Before the ride

Broga Classic

2009-08-09T17:46:00.004+08:00

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!

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/malaysia/-broga/909124981318922145"&amp;amp;gt;08/09/2009 Broga Classic&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/malaysia/-broga"&amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Broga, Malaysia&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

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

2009-06-15T08:03:00.002+08:00

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

2009-06-10T11:34:00.002+08:00

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

2009-05-13T13:46:00.002+08:00

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

2009-05-08T07:47:00.004+08:00

Interstate 09 Day 1 Route (Not complete)

01/05/2009 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Seremban, Malaysia

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

Interstate 09 Day 2 Route

02/05/2009 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Gemas, Malaysia

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

Interstate 09 Day 3 Route (Truncated)

03/05/2009 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Melaka, Malaysia

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

Tired

2009-04-27T09:06:00.002+08:00

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

2009-04-20T09:08:00.003+08:00

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.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/malaysia/-petaling-jaya---putrajaya/527124005467976448"&amp;amp;gt;04/18/2009 Route&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/malaysia/-petaling-jaya---putrajaya"&amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Petaling Jaya - Putrajaya, Malaysia&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

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.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/malaysia/-bangi---pd/390124013979094467"&amp;amp;gt;04/19/2009 Route&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/malaysia/-bangi---pd"&amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Bangi - Pd, Malaysia&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Hulu Langat Ride & Food Poisoning

2009-04-13T10:05:00.003+08:00

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.

04/13/2009 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Hulu Langat, Malaysia

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

2009-04-05T20:42:00.000+08:00

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

PJ - Cyberjaya - PJ
Find more Bike Rides in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

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

2009-03-30T07:54:00.005+08:00

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.

Bangi - Lukut - Bangi
Find more Bike Rides in Bangi, Malaysia

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

2009-03-25T16:27:00.002+08:00

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

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/malaysia/-pj/976123794056298603"&amp;amp;gt;03/25/2009 Route&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/malaysia/-pj"&amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Pj, Malaysia&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

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

2009-03-23T12:08:00.003+08:00

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;
03/23/2009 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Gombak, Malaysia

Home to Kg Kuantan

2009-03-17T08:16:00.006+08:00

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 :-)

2009-03-13T09:06:00.003+08:00

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

2009-03-08T20:09:00.003+08:00

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

2009-03-01T20:38:00.003+08:00

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

2009-02-15T13:15:00.003+08:00

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

2009-02-08T18:07:00.004+08:00

Today must be the hottest day of 2009!

View Larger Map
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

2009-02-02T15:29:00.004+08:00

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

2009-01-27T18:59:00.006+08:00

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

2009-01-24T20:05:00.003+08:00

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

2009-01-18T14:56:00.002+08:00

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

2009-01-15T19:51:00.004+08:00

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

2009-01-11T20:35:00.003+08:00

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

2009-01-04T11:31:00.003+08:00

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

2009-01-01T18:27:00.004+08:00

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

Bt18 to Genting Peras on Scott CR1

2008-12-25T20:28:00.010+08:00

First ride report on my brand new Scott CR1 Team :))

Its been many months since I rode at Genting Peras so the fitness was a bit off. As expected I suffered a bit on the accent. Another reason for the suffering was due to the fact that I'm used to the gearing ratio on my mountain bike 32X26 compare to 39X25 on the CR1. I still need to ride in the Tuesday night ride or to Genting Sempah to find out whether there's any drop in speed. Oh! By the way, no speed data because my old bike meter & front light cannot be fitted to the large diameter handle bars, so need to buy new ones.

I really enjoyed the CR1 on the descents. It was steady and goes where you point it to go. Descending on the drops is fun.

The carbon frame soaks up bumps from the road expertly. I adjusted the handlebar, flipped the stem and moved the saddle forward to a comfortable position as possible. However I still feel I need to get a shorter stem.

More about the CR1 as the mileage adds up :)

Kitten at the coffee shop

Wet Wet Wet

2008-12-10T08:54:00.003+08:00

Because of rain and minor illness, I didn't ride much outside. So yesterday after the rain I went for the usual Tuesday club ride. 1KM from the regroup point its started to rain. I decided not to wait for the others as I was worried the rain will get heavy.

I took a shortcut to skip a hill but the rain caught be right before Sime Darby Convention Center. It was pouring. I had to take shelter in one of those rain shelter for motorcycles. After waiting for about 15 min the rain slowed down and I was able tp continue my ride home.

Riding in the rain is no fun but somehow I feel it distracts me from the pain so I think I was cycling a bit faster in some sections. :-)

Failed Genting Accent

2008-10-11T14:38:00.006+08:00

599 Meter (Altitude from 115 to 714 Meter)
Total ascent: 926 Meter, Total descent: 929 Meter

Happy Chicken

2008-09-29T13:19:00.002+08:00

I've been trying to be a vegetarian for a long time especially after my visit to India in 2006. 90% of the time in India I was eating vegetarian food and I love it.

Back home it's was difficult because mom is cooking and my workplace canteen servers lousy food.

So this time with the help of some people in the office I'm giving it a go and see how far I can maintain my new diet.

Tuesday Night Ride From UIA!

2008-09-24T19:37:00.013+08:00

I've been trying to do this for the last 2 month but every time something for sure goes wrong. It's either the GPS software acts up or me who didn't set the device properly.

This is not perfect either because I only realized that the GPS software was set to off at the traffic light near UIA PJ. This new software called Trail Explorer is better that Nokia's Sports Tracker because of the quality of the lock and the reliability.

With this new route I save about 20KM of fuel and I get back home around the same time as the old route via Jln Maarof.

Willful loss of the fitness

2008-09-17T15:20:00.002+08:00

"One of the biggest crimes in human performance is the willful loss of the fitness gains made during the course of the season; and it’s about time you stopped the cycle." ~ Chris Carmichael

Last Tuesday night ride was good but can be better. Can be better by cycling minimum twice a week....every week.

