And while we plan, God decides...

I am really disappointed. I was looking forward to this event, but it seems that I would need to take a rain check. I even invited CH (to return for the second time), Big (his first long ride) and Lei (kasi bakar sikit after all this years of not riding together) for this month major social ride.

A fortnight ago I was informed that I have to go to Langkawi. No problem. The proposed trip will be over 2 weeks which means I will be celebrating Eid Adha on the island. No problem. Only coming back to KL on the 12th. No problem. Travel to Langkawi on the 29th. No problem. As long as I go ride the November Ride the night before.

Then, a sudden change in plan. It was confirmed that I need to travel to Langkawi on 27th November. Tomorrow. One day before the November Ride. Babes in Bikeland? Aiyoh!!!

Bummer. I am definitely bringing Scotty to Langkawi with me.

On the day you were born... Part II

We are the Sagitarians' brotherhood. Ija, Acis and me. The day we are born into this world are only a few days apart, albeit born on different year. But we are worlds apart, in size, demeanor and style. Most of the time, we do not seem like sharing the same blood in our veins.

Ija is the third in the family and he was Ngah's favourite (she doesn't have kids of her own). He is small, unlike me and Acis, but he does things his own way. Not the most talkative (pendiam sebenarnya), or the most friendly, since he was young he showed the classic syndrome of the middle child (refer here and here). Dad brings him along with Angah to be schooled in the middle of the country, until he was offered a place in a religious boarding school for his secondary education.

He changed school afterwards to a science stream and pursued his tertiary education in polymer engineering (or something). He seems a bit cold toward the family, seeking refuge I suspect in the company of friends rather than family. He is snapped up for employment not long after graduation, not afraid to get his hands dirty in the process in getting knowledge and experience. Then when he dropped the notion that he wants to get married, we were quite shocked. He doesn't seem like the kind who dated.

He is still berat mulut to this day, but with three beautiful kids, he wont stay that way for long. Good for you, bro.

Here's to celebrating life, Uda. I wish all the best in life for you, Ina and the kids. Take care, Bro...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

A wash(ed) out...

Read this earlier...

Ride - almost anytime, anywhere on the road when it rains

          - all you need is guts (or skill) in the corners - and waterproof rain gear

Its Dumb to Ride... 

          - During thunderstorms. You can get zapped by lightning froma storm up to 20 miles away

          - in extreme downpour. Visibility is less than zero, and no car on the planet is expecting to see you out there

So, as usual I planned to ride home. As I do not feel like riding the day before (its raining actually), I took both bike and car home in anticipation of riding to work in the morning. Next morning, CH is not riding as he has to run some errands later, so ride alone to office.

Later in the evening, CH offers a ride home but I decline as I felt like riding home (even if the sky looks dark). It starts to drizzle but I chose to wait it out. "Surely it'll be lighter soon..." I tried to reason. At 7pm, I rode out in the rain. Riding in the rain is always refreshing for me. That is until the 4km mark, where the heavens open up and rains heavily.

"Alamak, Petronas dah 1 kilo kat belakang, and nak sampai Esso would mean a few hills to climb...", to which I decided to press on. The visibility drops and the pouring rain make it harder to climb. I am soaked to the bone and the covering of my bag give little protection to the files inside. After the climb, came the sharp descent. On normal days it would be easy, but water on the road means a lots of guts needed. And skills (and prayers). Especially if you know that your front brake is not that good.

Negotiated the traffic light safely somehow and decided to stop at Esso. At least until the rains recedes, I reasoned. But then again, the rain do not seem to slow down and then I still do need to cycle home. So I made the decision to brave the rain, and starts to walk rather than cycle. Over the big hill I walk Scotty and down the other side. Lightning lights up the sky, and my brain reminded me of wjat I have read earlier. Ceh! Not now please...

Safely walk to the other side and begins to cycle. Luckily the rains slowly becomes a drizzle, and after draining water out from the frame, the ride is more bearable. Not  that many cars, but as most of them wont be expecting to see a bike after the heavy rain so still needs to keep my visibility high. After riding slowly for another 35mins, I reached home wet, cold and dirty...

That reminds me, not to do that again (ride during a thunderstorm that is, hehehe)...

On the day you were born...

We are the Sagitarians' brotherhood. Ija, Acis and me. The day we are born into this world are only a few days apart, albeit born on different year. But we are worlds apart, in size, demeanor and style. Most of the time, we do not seem like sharing the same blood in our veins.

Acis is the youngest, but since very young he displayed the promise of leadership. His name means (I think) high intelligence, and boy, was he intelligent. Anyway, he was my favourite because of the gap in age between us, means that I got the chance to babysit (and wipe and whup his ass) him when he was a baby.

He grows up quickly, were bundled off to one of the top school in the country, and became a sports star, that is until a knee injury threaten to put an end to his sporting career. But he still packs a mean defense in the paint, bad knee or not. He is gregarious in nature, and always surrounded by friends. He is affable and at times a teddy bear at heart. Wek!!

He's happily settled down now and contented with life, with his lovely wife. Good for you, bro.

