders!"