Broga Classic

Did Broga classic and I made it. No stops halfway of the climb. I'm proud of myself! :)

The day started witt a lot of waiting for the riders. 7 riders showed up. The ride suppose to start at 7am but we only managed to get the tires rolling close to 8am!

The first 50km the pace was slightly fast for me. The front group was doing 34km/h but I was not far behind. Goot thing they stop for a while near Broga. Then it was fast& furious up the first climb. The highlight was the ride down. I clocked over 70km/h! My fastest speed!

Then we took a break at the food stall before the Bukit tangga climb. One of the rider had a puncture so the break took longer but I was not complaining...I need all the rest just to stay with this seasoned Broga riders.







Ride up Bukit tangga was not as painful as I experienced 2 years ago on a mountain bike! I stayed within my limits and came down the hill at 55km/h with some scary crosswinds!

We took another break at Klawang town. Then its the long ride back up Perez! Half way climbing...the speed was like 7km/h..I started to talk to myself. Some motivation talk, some bits of song lyrics..then a guy on a motorbike came beside me and asked directions to Genting! Unreal!




5km to the top it looked like it going to pour but the skies managed to hold up and reached the top in one piece. Never been so happy to see BN logo in my life! I also broke 4000km mileage during this ride which was my target for 2009.

Max speed: 70.6km/h, Time on the saddle: 5h 50m, Distance:137.83km, Average speed: 23.6km/h

Home to Genting Peras Via Ampang

A new rear tire calls for a new route. So armed with my GPS phone I cycled on the unknown streets of KL to reach Ampang. Because of the early hours, the traffic was moderate.

Reached Bt 14 around 8.10am. Decided to continue to ride without taking in food but that turns out to be a mistake because I suffered on the way back.

I bonked at Bt 18 and decided to refuel but that was not enough. Climbing up Ampang hill I made a mistake of climbing on a higher gear. I have to stop 2 times. I only realize I was on the wrong gear about 700m to the top!

Heading back to PJ was tough because I was still not recovered fully. Traffic jam in Pudu was bad around lunch time. I slowly made my way back to home feeling super tired.

Don't have the ride stat because when you are tired you do stupid things like resetting your bike meter accidentally. Ride distance is 115KM.

Tooth Ache Ride

Yesterday I went for my 1st ride after my surgery to remove my wisdom tooth. I took it easy & took shortcut on the last climb to go home early. Overall, legs and back feeling good despite an absence of 2 weeks.

Rain ride

Yesterday I rode in the rain. It started to rain halfway to the Tuesday night ride. My rear brake fade real bad so I'm thinking about changing them to Koolstop brakes.

Before yesterday's ride I notice my right hand glove missing. Today when I went to work I found my glove on the road! Picked it up.

Interstate 09 Routes & Stats

Interstate 09 Day 1 Route (Not complete)



Distance:134Km, Average speed:26.4Km/h, Max speed:56.6Km/h, Riding time: 5h5m

Interstate 09 Day 2 Route



Distance:126Km, Average speed:25.9Km/h, Max speed:48.1Km/h, Riding time: 4h52m

Interstate 09 Day 3 Route (Truncated)



Distance:104Km, Average speed:26.8Km/h, Max speed:47.5Km/h, Riding time: 3h52m

Tired

Last Sunday ride was tiring. I had minor flu but still went to Puncak Alam. After the ride my legs was in pain & I got t a slight fever. Now I'm going to rest because IS09 starts this Friday!.

Here's a article from Joe Friel's blog about fatigue.

Back to back rides

With the Interstate Ride just 2 weeks away, it time to do back to back rides. Saturday I rode to Putrajaya from home with Mr. Chin. Unfortunately Mr. Chin bonked on the return leg. He went jogging a day earlier.



Next day it's ride with PCC. We rode from Bangi to Lukut. The main bunch went to PD but some of us stopped at Lukut town This time the ride was bearable because the weather was cloudy most of the way.

Hulu Langat Ride & Food Poisoning

With less than 1 month to go for the Interstate ride, I thought it would be a good idea to include back to back rides. Coincidently Hseng Leng invited me, Mr. Chin and Vincent to a ride in Hulu Langat on Saturday.