Here's to celebrating life, Acis. I wish all the best for you and will never forget all that you have done for me. Thanks :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Cantik, menarik, tertarik... kau memang, DaBomb!

Meet Big. As his name suggest, he is big sized. Not that heavy really, just 116kg in weight, but the uneven distribution of fat makes him to 'look' much bigger than he actually is (for one, I weight almost 100 kilos). Unfortunately, he also carry with him a few more of the modern disease, gout, high blood pressure etc.

After he was hospitalised not long ago, as concerned colleagues, we have been advising him to start exercising. As he has gout, jogging would be out of the question. His high BP doesnt make it any easier. But then again, to alleviate the stress on his knee, we suggested cycling (what else?). I started the ball rolling by loaning him my old helmet and cycling meter.

Rob, Nick's buddy, had left his bike here after the Trans-China trip, and Nick says that he might want to sell it off. As Big is quite tall, he needs a 19" frame, so its a good match with Rob's bike. Discussion ensued, especially about price. The bike is a good one, with nice components and freebies thrown in. Unfortunately for Big, his late committal to the negotiated price means someone else grabs Rob's bike.

Not disheartened, he calls up some people and actually goes to a bike shop near his house. He inquired and introduced to a DaBomb bike, model Tora Bora. The price quoted, a bit more than what he had negotiated for Rob's bike but I argued that it is a brand new bike, unlike Rob's two year old ride. We suggested a few upgrades and Bro Khairi is accommodating enough.

Hehehe, it seems that Big has been bitten by the cycling bug. It wont be long before he started to spend more (and more). Next on his (cycling) list are padded shorts, glove, hand pump, (new) cycling computer, heart rate monitors etc.

Heard he has been riding (i heard) almost everyday now. Welcome to the club and next time you'll be riding with us. November PCM will be the next one, Big :)

UPDATE : Hmm... I have yet to meet DaBomb, but once we made our acquaintance, I will definitely post his pics here...

A welcomed breather

As I was driving to work today (nope, I am not riding today), I make a detour to the filling station. Checked my wallet, "Hmm, maybe I'll just put in 20 bucks", moreover, the free petrol competition is over already. Proceeded to the counter, make the payment and walk to the pump. Pumped the petrol in, and suddenly, one thing caught my eyes. 

Total litres. 10.001 litres. Hmmm...

Later on the radio I heard that the government, reduces further the price of fuel by 15 cents to 2 dollars per litre.. From an all-time high of 2.70/litre in June, this will surely put a breather into my (and many of the motorists) transportation expenses. Not that I am going to ride Scotty any less soon. 

Thank you for hearing our plight my dear ministers (and wish that the oil price would continue with their downward trend)

In the search for (our own) 'Shangri-La'...

Today most of us are at the workshop, me and CH included. It a whole day long affair, and I guess to a certain extent it achieved its intended target. Anyway, as workshops in hotel could only mean scrumptious and rich food, plans are hatched to slot in a ride this afternoon. Place of choice? Where else, Putrajaya. RV? Putrajaya Shangri-La.

I reached there a bit late, not helped by not knowing where the actual location is. Missed the parking lot, go down and called CH. Apparently he is already there. Park at the bottom lot, and waited for CH. Changed into cycling outfit, and readies the bike. We started slow, and as we spin, asked CH on the route to be taken. He suggested a long, 40km route.

Felt lethargic, maybe due to all the nice spread during lunch. Struggling to maintain 20kmh. Ceh, takkan la nak bagi CH kayuh depan sangat. CH puts in more, and more distance between us. Tak boleh jadi ni. Changed into higher gear, and chased him down. Managed to catch him near the wetland and continued to press on until Precint 8. Need to keep my cadence high.

As we turn toward Dengkil just after the hospital, I asked CH to slow down as we are doing 30+kmh. He seems surprised as he says that he never exceeded 28kmh on his normal ride. I told him that I got the numbers from my GPS. He still cant believe it and asks about calibration. Well, I'm just relating the info, CH. Anyway, pressed on and the switchback incline allows me to drop CH. Keep those cadence high, Bon...

Took a left turn to Dengkil, and CH presses on. I told him that we need to slow down, as I pengsan already. He says he's in the same boat, but tells me to go on if I can. The flat route allows me to power on, hitting 39kmh before being overtaken by CH. Ceh, kata dah dua kali kong, OK je nampaknya. Take a left toward PICC, on the Alamanda highway. 

Turns on the crank, and recheck GPS calibration with the distance marker. Spins easy nearing Pinggiran Putra where CH caught up. The big climb looms in the distance. Told CH that the GPS distance checks and we had in fact, only cycling for 23km. He is adamant that this route is 40km long. Told him that we'll check the total distance at the finish line.

Maintained a good speed up the climb, and took a left to Alamanda. CH says he need the shortcut. Ride easy all the way to the Shangri-La, when make a final dash uphill towards the finish line. Ceh, wrong choice of gearing, almost fall of my bike at the top. Total ride time, 1:17, distance 30.8km. "No wonder I am always left behind, I am actually undertrained by 25%..." laments CH.

For the next ride, CH thinks of dragging Big along. At least someone will finish later than him. Hahaha, good idea CH :)