Strange Illness

2008-08-26T15:41:00.004+08:00

Well it's been ages since I last update this blog. I have been riding mostly the Tuesday Night ride after my usual gang decided not to ride! 1 guy sold his bike & another guy decided not to ride because he wan to concentrate in his studies! To each his own!

On July 17 I begin to experience pain on my left leg and when I went home from work I found my ankle has swollen! I don't know the cause. Long story short; visiting the doctor produce no result, so went to see a traditional Chinese doctor for a massage. It offer some relieve but still the same. My Mom helped massage my leg and this helped a bit.

After 1 month the swelling went down. Last Saturday I was in a 2 hour traffic jam in my manual shift car. The next day the same left side ankle was swollen. But this time without pain.

24 May 2008

2008-05-26T10:59:00.003+08:00

Went to Genting Sempah. Start riding at 8.00 AM. I rode alone & meet Shah on a mountain bike like me. turns out I meet him at the Zoo ride before!. Rode with him for a while and then decided to challenge my personal best time of 59 min.

Reached the top at 56 min, which is cool considering it's been a while since I rode here. Going down took 20 min +.

Ordered Milo ice and I was joined by Shah. Few minutes of small talk, I saw Dennis and Wilson on his way. About 10 AM + I rode the the usual gang again to Sempah. Legs did feel a bit tired but i begin to spin in the lowest gear and to my surprise I managed to catch Dennis 1 KM to the top.

He blew up trying to keep up with a tri- athlete but it doesn't matter...I caught Dennis!

Max speed: 49KM/h, Distance: 62.6KM, Time on Bike: 2h 56min, Average speed: 21.2KM/h

Broga, The Defeat

2008-05-11T16:49:00.005+08:00

No energy to go into the details. In summary we started at 8am from Bt 18>Peres>Titi>Jeram Toi (killer climb)>Lenggeng.

At Lenggeng is already 3.30PM and we have another 40 KM to go! Asmadi was having cramps and decided to hire a van back to Bt 18.

All I can say is that its a good decision because I don't think we could make it to our cars before dusk!

Max speed: 59km/h, Distance: 81.46Km, Time on the bike: 3h 57m 47s, Average speed: 20.6Km/h

Breakfast : RM 6
Lunch : RM 6
Tea : RM 3
Van : RM 20
Bruised Ego : .... Priceless!

08 May 2008

2008-05-08T07:53:00.002+08:00

I don't think I'll be joining the Malakoff charity ride. My fitness at the Tuesday night ride this week was down. I really don't know how a week earlier I feel great and the next week, I was struggling!

Even a day later I still feel tired and my back ache from that 1.30 hour ride. Yesterday I did some core muscle training just enough to get rid of the back pain.

I also notice my weight have increased by 1 kg thanks to peanut butter and weight training!

02 May 2008 Conqured

2008-05-02T12:01:00.003+08:00

Not sure if its Bukit hantu or Bukit Ampang but I managed to cycle up none stop after climbing Perez at a relaxed pace.

30 April 2008

2008-04-30T08:01:00.002+08:00

The unexpected happen on yesterdays Tuesday night ride. I managed to stay with group! After my poor performance on the last ride in Hulu Langat, I expected my lack of fitness to accompany me on the hills of Damansara yesterday.

This was not the case and I did some decent riding. So what went wrong in Hulu Langat? Maybe the distance before I hit the climb. The last good climb happened when I started from Bt 18 instead if Bt 14. Soon I will find out.

Btw I saw the Liège-Bastogne-Liège race. Totaly unbelieveable! These guys rode 200KM + and the last 20 Km they hit 10% gradient climb for 1500m and they can still attack! Now that is power!

26 April 2008 - The struggle to get back

2008-04-26T20:08:00.003+08:00

Went for a ride alone today. My last serious ride was like 1 month ago. With just the occasional session on the trainer in between, I have lost considerable amount of fitness.

Todays ride started from Bt 14 Hulu Langat. The plan was to ride to Perez then u turn to Semenyih dam and to Bt 14. I have never ridden the last bit and according to riding mates its tough.

I started alone from Bt 14 around 7.40am. When I was nearing Bt 18 town I was passed by NSC riders and their van. I drafted the van until they decided to stop 3KM from the junction to Peres. I rode solo again but not far because riders from PCC was in front.

The faster riders went fast in to the climb and I only managed to catch up with Wong or Vong (sorry mate!)and 2 ladies. In the climbs the 3 of them smoked me! The climb felt extra long and steep for my under trained legs. They just don't have the stamina.

At the BN signboard I rested alone and decided to turn back when Arif asked to join them. I decline as I know I'm not fit.

I entered the road to Bt 14 from the dam and I know I'm in trouble. Firstly it is steep continuous climb of 2 KM. Secondly my water bottle is bone dry. The climb is exposed with little shade. I was struggling and have to stop couple of times even while using my granny ring and the lowest gear at the back.

So you can imagine my delight when the road finally points downwards and its 3 KM of normal road back to Bt 14 town.

Max speed: 52.5 KMh, Distance: 52.86KM, Time: 2h 46m, Average speed: 21.1KMh

16 April 2007

2008-04-16T20:55:00.002+08:00

Training have started for the ride with Malakof. Monday I just spin around trying to condition my leg. Today it's interval and my legs was feeling much better than they did on Monday.

Virtual training partner!

14 April 2008

2008-04-14T16:11:00.001+08:00

My body is aching from not cycling and lifting weights. I need a proper training time table.

PCC Interstate 2008 Kajang-Bahau-Kuala Rompin-Kuantan

2008-03-31T20:23:00.002+08:00

PCC Interstate 2008 Kajang-Bahau-Kuala Rompin-Kuantan

Open for registration now. I booked my seat!

20 March 2008

2008-03-21T19:43:00.005+08:00

Not a good week health wise. Stomach upset almost everyday. The day before work sucked too but today it was great because it's public holiday!

