On my, what a pleasant surprise...

One social event that I look forward to each month is the Putrajaya Critical Mass or fondly known as PCM. So, on the last Friday night of the month we'll have these gathering of riders of all kind of bikes, sizes, young and not so young anymore to engage in something that they love, riding bicycles.

Wari, Big and Lei had never been to one, so its only natural to extend the invitation to them. Make arrangements with Wari to meet earlier as parking is limited, and Big says he will be coming a little later as he just finished some testing in the afternoon. No worries as PCM only starts at 930pm. Called Lei in the afternoon, and teasing him on whether he will be clocking some secret training beforehand. Kantoi nanti, hehehe...

Call it instinct, at 825pm, I called Lei and true enough, he WAS preparing for that secret training ride. Siap gua suruh simpan je la tayar yang kat tangan tuh, hahaha. Its better for you to come and join us for a drink at the RV point. Caught redhanded, he obliged and meet me at the RV around 845pm. He asked about the others, and Wari called shortly saying that he's in the Mamak, waiting for us. Hehehe, so much for great timing.

After 9pm, car after cars with bike racks and riders jostle for parking spaces. Nasib baik datang awal, hehehe. Saw a lot of familiar faces (and I've only been to one PCM. Must be those blogs) and make small talk with Sis Sharifah whom I met last year. Big is late, and he managed to coaxed Hardi along (hehehe, Circle of Influence at work again). Told him, no worries, usually PCM wont start until 930pm.

The crowd swells, bike and riders are filling every available space. Saw Bro Zizan, Bang Man CIOCC, Aini bola2api, Kash and Rais, and made some new friends along the way. The ride proper(?) starts at almost 10pm and off we go. Decided to stay in the middle of the pack all the way till Hardi and Big cycle along us and sped playfully. Suddenly, we are near the front.

After Alamanda, chug along up the incline and then Wari and Hardi sped thru. Tak boleh jadi ni, kena kejar. It was fast (kononnya la) all the way to PICC, where we slowly wind down and take a breather. While waiting for the others, I suggested to Wari, Lei and Hardi to climb PICC. One climb. Two climb. By the time we finish the second climb, a lot of the riders are already at the pit stop in front of PICC.

Not long after, Big came and surprise, he found Cikgu Nasir among the riders. Big is more interested in C'gu Nasir's Merida. Apa lagi, bila nak sambar road bike nih? I worked with C'gu Nasir once in Johor, so planned to bring my bike next time we're working together as he always bring his bike along on those trips. 

We then ride to the Mosque as it was suggested earlier to meet-up there for photo ops. I guess there is a change in plans as apparently some of the riders went back to the RV point straightaway after PICC. Well, maybe next time then. Anyway, by the time I reached the RV, Big, Lei, Hardi and C'gu Nasir had already left as it was quite late. Grabbed my usual 'roti nan', and before long bid adieu to my friends and thank them for a good ride.. Its a pleasant surprise to meet old and new friends...

Thanks to Daoh, Bang Man CIOCC and those who tirelessly make this ride a safe, and accessible one. See you guys next month :)

Its a wash-out, ladies and gentlemen...

Just got back from outstation yesterday so the bike is still unassembled and its still in the bike bag. So when I finally got back from office, rushed to assembled it and to prepare for the planned ride tonight. It was postponed from last nights at Big's request, so after contacting the rest of the team(?), we decided to ride tonight.

The weather is cloudy throughout and we fear for the ride. Ada ke takde agaknya? As I was driving home, there is a glimmer of hope, as Putrajaya is clear. Weather update from Putrajaya was clear too. So once I finished assembling the bike, quickly put it in my car and make my way there. As I drive there, suddenly the rain starts falling down, getting heavier by the minute.

Alamak! Called the rest of the gang and inform them of the situation. Decided to meet first at RV and evaluate the situation. By the time I reached the RV, Wari, Big and Ayie were already there. The rain is heavy, and no chance of riding then. Proceeded to order something to eat, then I realise, none of them had any food in front of them.