In Hulu Langat we meet up with Kevin Han and together we rode from Bt 14 - Bt 18 - Genting Peraz -Bkt Hantu - Bt 18.




After the reide I drove home, washed the bike a bit, had my lunch and took a nap. When I woke up from my nap I felt discomfort on my stomach. I thought it was gastric problem so I resist a visit to the hospital. The next day I vomited so I know my condition was not improving so I went to Pantai hospital KL. The doctor told me it was food poisoning!

This makes sense because when i came back from the ride, our fridge went kaput! So I suspect the mock meat my mom cooked went bad before she cooked it.

So here I am...2 more weekends before the interstate.

Home - Cyberjaya - Home

Decided not to join PCC this weekend because it was far...Hulu Langat. Rode alone to Cyberjaya.




The time taken to complete the ride is the same as many months ago. But there's a difference in the consumption food. I completed the ride with just 250ml isotonic drink where the previous ride I consume 150ml isotonic drink and some chocolates.

But then again I started very early...6.44am and finish early so less exposure time in the sun doesn't warrant too much fluid intake. Hmm did I make any improvement from the previous ride? Yes. But that's not important.

What is important is not having that reluctant feeling to ride your bike. Too much riding can cause this. Now I'm enjoying my ride again after taking a small break.

Max speed: 51.9Km/h, Time: 2h 48m, Distance: 75.11Km Average speed: 26.6Km/h

Bangi - Lukut - Bangi

Arrived at MTDC late but managed to find parking. Don distributed ride tulips so I made a mental note to try stay in a group because I'm lousy with directions. Don, in his briefing said that the terrain is similar to the coming 2nd day Interstate ride.

The ride mostly rolling hills from Bangi. When you reach Sendayan it begins to get tiring and I'm glad to reach Lukut. I grew up in Lukut so it's nice to be there again after 13-15 years! My roti parata arrived late so there was no time for sight seeing. After fueling up I try to follow Vong and his group.



The ride was Ok in the begining. I drank lots of water and managed to stay with the group. 20Km to finish the pace got faster and I was trying to hang on. I was hydrated but low on fuel. 5km to the car park I got nothing in my legs. Reach car few minutes before 1PM.


Max Speed: 58.3, Time: 4h 31m, Distance 121.74km, Average Speed: 26.9Km/h

Update 03.04.2009;

Coordinates for MTDC is N02°55.533' E101°46.235'

Tuesday night ride

Wow finally I got the tracks for the Tuesday night ride!



But it's not without drama, the application fail to save GPX file but managed to save KML file. Tracking was done at 2 sec, min 5 meters.

Genting Sempah-Bentong-Genting Sempah

Nowadays I'm tired of riding my bike so when we regroup at the workshop I thought about not going to Bentong. Getting lazy, but all those riding for sure have their positive. I can see my ribs for the first time since lower secondary school!



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Riding to Bentong in a peloton was fun. We were cruising 32/34Km/h with Vong pulling us. Arrived at Shell Bentong feeling fresh, contrast to the previous ride where I rode alone.

The ride back was fast to, this time I did pulling all the way to McDonald hill but my speed was too fast so in the end only 1 person followed me.

I accidentally cleared my bike computer so no data. The ride duration was about 4h 30m. The new version if Trail Explorer worked during the whole ride. Maybe I can get some data from there?

update 10:29 pm;

Home to Kg Kuantan

Last Sunday was another hot day in the saddle.


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Max Speed: 49.9km/h, Time: 5h39m, Distance: 153km, Average speed: 27.1

Knee Problem Almost Gone :-)

I got this problem with my left knee. There is a little 'sensation' of discomfort on the front of the knee, and I was having this problem close to 2 months +. I adjusted the seat height, saddle position, cleat position but cannot get rid of the pain.

Yesterday night I went for a ride with Mr. Chin. We rode the old Tuesday night route.

On the climb after Victoria Station it suddenly hit me that last time on my mountain bike, I pedal with my heel down on the down stroke. So I tried to climb like that on every climb. Today my left knee feels normal.

Going to try this position for a couple of weeks and monitor the progress.