Woke up early to meet Wilson & Hasmadee in Hulu Langat. Arrived there at 0740. Got down from the car and notice my house key on top of the car! Luckily it didn't fall because nobody at home!

Then my stomach started to act up and I decided to go for it. looking around Bt 18 town, I didn't find any suitable place to do my business. Then I saw the bt 18 police station behind me. I went in and there's nobody inside. The place is almost empty except for a police radio. Went in into a not so nice toilet beside the lockup and did my business in record time! :)

After the Genting Perez climb we went to Sungai Congkak recreation area for some delicious nasi lemak. Nasi lemak shop coordinates N3 12.558 E101 50.578

Contrasting Weekend

2008-02-24T20:30:00.002+08:00

This week is the opposite of last weekend.
Monday: Weights
Tuesday: 26Km cycling
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Jogging on the treadmill 3Km
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 68Km cycling
Sunday: Macro shooting

16 February 2008 Treadmill!!!

2008-02-16T21:57:00.003+08:00

Hopped on the the new condo treadmill today. This is my first attempt at running after about 10 years. The main incentive is the heart rate function.

Pity the stationary bike don't have HRM, but it has the normal cycle computer. I use it for a while but it started to make noise. Disappointed I moved to the recumbent bike. I was not satisfied because couldn't go faster than 18 KM/H! So next I move to the treadmill.

I did 2KM in 30 min. Feel pretty proud of myself until I found out the norm is 3 miles or 4.8 KM in 30 min! I have to run constant 10 KM/H to achieve that! Today I was running at 6Km/H @ 6ºincline (183bpm ♥) before I hit the cool down button.

13 February 2008 Return to the Hills

2008-02-13T07:55:00.003+08:00

After many months of not joining the Tuesday night ride, I went yesterday, bringing along my GPS.

It's an all guy affair, minus Arif. The first hill was tough as usually and I managed to stay behind Patrick's wheel. I reckon I can climb faster but not knowing the real condition of my fitness I decided to take it easy. A wise decision because on the second hill I thought I shit myself! On subsequent hills the suffering continues.

The good news; my riding times remained about the same. :)

Brain music: Kutty Pisase from 'Kaalai' & Ennai Thedi from Vijay TV serial 'Kadaillika Neramillai'.

19 January 2008 Hulu Langat

2008-01-19T20:20:00.000+08:00

Going up. The above data from Nokia Sports Tracker, the graph dosen't look smooth. *read update below

Finally figured out how to display Nokia Sports Tracker data in Garmin Training Center. More on that later.

Today I went to Hulu Langat again. Another solo ride but I was joined by Yin who I met during the Fraser Hill ride. He was not riding. He was mapping a training route around Semenyih area for pre Fraser Hill ride in March.

The ride was tougher that last week's because I didn't do any training this week. When I reach the climb my legs went noodles but I I was determined to make it. The climb is not tough as Genting Sempah, it's just your legs are not fresh when you hit the climb.

Today I stayed in the middle ring and keep off from the last & second last cog at at the back. Halfway couple of pros overtook me! They were firing on all cylinders! Their cadence seems to be a lot higher. Amazing.

Reached the Jelebu/Selangor border and Yin arrived a few minutes later. He decided to be my support car for the journey down to Bt 18 town. We had drinks at Bt 18 town as I forgot to have my snack before cycling down the hill.

There's a loop on Google Earth above because I took a wrong turn and have to detour. Looks like from the image I should have went ahead and take the bridge to join my normal route.

Bike meter says;

Max speed:49KM/H, Distance:58.2KM, Riding time:2H 20Min, Average speed:24.9 KM/H

Going down. Data from Garmin XT

*Update; since Nokia Sports Tracker logs at 1 sec interval it will have more data compared to Garmin XT (4 sec) which makes the graph look bunched up. I have to filter the points by 4 sec or more in Mapsource to make the graph look smooth in Training Center.

16 January 2008

2008-01-16T09:38:00.000+08:00

It started to rain as soon as I got out of my front door. I waited for a 10 minutes and then decided to stay home. It probably didn't rain in Taman Tun and the Tuesday night ride would have went on as schedule. Will try next week.

So this week I managed to fix the data transfer error between Garmin XT and Mapsource. I format my phone! I did backup my data using Nokia software but it didn't backup my data in the card! After re-installation the Garmin applications works.

Another problem I notice was the GPX format in Nokia Sports Tracker program. It doesn't put the actual speed in the tag. It writes the speed information without a tag. This is why every time I convert the data the speed is all wrong! Emailed the developers. So for now Nokia Sports Tracker is no good if you want to download your training data and display it on Garmin Training Center. However I'll still use it to do non- workout tracking for geotagging my photos since the application is lightweight compare to Garmin XT.

11 January 2008 Hulu Langat

2008-01-11T09:34:00.000+08:00

Went to Hulu Langat alone after couple of weeks of no activity. This is my second ride, the first with PCC. this time it feels 'easier'. It took me 1hr 18 min to reach the Selangor-N.Sembilan border. If you start the climb at 8.30am you get to see magnificent view of the mountain range. The valley below was covered in mist and the mountains in the distance looks like snow capped with their tip covered in clouds.

The let down of the trip is my Garmin GPS software crashed when I reach home. All the data gone! I have to reinstall the program and upgraded to a newer version( XX.XX.60). So far the performance is good. Better and faster lock... indoors!

I've been emailing Klaus Bechtold of GPSies.com for him to include Nokia Sport Tracker GPX files in his converter so that I can view the ride detail in Garmin Training Center. Please visit his site.

Genting Sempah track

2007-12-29T19:48:00.000+08:00

This is where I spend most of my Saturday mornings.

23-12-07

2007-12-23T15:02:00.000+08:00

What a packed weekend.

Thursday went to Bukit Gasing train. Saturday to Genting Sempah and lost my GPS receiver! :), and Sunday went to Sg. Sendat ride with PCC with my newly bought GPS receiver!

