Sunday 17 October 2010 - The Ride Round The Island
To say that I'm not excited is an understatement. I was hypo, but not over the moon as Arief or Ashaari. 10 months back I did the round island under the Malakoff Interstate Last Day & New Year Ride banner & so? I'm just excited to be back in Penang.
Sprung out of bed @ 5am & after a light breakfast. We arrived @ the City Hall around 6am & already the parking bays are taken. Looped the Light & King Street & got a spot within Penang Street. 250 meters away from the commotion near the padang, I spread the prayer mat & solat subuh by the five foot way.
The pounding loudspeakers made us agitated & right on the dot @ 7am, the brass band blared goodbye to the riders as the old clock tower in Gurney Drive ding-donged 7 times, we rolled towards Weld Quay.
It was sun seaside & surf all the way till Queen's Bay until we got caught up with a local council bus which was belching diesel black smoke. Pulled back & let it go. I hate the suffocating diesel fumes.
The Balik Pulau flat stretched was a welcomed sight. Clung with a group of riders from Butterworth & sped 35ers.
This will be the 2nd time this year riding round island after the Malakoff Interstate on 1st January. The organizers skipped the hellish steep hills of Jalan Paya Terubong - Jalan Tun Sardon (A short cut to Balik Pulau town), as it could prove fatal to the physique of some.
Never the less, from Jalan Teluk Kumbar thru Jalan Balik Pulau, the long stretch of Kampung Genting Dalam wrecked the inexperienced.
Me & the boys took it with stride & just rode like we used to. Of course, Arief being a young & impatient boy, left us behind.This will be the 2nd time this year riding round island after the Malakoff Interstate on 1st January.
The organinizers skipped the hellish steep hills of Jalan Paya Terubong - Jalan Tun Sardon (A short cut to Balik Pulau town), as it could prove fatal to the physique of some. Never the less, from Jalan Teluk Kumbar thru Jalan Balik Pulau, the long stretch of Kampung Genting Dalam wrecked the inexperienced. Me & the boys took it with stride & just rode like we used to. Of course, Arief being a young & impatient boy, left us behind.
Arief, me, Ashaari & Hanafy
After hitting 45km, Arief kept telling me that this was nothing for him. He wasn't feeling the slightest bit tired. Good boy for listening to his daddy. For this ride he clocked 2-3 hours on the rollers every day.
Then again, a boy is just a boy, ever so eager to try-out something new. As a father, I'm glad he's following his grandfather's footsteps or more like his fathers cadence.
Yeah, his grand daddy would be proud of his grandson, for he was once a cyclist who roamed the Malayan roads during his youth. He had a posse too, riding beaches of Pantai Remis to the prairies & rain trees of Taiping.
I rather see him puffing up the hills & than some others who would just puff away their lives.
Kids nowadays needs a father figure & the correct guide. You'll be trouble if they hang around the bad hats.
One rider rode too close for comfort & slipped down the ravine 5 meters below. Luckily there were some bushes that broke his fall. Nothin broken, except his pride. Some light bruises with a little nose-bleed.
me, Hanafy, Ashaari & my twin was there too.
Hanafy enjoying the cool breeze slapping his over-burned red cheeks.
On how I wish, I wish I could be this guy. Having 4 mistresses caressing you. Seeing all the girls around, I think he is faking his cramps...
This year's event had two categories of rides; 1) Fun ride; 20 Km from Esplanade via Jalan Kelawai passing through Kelawai, then along Jalan Tanjong Tokong before looping into EO housing project at the Island Plaza and finally back to Esplanade. The round island route was longer than last year route as we looped around Pulau Betong, instead of turning into Jalan Sungai Nipah and out to Jalan Bahru, We detoured to Pulau Betong and looped around at Pulau Betong Mosque to join Jalan Bahru.
This was truly a road round Penang island ride. Distance noted on the Cateye was 84 km.
