Subuh prayers in the foothills of Gombak & taking ablution with icy cold water. Waking up for subuh is the most difficult part. An ustaz says that when someone were awake and purposely didn't perform the subuh prayer, when he/she pulls the blanket, it is as if he/she is pulling the blanket which was made from pig's hides.
Wari, Zack, me, Apai, Suhaimi PPZ, Ayie, Azli, Ayie's dad, Acap
Wari, Zack, me, Suhaimi PPZ, Sham, Ayie, Daoh, Azli, Apai, Acap
That's settled & off we go to get ready. 3 sarong clad men assembling their rides, 1 had a puncture...yet again. My MAXXIS was available so whatdaya waiting for?...fix it! A bunch of rides arrived much much earlier to conquer the covered car lots, luckily for us we managed to pinch whatever was left.
Ark!! We scoured around for an extra pair of SIDI's but to no avail. Not even a cheapo rubber shoes? All were either barefooted or with plain Japs slippers. We bet Daoh to cycle up Sempah but he'll be kidding himself, he won't get past the monkeys!!! CROCS are for the wet market please...
The customary group shot after a simple breakfast & met up with some regulars, Kash & Hubby Rais. Got to know, must mention here 2 cute friends of Kash, ahem...took a deep breath, tucked in my belly & luckily my very expensive helmet was there, to hide my bald patch!
Started off on a steady note & Wari even had time to "Fweewiit" a few gurls lazing by the tar. 2 xtremely fast rides overtook us prompting Adik Acap, Ayie Nexus, Azli Langat & Wari to tailgate them. The rest were too busy making funny Three Stooges faces at the macaques. Zack Graphic waited for Sham but Apai, Suhaimi PPZ & myself got a bit bored & blasted off to a 23kph frenzy uphill. It proved costly as we were out of breath 2km from the peak but we did manage to zoom pass the 2 fast fellas who brushed our group earlier. He he...I believe they underestimated our capabilities.
Pix from Kash's blog > Thanx sis. I stitched it.
Zack Graphic appeared like a genie from a lamp post, huffing like a dragon without fire. "Wey...macam nak mampos kejor korang", kami pun macam nak mampos kejor Azli... There were roughly 40 odd riders at the top. Met some long lost riders, Rahim, Haji Rahim, Bahari, Arif, May Senn & many more. Some heading for Bentong. Kash's Bentong story here.
After some more minor steep climbs Janda Baik beckons. Andak Place jungle cafe was a sight to behold. Driving Directions > HERE. If the glutinous rice & fried salted fish was hard to resist, the fried rice was fabulous! Some had to to pay a visit to the bank.
7 out of 9 posed like a model wannabe by the river of Janda, not knowing that Sham & Apai got stuck in a loop. Sham's back tyre gave way, the zit got bigger than a boil. So it had to burst. No choice, Sham hitch hiked a lorry (apparently loaded for pigs, I dunno...maybe). One minute you're a cyclist another second you're a lorry attendant? Bike at the back with the animals. Halfway thru, he had to get down, the meat had to be sent to Bukit Tinggi or is it Bukit Pelandok?
Here we go again, the scar was 1 1/2 inch long. Don't whine, take a piece of RM1 note. RM5 better coz it's polymer, very plasticky & surely its stronger. Fold into fours - stuff it between the new tube & the scar, no need to sew. Pump the MF but not too hard. 80 psi or lower will do as long as the tyre will float beyond the rim. Hey, he made it back to base 30km away!
All the guys stopped by the chestnuts hawkers in Genting Sempah before the 400m climb, I went ahead with an elderly couple. The first half was ok but after the halfway mark I saw the two of them started to stand & puff hard. Controlled my emotions sat down all the way to the top, listening to Apai's breath on my back. Ok lah...
As we were enjoying the downhill, saw this dude cycling up at noon. Later it turns out to be Don Haider on his trusty touring bike. Apparently some bugger hit his ORCA the other day.
Kudos to Azli, Wari, Suhaimi & Ayie Nexus for their maiden ride here. Sham made the climb to Sempah 6 minutes less than the last. I know...& don't ask me why there are so many twist & turns & the end is sooooooooo far away. Theres no easy way to conquer a "Janda". Slow & steady, only the experienced knows her secret, ask the elderly ones like me...