Easy ride but I managed to fall down 4-5 times..all pilot error except for the last one where a rider stopped suddenly in front of me. Almost fell again on the road coming back. So embarrassing! :)

After one of the fall, I checked my phone and there was no life! On the phone and everything worked slowly but later it operate normally. The Nokia sports tracker have crashed but managed to save the data. So the above image is from combining 2 data, before and after the crash.

KKB to Fraser Hill

2007-12-16T14:24:00.000+08:00

The ride is almost as same as the ride to Genting Sempah. The difference is in the last 10 to 5 KM where the temperature drops and the gradient gets steeper.

When we arrived at the GAP house it started to rain, then it stopped and it started again while we were having lunch at Fraser Hill.

Since the ride took more that what we expected, we decided to brave the rain, and head down the hill. The temperature was 21°C and the wind was freezing. After 5km of decent my rear brake pads were worn out.

Overall a good ride with nice sceneries and English architecture(& weather!).

Max Speed:61KM\H, Distance:78.70KM, Riding time:3Hrs 51Min, Average speed: 20.5KM\H

Do not ride

2007-12-07T09:52:00.000+08:00

Do not ride after donating blood at least for 24hrs. After 5 mins my heart already pumps like crazy and I decided to stop after 30 mins. I was dismantling the bike from the trainer when suddenly I felt weak and dizzy. I quickly sat down and took deep breathe.

The last time I felt like this was when I came back from swimming. Not sure if that was after donating blood.

Presidential Ride 2007

2007-11-19T09:28:00.000+08:00

Weekend was spent riding up to Genting Sempah on my full suspension. Everything feels slower on this bike.

Sunday it's Presidential ride. 1st loop was OK. Crashed less that 15 min of starting because and idiot bang into my handlebar. Second loop I was suffering. Regret didn't take extra water for my rehydration salt because feels like a cramp coming. At one point I have no more water and the weather was hot. Had my big crash on the second loop. My front tire stuck on a rut and I fell on my side taking some skin off my arm.

At check point 2 I managed to refill, take care of my arm and fill my bottle with rehydration salt. On to check point 3. Here I managed to do OK on the downhills but still have to walk down many sections because I have no confidence and getting tired. the uphills also OK but it's faster to walk up then bike up.

3KM before check point 3 I bump into Patrick, my ride buddy from Klang. He's the marshal for the event I think. So glad to see check point 3. I thought I went over the cutoff time but I didn't. Happy to get my 3rd sticker within the cutoff time as that's my target I set for myself at the starting line.

After that I decided to take the Chicken (escape) loop to the start/finish area. I was thinking the chicken loop will be short but it was an energy sapping 18KM through estates, road, housing area and even a couple of tunnels! My body badly want to stop but I have no choice. Push push push.

Reached my car at 1.45PM feeling hungry, tired and blur! I waited for the lucky draw but I was feeling so tired and with my back aching, I decided to go back. 1 hour later I was enjoying a hot meal on a comfortable chair.

10 November 2007

2007-11-10T18:04:00.000+08:00

One more week for the Presidential ride and my tires have not touched any dirt since...since...wah very long already! Couple with the fact that I don't have much pedal time with clipless pedal on dirt, I am scared!

With no dirt ride organized by PCC this month, its very difficult to get any training. So the most I can do is do hill training on my full suspension bike, climbing Gasing hill. The rain have stopped so it's time to go riding and burn some Raya & Deepavali fat.

**Update; Wow! My yleg turn to jelly while attempting to clinb the hill for the second time. Not enough recovery period. Going to try again tonight.

21 October 2007

2007-10-21T21:45:00.000+08:00

Saturday ride was to Genting Sempah only as we had a guy joining us after 2 years of not riding. At around kilometer 10, Wilson called me and said he and the new friend is not continuing! I forgot I'm on clipless and forgot to unclip when stopping to attend to Wilson's call. Thanks God I set the pedal tension to the lowest and managed to bail out on time. But the bike fell! Ouch!

My ride didn't feel good. It feels like a longer ride. A bit disappointed that I cannot catch or follow closely with Dennis and Hon Wai after my 'fast' night ride. I timed 56 min to reach Genting Sempah from Orang Asli hospital. So this will be my benchmark for my next ride to Genting Sempah.

17 October 2007

2007-10-17T20:17:00.000+08:00

Today I wash my cycling cloves. I don't know when was the last time I wash them! Thinking about replacing them with full finger gloves. Not a bad since I registered for the PCC Presidential Ride 2007...I need all the protection!

Yesterdays night ride was great. I was able to keep up with the main group and even pass some of the regulars on the hills. Beside hill training in Peres & Genting Sempah, one of the contributing factor in to this improvement is my switch from flat to clipless pedal. I can spin like a mad man without worrying about my feet coming off the pedal.

Max speed: 59KM/H, Distance: 26.31KM, Actual ride time:1h 9m, Average speed:22KM/H

Comparing above statistic with my 21 August ride, I improved by 3 min only! So disappointing. But compare to my first ride on 7 August it's 14 min improvement.

14 October 2007

2007-10-14T14:18:00.000+08:00

Today I joined PPC road ride..my first time. I'm beginning to get frustrated with PCC mountain bike division for organizing rides in far away places which takes 50+KM drive just to get to the trail.

Today's ride started with a 25KM drive to Hulu Langat. From there it's to Genting Peres and to a town called Titi. Almost half of us decided to turn back after climbing Genting Peres...holiday mood mah! The ride was something like Genting Sempah but with short steep climbs. The first 15KM is flat with some rolling hills.

Max speed:53.5KM/H, Distance:55KM, Total riding time:2h 8m, Average speed:25.7KM/H
Really fast pace!

Today also I tried out riding on a clipless pedal. I took me 2 days to get the setup right and when I use it today, there were minimum problem. some of my right leg toes went a bit numb but nothing too serious. :)

08 October 2007

2007-10-08T08:59:00.000+08:00

Last week was crap! The only thing that I did was my work related tasks. Personal life zero! Thursday I suppose to fix my little heart problem but end up working till 9PM.