"Geng, tak nak makan ke? Takkan kecewa sebab tak dapat ride sampai tak makan?" I asked them. 'Yup, aku tak nak makan sebab tak dapat ride malam ni. Jauh aku datang', quipped Big. Wari adds, 'Kitaorang minum je'. I admired my friends, sampai begitu sekali kekecewaan mereka krana tidak menunggang basikal malam ini.

That is until two plates of Mee Goreng Mamak arrived, complete with Telur Goreng Mata Kerbau. Ceh! Hahaha, so much for the sorrowful duo... we'll ride again some other time, right? HAHAHAHAHA!

Row, row, row your boat...

These past couple of years, I have not done justice to this blog. Of almost 200 posts on 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat', not even 10% is dedicated to rowing, so I would like to make an additional target to achieve this year. To be a member of The Million Meter Club. To be able to be inducted into that club, one would have to row one million meters, either on on water or on the indoor rower, also known as the rowing ergometer. Read about indoor rowing here and concept2 here

To know more about the Million Meter Club, read here.

One long weekend, no long ride?

The long holiday weekend normally would present numerous riding opportunity, but as it always is, "...Man plans, God decides...". I planned to ride on Saturday, Sunday, Monday AND Tuesday, alternating between long ride, short hard ride and long/short recovery ride. As fate would have it, something came up on Saturday, which put paid to my hopes of riding an easy 75km with Wari. Sorry Wari, bukan aku nak sabotaj ko punya training, hehehe...

So, on Sunday, I plan a comeback with revenge. Well, spanners are thrown into the plan as well as my partner in cycling crime is back to his hometown, which means I would be riding alone. He even forget to link me up with the JBS boys, which usually have rides on Sunday mornings (aku pun lupa nak tanya...aiyaa!) 

So, its a solo 50km ride then. The first 8km was a breeze, but once I took the left turn towards Tg Lumpur, I was hit from the front and sideways by fierce wind. It was no fun riding in  a headwind, and to be hit on the sides was worst. I weight almost 100 kilos and at some instances, I was nearly swept off with my bike, which prompted me to change into bigger gears. Ride lagi masa monsoon, elok duduk rumah tido je gamaknya...

The next day, make plans to ride again but miscommunication and sheer egoistical behavior (on my part that is) means easily a 40+km possible ride deteriorate into... no ride. Late that morning, I was left ruing lost chances. Moral of the story : Even if you make plans, be flexible enough to change if necessary.

The last day of the long holidays (and the few lost chances) means I would need to ride, by hook or by crook. Prepared early and by 745am were ready to ride. The monsoon season means there is a good chance that I would be battered by winds, but what doesn't break you, make you stronger, no? Unfortunately, the weather is a bit under, and rightly so, after riding for 15km, it started to rain.

Good thing it only last for some 20mins, but then the wind makes me feel colder than it actually is (the windchill factor). Its no fun riding in a wet, cold weather. Especially if you're riding alone. It just makes you want to stop and go back. Well, we can't have that do we? Finally decided to call it quits (sejuk sebenarnya) after 50km. Total planned ride : 200+km. Actual ride: 100km. Something is always better than nothing, right? Hehehe... alasan je la tu... 

And where is Mr Big?

After the recent 'brouhaha' with regards to the helmet and the shoes, I make it a point of preparing in advance for Friday ride #7. I was late again (what else is new?) and only reached RV at almost 9pm. Hey, a new addition to the group, and we welcome Azhar to the fold (Circle of Influence eh?)

We started off slowly in view of Azhar being a newbie and Mr Big who havent been riding diligently for the past few weeks (banyak urusan keluarga, hehe). Ayie is unable to join us for some emergency matters, so the four of us took the usual route towards PICC. 

Azhar seems OK, even if the bike is a bit big for him as we opined he should be riding a 50 or smaller rather than a 52 (its easier to make a small bike bigger than a big bike smaller). We decided to make a u-turn near PICC and go towards P16. To spice things up, me, Wari and Azhar decided to play catch-up and sprint. Mr Big? We keep him within distance, hehehe...

Nearing P16, Wari suggested Wisma Putra hill, to which I gamely accepted. Result? Of course he reaches the top first, he still is 30 kilos lighter than me. Azhar even followed suit, riding up the hill and then we gleefully descent down. But wait, something is wrong. I can't see him, he should be waiting for us here. Where in Putrajaya is Mr Big?