My young hero
Friends from Ipoh & Eijall
Map - Round island of Penang
Google route
To say that I'm not excited is an understatement. I was hypo, but not over the moon as Arief or Ashaari. 10 months back I did the round island under the Malakoff Interstate Last Day & New Year Ride banner & so? I'm just excited to be back in Penang.
Sprung out of bed @ 5am & after a light breakfast. We arrived @ the City Hall around 6am & already the parking bays are taken. Looped the Light & King Street & got a spot within Penang Street. 250 meters away from the commotion near the padang, I spread the prayer mat & solat subuh by the five foot way.
The pounding loudspeakers made us agitated & right on the dot @ 7am, the brass band blared goodbye to the riders as the old clock tower in Gurney Drive ding-donged 7 times, we rolled towards Weld Quay.
It was sun seaside & surf all the way till Queen's Bay until we got caught up with a local council bus which was belching diesel black smoke. Pulled back & let it go. I hate the suffocating diesel fumes.
The Balik Pulau flat stretched was a welcomed sight. Clung with a group of riders from Butterworth & sped 35ers.
This will be the 2nd time this year riding round island after the Malakoff Interstate on 1st January. The organizers skipped the hellish steep hills of Jalan Paya Terubong - Jalan Tun Sardon (A short cut to Balik Pulau town), as it could prove fatal to the physique of some.
Never the less, from Jalan Teluk Kumbar thru Jalan Balik Pulau, the long stretch of Kampung Genting Dalam wrecked the inexperienced.
Me & the boys took it with stride & just rode like we used to. Of course, Arief being a young & impatient boy, left us behind.This will be the 2nd time this year riding round island after the Malakoff Interstate on 1st January.
The organinizers skipped the hellish steep hills of Jalan Paya Terubong - Jalan Tun Sardon (A short cut to Balik Pulau town), as it could prove fatal to the physique of some. Never the less, from Jalan Teluk Kumbar thru Jalan Balik Pulau, the long stretch of Kampung Genting Dalam wrecked the inexperienced. Me & the boys took it with stride & just rode like we used to. Of course, Arief being a young & impatient boy, left us behind.
Arief, me, Ashaari & Hanafy
After hitting 45km, Arief kept telling me that this was nothing for him. He wasn't feeling the slightest bit tired. Good boy for listening to his daddy. For this ride he clocked 2-3 hours on the rollers every day.
Then again, a boy is just a boy, ever so eager to try-out something new. As a father, I'm glad he's following his grandfather's footsteps or more like his fathers cadence.
Yeah, his grand daddy would be proud of his grandson, for he was once a cyclist who roamed the Malayan roads during his youth. He had a posse too, riding beaches of Pantai Remis to the prairies & rain trees of Taiping.
I rather see him puffing up the hills & than some others who would just puff away their lives.
Kids nowadays needs a father figure & the correct guide. You'll be trouble if they hang around the bad hats.
One rider rode too close for comfort & slipped down the ravine 5 meters below. Luckily there were some bushes that broke his fall. Nothin broken, except his pride. Some light bruises with a little nose-bleed.
me, Hanafy, Ashaari & my twin was there too.
Hanafy enjoying the cool breeze slapping his over-burned red cheeks.
On how I wish, I wish I could be this guy. Having 4 mistresses caressing you. Seeing all the girls around, I think he is faking his cramps...
This year's event had two categories of rides; 1) Fun ride; 20 Km from Esplanade via Jalan Kelawai passing through Kelawai, then along Jalan Tanjong Tokong before looping into EO housing project at the Island Plaza and finally back to Esplanade. The round island route was longer than last year route as we looped around Pulau Betong, instead of turning into Jalan Sungai Nipah and out to Jalan Bahru, We detoured to Pulau Betong and looped around at Pulau Betong Mosque to join Jalan Bahru.
This was truly a road round Penang island ride. Distance noted on the Cateye was 84 km.
My young hero
Friends from Ipoh & Eijall
Map - Round island of Penang
Google route