Weekend sucked too. No riding. Didn't do most of the stuff that I supposed to do. But on Sunday I managed to ride for 1 hr on my trainer. 2 sets of 3-2-1 interval is all that I can do instead of my regular 4 sets. But the good news is no more irregular heartbeat.

Thinking about getting a new cell phone to upgrade my existing one and to document my cycling. Options are Nokia N73 or N80. No more Sony Ericsson for me. If you beginning to see photos in this blog, it means I got a new camera phone. :-)

3 October 2007

2007-10-03T20:13:00.000+08:00

Today I can only cycle on the stationery bicycle for 20 min. It was super hot in my air-con-less gym and I'm experiencing irregular heart beat since Sunday! Plan to work the old heart again tomorrow and see if there's any improvement or not!

29 September 2007

2007-09-29T21:36:00.000+08:00

Today I went to Genting Sempah with Wilson Bak, Hon Wai, Dennis and Ronald. I can see improvement in my performance this week. On Tuesday I arrived early at the regroup point for the Tuesday night ride and able to keep the fast riders within visual range. The climbs still hurts like mad but I'm shaving some time.

Back to todays ride...the climb feels a bit short but I feel giddy after stopping to wait for other riders. At the McDonald's climb I have to use granny ring on the first part of the climb so I will target this as an area to improve. Another thing I have to monitor is my cadence. Sometimes I turn around less than 80 RPM which tax my legs.

Max Speed:53.5Km/H, Distance:49.22KM, Actual riding time :2h 26m, Average speed:20KM/H

Interstate 07 Day 3

2007-09-22T15:41:00.000+08:00

So it's day 3. Everybody have to be punctual as we will be crossing the Penang bridge. The first for recreational cyclist according to the organizers.

The day started with me locking Wilson's bike in side the room while taking out my bike with the room card inside! I'm smart!

The pace to the Penang bridge was fast and ride on the bridge feels even faster because of the wind. The day was cloudy and wet. After crossing the bridge we were divert to Queensbay Mall to feast on local 'kuih'. After what feels like an eternity wandering aimless there, we were off for our first climb of two. Then it rained a little.

The climb was OK and there's no scary descending involved. I meet up with Mr. Lee and was chatting with him when we were again diverted to a hall for another 'makan fest'.
Again after a loooong wait for the VIP we were served fish curry with rice.

Then we were off for the second climb. The biggest hill awaits us. I was following Mr.Lee for a while and then half way decided to power on. I have to say I didn't suffer much on the climb. It was steep at the bottom but easy out at the top. At the top I was passed bu Mr. Shamsuddin from the yesterday. Decided to stay with him and follow him through the descent. The descent was fun and dangerous at the same time. My knee was out Moto GP style!

After that it's coastal road riding to the hotel. We arrived at 1:20PM with a lot of people waiting outside. Late checkout! So we went to Anandha Bhavan for lunch, watch a girl in really short shorts washing her bike. Dinner was great and I got a floor pump from the lucky draw. I always wanted one!

Overall it's the best vacation I ever had, and it was super fun. No doubt I'll join next year's ride if I can.

Max speed: 51KM/H, Distance: 82.62KM, Time:3h 52min, Average speed:21.3KM/H

22 September 2007

2007-09-22T15:28:00.000+08:00

Today I meet up with Wilson in Puchong. I cycled from PJ. The idea is to go to Putrajaya but since the rest didn't show up, we decided to ride to Cyberjaya.

I don't if it's my big gear interval training or the Genting Sempah ride but I'm now able to turn in big gears. The lack of headwinds also helped I'm sure. Puchong on Saturday is hell for cyclist. People like to overtake you and take a turn in front of you. Forcing you to hit the brake real hard. One lorry driver did it and bang into a motorcyclist in front of me today.

Back to the big gear, 10KM from home my bike chain started to autoshift. Have to check on that.

Max speed:55.5, Distance:68.33KM, Time:2hr 42min, Average speed: 25.2KM/H

15 September 2007

2007-09-15T19:39:00.000+08:00

Today I followed Wilson Bak who I got to know from the Interstate ride to Genting Sempah. Later we meet up with Danny who I meet in Interstate with two of his friend. So the 5 of us climbed the legendary Genting Sempah. It's about 16 to 20 KM of continuous climb to the top. Pure torture because there's no opportunity to recover.

After reaching the top Danny suggested we got to Bukit Tinggi for Wan Tan noodles. No big deal, it's all pleasant downhill. What goes down must come up in cycling so the ride back was all uphill. Again the torture continues. I brought water for 20KM only so I was thirsty halfway. My throat feels sore since yesterday and today after the ride I feel like I'm having cold. I did stop about 3 times while climbing back because I feel there's no more power in my legs.

After the climb it's all downhill. Can be dangerous because the road is used by lorries that uses both lanes. We reach our cars around 12:30. No ride data because my bike computer is dead!.

09 August 2007

2007-09-09T19:35:00.000+08:00

Today I did something like a time trial. Big gear pedaling as fast as I can. Started to see stars after 15min! Cannot sustain it so it became interval training with very short recovery period, did it for 45min.

I notice my lower tummy a bit leaner from sideway. The effect of cycling 365KM in 3 days. Super!

Interstate Day 2

2007-09-09T14:58:00.000+08:00

Woke up feeling rested and minus the back pain the night before. Today we are heading to Bukit Mertajam 130KM. It was a mass ride towards the main road from the hotel. I was with the main group for about 5 KM and then bang everybody started to pedal furiously. I was doing 30KM and I know I cannot continue at that speed so early in the ride so I backed off and went behind a guy who was doing 27KM/H. My speed. Followed him for a while and we caught up with the guy who I cycle with yesterday...the triathlete.