We decided to sweep the Boulevard all the way to PICC, looking for a guy riding on a DaBomb. We scour the area, but we could only find Kenari's and MyVi's lining up the road. Ada pesta Perodua ke? Tried calling on his cellphone but to no avail. Has he been kidnapped? Mana la tahu kena kidnap for ransom ke, Mr Big kan nampak macam tokoh korporat...

As we are going towards PICC, we suffered our first casualty. Azhar's leg refused to cycle anymore. He cramped. So what else to do? After letting him rest his legs for a while, we ride slowly towards the RV point, reminding him to keep the legs moving to pump blood in and to drink often. He survived, but I think its a case of trying to do too much too soon (dah lama tak exercise la katakan...)

Lo and behold, once we reached the RV, there he was, Mr Big, waiting for us. Apparently, he is in one piece. Takkan ambil shortcut plak Mr Big? I took a raincheck on the post ride rehydration session, and bade the three of them, goodnite. Good ride, good company = feelgood, no? We'll do this again, my friends...

The not so LEKAS weekend...

Opting to rest rather than riding the night before in hindsight, allows the body to rest a bit and mentally makes you hungry for another ride to make up for the lost opportunity. The actual truth is, fear of being the last one in the peloton is a great motivating factor, hehehe.

After Perez, there are talks of going fast on LEKAS, the newly opened highway. But as I wont be able to join those speed demons on the windy highway, I decided (albeit quite late, sebab bangun pun lambat) to clock in some kilometers on Saturday and some more (if I am up to it) on the day after.

Starts riding at 9am and thinking of doing a KLIA loop (as if la), but then changed my mind once I reached the roundabout after the airport mosque and cycled towards F1 instead. Felt good (other than the searing heat) and actually contemplating of going to Sg Pelek, but good sense prevailed and decided on KLIA instead (so fickle minded, eh?)

As fate would have it, as I was reaching the entrance of F1, "POP!" and I suffered a puncture. Ceh, aku tak bawak plak spare tube. Thought of calling my brother to rescue me, but he went to the factory today. Luckily, I did chucked in the patch kit into the bike bag, and preceded to repair my tube. Tube baru plak tu :( Nak kena pi cari tiub baru la pulak...

Decided to cut the ride short, and head to my car, but not without riding around Nilai. Total distance : 48km. A good distance for a guilt ride, hehe. The next day, when the rest of the crew did LEKAS, I do a SLOW (get it? haha) one hour recovery ride (kononnya la) around my place. Staple of my ride: Lots of spinning and try to keep my HR averaging 140 and below. Total distance : 24km. Total distance this week : 110km. Not too bad a week, if I say so myself... 

"sometime you have to go slow to be fast" (ni kira ayat pujuk diri sendiri la ni)

The top and the bottom of it...

I was in a rush tonight. I was supposed to meet the guys at the RV point at 830pm. The time now is five minutes after 8, and I have yet to put in the bike in the car. Rushing down with bike, water, gears, GPS and HRM and chuck it into the car. Backed up the car and was on my way in no time.

Along the way, calculated the best route to be at the RV point by the stipulated time. I have been late a few times already (what else is new?) so I'll try not to be late again this time. Called Big and he's in SuRaDa, so he should be a bit late. Called Wari next and he says he's on his way, which means that I might not be that late after all. CH is taking a rain check, he's tired after a long testing session in the afternoon.

I stopped somewhere along the way, within good time to reach the RV point, and decided to do some extra kilometers on the bike. Put out my bike, take the wheels and put it up. Strap in my transmitter and GPS and suddenly I stopped in my track. @#%!^&*(!@#%! How could I forget?

In my haste, I forgot to bring two things. My helmet. And my cycling shoes. Hence the top and the bottom of it. That, ladies and gentlemen, means the end of my ride for tonight. I am not sacrificing safety and pedaling efficiency.

The moral of the story: Prepare well in advance and never rush. Better late than never (better to come late to a ride than not riding at all, cheh!)