Puncak Alam

Another ride to Puncak Alam but this time it was not overcast like last time. The route was different too. We went to village roads to come out on Kapar road to take on the Dragon hills. Kapar is where I used to go mountain biking when I lived there.


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I was determine to reach home before 1PM because the weather was hot so I made the Indian restaurant stop a fast one. I was following Vong and gang for a while but they were going at least 2Km/h faster than me and soon I was cycling alone. I don't know the way to SPRINT highway but I kept on going, following the road signs. I think I may cycled a bit more then I should but it was better than waiting for other riders in the hot sun.

Reached home before 1PM but it was still tiring and I have to stop for a break near Kampung Tunku. I'm not sure how I'm going to cycle 160km for interstate in the hot sun.

Maximum speed: 57.9km/h, Time: 5h 4m, Distance: 132.11km, Average speed: 26km

Genting Sempah to Bentong

I always want to do the Genting Sempah-Bentong....curious as to what lie beyond the McDonalds hill! Today I got the chance, I must say it was a great ride.

I didn't start from restaurant AWE...PCC's official starting point as I didn't read the directions properly! Waited for a few minute at HOA for them. Did Genting Sempah to workshop in 53 minutes. Then it's all the way down to Bentong. Actually the downhill is short compare to the flats you have to do to reach Bentong. That's where you energy get sucked if you ride alone. Tip; fuel up after Genting Sempah.



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As usual the GPS act up. Found it to be switched off at McD hill. Then I snapped a picture in Bentong...the GPS shut itself. NEED MORE MEMORY!!!


Regroup at Shell Bentong for fuel. Then the ride back was slow as the seasoned riders know it's going to be tough riding in the hot sun. On one of the climb 4 riders began to break away. Then slowly everybody started to ride at their own pace. I was keeping Mr. Chin company. He was on his new Scott Addict R4. :)

At Janda Baik I can feel my legs going to cramp up. I finished all my water and decided to hang on until I reach the place where people collect spring water. The water doesn't taste like mineral water. Tasted like your normal tap water but it's free and it took care of the cramp!

Next is the McDonalds hill. Everybody regroup at the R&R before attempting the climb. I did OK, climbing all the way and bombing down Genting Sempah with Mr. Chin. Half way down it started to drizzle and the descend feels like it will never end.

Reach the bottom, and we were greeted by clear sunny skies. Overall a great training ride for Interstate 09.

Max speed: 56.9, Time: 4h 8min, Distance: 99Km, Average speed: 24Km/h

LTdL 2009 Stage 5

Good thing I stopped and asked the security about the route because the riders are coming from the road going down instead of the normal road.

More photos at Flickr.



The athletes were amazing but was was more amazing is the fans who cycle up to watch the stage and then ride back in the hot afternoon sun. I salute them!

Hottest Day of 2009

Today must be the hottest day of 2009!


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From home to Centerpoint


Went to Batu Arang up north with PCC. At first I thought the ride is about 75KM but later was informed at Bt Arang regroup that it's 95KM! Ride back was a torture. It was super hot which made my heart rate to go higher than usual.

Many thanks to Vong and his friend with Power meter for leading our group from Batu Arang to Guthrie highway.

After Centerpoint I was alone, nobody to draft but somehow managed to ride at a steady pace but it was hard. This ride back reminds me of IS02 second day, super hot, no shade ride.

Max speed: 58.8KM/h, Duration: 4h 40m, Distance: 121.32KM, Average speed: 25.9KM/h

Puncak Alam Ride

Saturday I didn't feel like riding alone to Cyberjaya so I stayed in bed and SMS Vong for ride on Sunday because the latest PCC newsletter was not out.

On Sunday I joined PCC to Puncak Alam. I rode from home, going through Assuntha Hosp, Jln 222, Kg Tunku, SS24, Bikepro, Sprint highway, Centerpoint. 12KM.

Arrived at Centerpoint early so bought 100+ and a bun which turn out to be a good thing. Our regroup point for the day was roughly at KM 50 of 75! Imagine speeding through Guthrie highway, then climbing up hills in Puncak Alam all on 2 slice of bread and Milo!