We stopped for our breakfast at small warung in a small village. Me, triathlete and Mr.Tee was about to pay for our food when the warung owner told us our meal was paid by one of the villagers patronizing the stall. After shaking hands with everybody as a sign of gratitude we were off. The pace was slow and I suspect my ride mates trying to keep their leg fresh for tomorrow's big climb.

We came to the first dimple as describe in the ride profile but it looks more like a wall. Very steep, but thanks to my mountain gears at the back I was able to climb it without pushing. Coming off the hill I shifted to the big gear in front and my chain came out. After fixing the chain I found out my ride mates were off without me!

I began cycling 30KM/H + to catch them. It suck to ride alone. After 15 to 20 min I managed to come up to their back wheel. Todays ride littered with rolling hills but we have to cycle fast because it's getting hot.

Second break at a roti parata stall that don't have ice. Surprised to see faster riders here. Had 1 parata and large bottle of water to fill my Camelbak because there's not much stall after this. Mixed re-hydration salt too because of the hot weather.

After more that enough rest we were off to miles of exposed palm oil estates in rolling hills. Mr. Tee was in front about 500m spinning like helicopter while the triathlete was behind me. I was cycling to my limit in the hot Sun trying to catch Mr. Tee. I have to stop for a minute in the shade to rest before a hill because of the hot sun. Saw Mr. Tee do the same thing after climbing that hill.

Just as I was about to catch him, he slowed down and head for a small stall. Lots of people there seeking refuge from the hot Sun. I didn't eat anything just drinks.

The cycling continues and we dropped the triathelete again but Wilson decided to ride with us. We passed by Hindu temple and houses for estate workers. Mr. Tee decided to slow down which puzzles me because is not that hot anymore. Later he pointed out at the sky ahead of us. A storm was brewing ahead and Mr.Tee and Wilson want to take shelter while I want to continue as it's about 20KM to the hotel. So all three of us decided to continue and upon reaching Kulim industrial area it was raining so heavy. Visibility was less that 50m. Wilson behind us hopped on a support car, while me and Mr. Tee took shelter in a guardhouse. We were greeted by Siti and her cycling partner and we were joined by Mr.Shamsudin.

We waited almost 1hr + for the rain to stop and then we continue. It was cold and wet and feels like a long way to cycle because we pass through lots of traffic lights and small towns. Mr. Shamsudin rode very fast that me and Mr.Tee decided to have our meal at a food court before arriving at the hotel. 1 wan tan mee sup, 1 dry wan tan mee and 1 hot Milo. Heaven!

Arrived at the hotel about 4.30PM and found out Wilson and Hon Wai are my room mates. Today's arrangement is quad sharing!

Max speed: 57KM/H, Distance: 136KM, Time on the bike: 5h 50m, Average speed: 23KM/H

5 August 2007

2007-09-07T15:33:00.000+08:00

My first training after the Interstate 07. Don't what I'm training for. For stamina sake I guess. There must be some benefits from riding 365KM over a period of 3 days, so I don't want to lose it. Might as well continue to train and exceed my current level.

I rode for 1 hour in harder gear that I did before IS and I was surprised that I can maintained for a long time. So I set my target to be able to spin in harder intensity for long period of time.

Interstate 2007 Day 1

2007-09-05T21:37:00.000+08:00

My PCC Interstate ride 2007 started off at around 6.00AM where we have to load our baggage to the lorry and wait for further instructions. At about 6.45AM we were off to Taiping from Ipoh town. It was a bit dark and chilly. By the sun came up we were in the outskirts of the town. I was trying to catch up with Big Mac and The Star writer but they where pedaling at a constant speed. After few traffic lights I lost them and end up riding by myself, entering beautiful farm land and rubber estates. It was all covered mist.

Then I decided to ride with a guy who is doing about the same speed as me. We started talking and I thought we can ride together till the end. Then the first problem of my ride happened. It was minor problem but it was irritating. I usually ride in the middle ring but some how the front derailure cage started to rub against the chain. I don't want to hear the rubbing sound for the next 130KM so I decided to fix it. This is where I lost my "riding partner".

As I was trying to fix the problem (actually I don't know what I was doing because it's been ages since I adjusted the front derailure), one of the support car stopped few meters in front of me. So kind of them to stop for me. As I figured I cannot solve the problem I decided not to waste time (mine and the support car driver) and continue the ride in the big chain ring.

As I decided to go I was passed by Mr. Lee who was friendly to ask if everything was OK. I rode up to him and end up riding with him till the end of day 1. We stopped at a small shop around kilometer 40 for breakfast. The earlier group all the delicious food and left us with instant noodles and 100+. I had 100+, mineral water and a Gronola bar.

We continued to the next stopping point and I ate rojak and 100+ and some plain water. When we continue we have to climb and there were some rolling hills. We passed the German guy in a recumbent and some strong girls on mountain bikes. I learned a lot from riding behind Mr. Lee. To rest your legs a while after a moderate effort, relaxing your arm and hands at regular interval.

Next stop is some old town at kilometer 118. I had mixed rice and 100+. I saw a cyclist with prosthetic lower legs having a break there. He's riding with a different group. When we continued, we faced a huge climb at Changkat Jering. Legs were a bit tired but other that that it was no problem climbing it. After that huge climb, it's time for a great downhill. I was going 40+KM\H when a motorcyclist came beside me and start chatting with me!

The rest of the ride was flat till 10KM from the finish. We have to ride through the famous Taiping Lake Garden and some housing estates to reach the hotel.

I accidentally reset my bike computer but I remembered it's about 6 hr+ spent on the bike, with average speed above 22+KM/h. Arrived at 2.30PM.

29 August 2007

2007-08-29T21:39:00.000+08:00

2 more days to Interstate 2007!

I did 3-2-1 Interval training for 50 mins. Before that I was trying to take out a pedal from my full suspension bike so that I can fix it to my IS bike but the pedal won't move a bit! So frustrating. looks like I have to visit the bike shop before going to Ipoh tomorrow evening.

Thats it for now. Will update after I come back from the ride. Wish me luck. ;-)

28 August 2007

2007-08-28T22:50:00.000+08:00

Tonight went to McDonalds Centerpoint to collect Interstate07 ride kit. The direction handout or tulips as they call it have KM and turn directions. Looks like we have to constantly look at the bike meter and compare it against the tulip. Can stop and pretend to be looking at the tulip for direction when you're in fact taking a break! Ace!

The jersey color is OK but the material is more like football jersey.

Jersey got my picture summore!

Plan to hop on the bike tomorrow. 2 more days of training and I'm off to Interstate 2007!

26 August 2007

2007-08-26T18:13:00.000+08:00

Whoo Hoo! I did my first century today!

Max speed:46.5KM/h, Distance:100.73KM, Time 4h 08 min, Average speed:24.4KM/h

It started off like my regular ride PJ to UPM but I added Cyberjaya (like last week) and Putrajaya and back to Puchong, PJ. At Bukit Jalil my normal route have been closed to make may for some run. End up climbing some hill in that area and wasting my energy. I was riding without any sense of direction and was thinking of going back home because I slept late yesterday and don't feel that good. However I end up at Bukit Jalil again and the sea of people that flood the roads few minutes earlier, disappeared. Back to regular schedule!

Around UPM I notice my speed was a bit slow compare to my previous time. I experienced headwinds from UPM till the end of the ride which slowed my speed. I have to stop a lot too and that I think is the effect of the headwind, sore back and distance. I hate headwinds, made the ride miserable. 10KM from my house I notice my left foot keep coming off the pedal. Found out it kind of stuck, not spinning properly.

Tested my re-hydration salts (taste like medicine) and my new shorter stem. I think the salt works and managed to keep off the cramps. Maybe I need 2 sachets per ride just in case. The stem is OK but the numbness of the finger is still there.

24 August 2007

2007-08-24T22:08:00.000+08:00

No training for the last 2 days and when I finally hop on the saddle today I only did 45 min on the stationery bike. 2 days of rest made lazy but my legs still remembers how to pedal. 30 min interval, 15 min easy spin.

21 August 2007

2007-08-21T23:24:00.000+08:00

Body sore from yesterday's workout but I did the PCC night ride. The hills still burn my legs but I was not very far from the main pack. My slow buddy didn't turn up today so this gave me the incentive to try stay close to the fast guys so that I don't get lost. However I managed to take the correct route without much problem so riding alone should not be a problem.

Max Speed: 60KM/h (Cool! Face close to the handle bar going downhill), Dst:26.57KM, Time:1h12min, Av speed:22.0KM/h.

I notice salt on my face after the ride which is a reminder for me to get re-hydration salts for the ride by this week. Going to test it for the weekend ride.

20 August 2007

2007-08-20T21:10:00.000+08:00

Today I did or should I say attempt to do strength training as featured in Bicycling.com’s website. Bicycling magazine’s Selene Yeager is one fit chick! I cannot complete all the routine that have arm exercise in them which is sad! My arms were like noodles when I did the push-up and have to complete two sets with my knee down. So sad! Cannot do sit-ups as well as my left rib still hurts.

There's one good news though, no discomfort from my left shoulder from the slight shoulder separation I suffered in June. :)

Right now I"m recovering from slight cold that should have no effect on my training this week.

19 August 2007

2007-08-19T14:29:00.000+08:00

Went to Cyberjaya and got lost there for 20 min. Wasted energy trying to figure out way to Puchong from Cyberjaya. The road signs were not helpful, all leading to Putrajaya and Dengkil. Talking about energy, I did consume 1 Soy drink, 1 Coke and 2 Gnonala bar and 3 litters of water for the whole trip and I didn't feel too hungry when I reach home like the last ride.

Mxs:47.0 Km/h, Dst: 79.91KM, Time : 3h 9min, Av Speed : 25.4Km/h. There, the statistic in more friendly format! :) Expected to do 50 KM only but happy with today's distance. My problem with pinched nerve (handlebar palsy) on my right hand came back although I tried to relax and move my hand often. Going to insert some sponge into my gloves and see if there's any improvement in the next ride.

18 August 2007

2007-08-18T20:28:00.000+08:00

Recovery ride for 30 min on the trainer. Taking it easy for tomorrow's ride.

17 August 2007

2007-08-17T21:19:00.000+08:00

Today it's Interval training again. This time 2 songs at hard effort and 1 song for rest. Did it on a stationery bike for 1 hour. Just my luck, all my hard effort songs were long and sentimental songs while rest songs were short "kuthu" songs! Sweet justice on the last song which was short (Pattiyal-Kannai Vittu).

16 August 2007

2007-08-16T19:16:00.000+08:00

Rest. My left hand fingers still numb. My left ribs still hurts. Hopefully all body parts working in good condition by the time for the IS07 ride. It's nice to have a rest day. Don't feel cold after taking shower. Not sleeping after 11.30PM. Not getting up in the middle of the night to go to the loo. And not being in a cranky mood the next day.

15 August 2007

2007-08-15T19:10:00.000+08:00

Today I did 5 min high gear fast cadence followed by 5 min 1 gear lower high cadence training. Adopted from bicycling mag's tip on training to ride fast century. My legs still feels OK after the training. Either I'm getting stronger or the intensity is low. Going to push harder next week.

14 August 2007

2007-08-14T20:36:00.000+08:00

Did 321 Interval today. Like all beginning of the week training, this one feels good but can't tell for sure. I have to do it on a stationery bike like I usually do to tell if there's any improvement.

After training I reached for my recovery drink...Chocolate milk and notice the packaging all puffed up! The the seal started to give way and the milk slowly leaked out. Milk gone sour!