Surprisingly I didn't bonk, thanks to the 100+ and the cloudy weather. If it was sunny for sure I'd bonked. Even after the regroup, my energy levels were up and I was speeding (by my standard!) to reach Centerpoint.

Max speed: 52.2, Time: 3h 40min, Distance 95.23KM, Average speed: 25.8

Note: GPS software crashed!

Genting Sempah - Kg Bkt Tinggi - Genting Sempah

Very low traffic at Genting Sempah today. The weather was cool with low clouds. Perfect day to ride from Genting Sempah to Bentong. The only problem is that I forgot to bring my spare tyre and tool kit.Then later I realized that I forgot to reset my trip meter, so half way up I decided this going to be photographic ride!




Since I was alone and not many cyclist today I decided to ride Kg Bkt Tinggi instead of Bentong for breakfast. As expected most of the shops are closed. Got chased by couple of dogs while surveying for veg pau shop!

No luck, have to eat bread. On my way back again I was chased by dogs. This time about 8 of them loitering across the road. I took the right lane because the dogs on the left lane look big and black in color! However the dog that end up chasing me was a cute white color one!



Went up the McDonald hill in super slow speed, descended safely to Genting Sempah around 9.20am.

PJ-Cyberjaya-PJ

Max speed: 47.6Km/h, Time: 2h 48m, Distance: 75.7Km, Average speed 26.9Km/h

Wow! Another improvement, shaved of 7 min off my previous time. Average speed increased by 0.9 Km/h. Its a surprise because I didn't feel like riding today.

The day started with me feeling not want to ride and after 1 hour of riding I thought of turning back. But I want to try my new setup...putting the stem to the normal low position. Glad to report the new position is working for me. Made me sit lower on the bike and improving my aerodynamics.


Cyberjaya - PJ

Next to improve is fatigue. Need to put down a constant power over a long period of time. I guess more long distance riding should improve this.

Some improvement using 53t

Again went for the home - Cyberjaya - home route. Try to paddle on the 53t as much as I can, previously even on small hills I would change down to 39t. I manage to shave 5 min off my previous time and increase my average speed by 1 km/h. Not bad, considering the weather was hotter than the previous ride.


Max speed: 46.8km/h, Time: 2h 55m, Distance:76.14Km, Average speed: 26km/h

New ride back

This week Tuesday night ride felt good. I was comfortable on the bike, stretched regularly on and off the bike. Next week I'm going to flip down the stem for more aero position.

On the way back from the ride, Mr.Chin &Mr. Vincent followed me on a slightly modified route. Mr. Chin lives in Pantai Hill Park while Mr. Vincent lives in Maxwell tower...very near to where I live.

Max speed: 59.3Km/h, Time: 1h 56m, Distance: 45.62 km, Average speed: 23.4km/h

27t ride

Bt14 - Genting Peras - Bukit Hantu - Bt14

Max speed: 60.2Km/h, Time: 2h 16m, Distance: 53Km, Average speed: 23.3Km/h

Not as painful as my previous ride, thanks to 27t at the back! :) Ride up to Bukit Hantu was still painful. I was doing 7-5 Km/h average. Imagine my speed if I was using 25t! Scary!

Chain Links

1) Follow Lance Armstrong on Twitter.

2) Get the latest satellite view of approaching rain and plan your ride. Very useful as you can see the size of the rain clouds and estimate their duration and direction.

3) Only 2 black guys in American pro cycling. One of then here. Jersey by Rock & Republic.

4) Team Columbia riding Scott road bikes for 2009

New Year Ride

Last time New Year means firework photography, now its 3 hour solo ride to Cyberjaya. The ride to my house to Cyberjaya was good but the return ride was so tiring.

Firstly my lower back starts to hurt. Probably because long time never ride continuously for 1 hr+. Secondly my energy level just plunge down after a short break in Cyberjaya (had soy bean drink). Thanks to the cloudy weather if not the return ride will be hard.

Looking back I think I didn't drink enough water. I was a bit blur than usual after the ride. On the new bike, my hands doesn't hurt, knee is good. I adjusted the saddle position so I hope the adjustment & more long distance ride can solve my back problem.

Time : 3hrs, Distance : 76.07KM, Average speed : 25.2KM/h, Max speed : 47.3KM/h