Cannot top the Diet Coke bomb

13 August 2007

2007-08-13T20:13:00.000+08:00

Rest. My pinky still a bit numb but better that yesterday. Woke up feeling thirsty and hungry even though I ate a lot yesterday. Don't know how I'm going to survive in IS with being away from home and all. Need planning, have to stock on water and food in hotel room to replenish glycogen in body.

http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_15_3_2.htm

12 August 2007

2007-08-12T20:12:00.000+08:00

Planned to join the PCC road ride but didn't get reply from the organizer when I asked if a newbie can join the ride without getting lost.(I'm not familiar with the roads) So I said podah! And design my own ride. The usual Kelang Lama>Bkt Jalil>UPM then I added Puchong>Kelang Lama via LDP. The ride in Puchong needs the most concentration. Lots of left hand exits. There's one where a car stopped on my side as he cannot cut in front of me. Have to slow down fast with back wheel sliding. Idiots. Follow my monkey ass la next time. Then in PJ another idiot in motorcycle cut in front of me while I was slowing down at a T-light. I gave him a look at the stop. I think he got the message! :) Then the idiot speed off before the light turn green!

Ran out of water in Puchong and felt drained out. Have to pack some salts and work on my back muscles. My right hand fingers also feel very week. No strength to unbuckle my hydration pack oso! Mxs:46.5, Dst:48.16, Tm:1hr52min, Avs:25.6. Average speed was higher than my usual because I didn't count the time at T-lights and breaks. Fair la.

10 August 2007

2007-08-10T20:11:00.000+08:00

1hr 30min steady riding with couple of 90 rpm+ 1min big gear efforts.

9 August 2007

2007-08-09T20:10:00.000+08:00

Rest

8 August 2007

2007-08-08T20:09:00.000+08:00

Rode 45 min indoor at home.

7 August 2007

2007-08-07T20:08:00.000+08:00

PCC Tuesday nite hill climbs. Can feel improvements on the hills. Mxs:59.5, Dst:25.12KM, Tm:1hr23min, Avs 18. Crashed near home after getting the front wheel in to the drain cover again! Bruised ribs and skin missing from left knee.

6 August 2007

2007-08-06T20:07:00.000+08:00

Weight training. Amazing how much strength I've lost in this couple of months.

5 August 2007

2007-08-04T20:07:00.000+08:00

Suppose to ride alone to UPM but CKF message he want ride also, so decided to join the PCC ride from MTDC to Sepang. Both of us cannot find the place so end up in PJ. We rode to UPM but CKF was very slow..I have to wait for him at every major junction. First I thought he's being lazy. I was partially true! Haha! His bike was heavy from the tires and fork. With all the waiting we still manage to wrap it up in 1hr 55min. Would have done much faster without all the waiting. An improvement. Mxs:46.5, Dst:34KM, TM:1hr 55min, Avs:17.9

4 August 2007

2007-08-04T20:06:00.000+08:00

45 min of 321 interval.

3 August 2007

2007-08-04T08:05:00.000+08:00

It rained for 1 hour , 3 hours before the Friday ride and the ride was cancelled! What the hell? I thought this ppl all tough?!

2 August 2007

2007-08-03T08:04:00.000+08:00

Feeling tired so no training. Nice to take my bath early and rest my legs.

1 August 2007

2007-08-02T11:06:00.000+08:00

Interval training. Bought Nature Valley Granola bars. Hard to bite because they are hard and dry but taste good.

31 July 2007

2007-08-01T11:05:00.000+08:00

Went for PCC Tuesday nite ride. Here's the stat but I didn't on the cyclecomp for the first 10 min.Mxs:56.5, Dst:19.5KM, Tm: 1hr 1min, Avs:19. Good ride with crazy monkey hills around Sri Hartamas housing estate. Had Egg parata after the ride and talked about the coming IS ride. Coming back home i was stopped at a police road block, probaby because of my bike inside the car. The police can ask who's bike is that? Of course mine Inspektor sar! Haiyooo haiyo!

30 July 2007

2007-07-30T23:02:00.000+08:00

Gastric juice attack! Should have eaten more after yesterday's ride. Have to pay attention to what I eat from now on.

29 July 2007

2007-07-30T11:00:00.000+08:00

It started to rain at 6:30am. CKF SMS at 6 to cancel the ride. Very fast to SMS when canceling a ride that guy! I SMS the ride leaders and was told there's no ride because the ground will be too soft! What a bunch of Nancys! So back home surfing the web at 7am I came across some thing important...another set of nude pic of Sophie Howard! Ops! Thant and a diet recommendation by Chris Carmichael. According to the diet I'm eating too much. He recommends normal food with emphasis on food with lots of fiber and protein. The heavy stuffs only comes when you are on the bike. Later that evening I went on a ride from PJ old town > Jln Kelang Lama > Bukit Jalil >Sri Kembangan and back. TM:1h 40min including the T-lights and short stop at the half way point for canned soy drink. Avs :19, Mxs :48.5, Dst: 31KM. It was a fast ride, amazing how muck speed you can gain by dropping your suspension fork and knobby tires. My bike not a virgin anymore, had a crash 2km after starting! A car cross in front of me, braked hard and turned left. I have to brake hard too and i didn't notice a manhole cover with gaps wider that my tire. Front tire went it and got tucked. Luckily it happened at low speed.

29 July 2007

2007-07-29T23:00:00.000+08:00

28 July 2007

2007-07-29T10:59:00.000+08:00

On the trainer again but this time I can only do about 1 hour. No energy. Looks like I'm going backwards. Plus the thought of tomorrow's ride made me lazier.

27 July 2007

2007-07-28T10:55:00.000+08:00

Went to Bikepro to pick up my bike. Bike looks sweet. I thought of joining the Friday nite road ride but it was canceled so went I went home.

26 July 2007

2007-07-27T10:53:00.000+08:00

Didn't feel like training on the stationery bike so I dusted my trainer and hop on it for 1h 50min. Bike's saddle really hurting my butt. I think the main challenge of the IS ride would be saddle sore.

25 July 2007

2007-07-25T22:51:00.000+08:00

Today its interval training where I cycle at medium cadence for 3 min the medium hard for 2 min then hard for 1 min. Rest for 6 min. Did that for 1 hour.