071110 Broga Loop-Hole

Sum ol' frens & sum new ones. Big ones, small ones...




Pick a tush & ring d extensions...

We were really looking forward for the Broga loop ride as there will be hundreds of riders ridin side by side. Moreover, certain areas are kind of dull & devoid of anything but eerie sounds of cicadas mating.

Like a dark cloud of swarming angry bees, we took off with such frenzy to a point that most of the others were out of breath. To make matters worse, the Semenyih dam was waitin to kill-off anyone who tried to conquer it.
Most had to succumb to muscle cramps, unused to the terrain & unsure of the route.





The clan took the usual steps & brushed it aside. This route has been our staple for the last few months & it was no big deal to us. At the junction of Batu 18 & foothills of Perez, we noticed blocks of riders turning back & quite a number already clinging to dear life lumped into dirt trucks.


With d Ipoh clan

Clicked with a few riders from Ipoh & reached the peak of Perez hounded with helpers handing out bananas. Arief can’t help but take a few customary shots here for this is the first time that he rode around this area.


Arief, Ashaari, Rahman EM & me


Arief's 1st. climb @ Perez, he didn't even blink!

We gobbled as much as we can & rolled down the near empty landscape.
Since we had climbed much of Perez, the roll-down was swift with sharp & hidden corners.


This fella fell, but made it thru the hellish route. Respect babe!

Smell of raw rubber stenches the air as we swiftly pounded the straights of Kuala Kelawang towards Jelebu. By now there were less than thirty (30) riders that we crossed path. It kept me wondering how so many others disappeared into thin air.

Took a breather at a petrol kiosk & left some more behind us as we rode towards the killer hills of Jeram Toi/Bukit Tangga. A bloke overtook me but succumbed to the torturous hill ahead. I knew it was a long climb but Arief & Ashaari hopped like a wild bunny up the incline.
I was doin 10-8-7 & at time 6 kph per hour but I persevered as I knew I'm mentally strong enuff to withstand it. Rahman EM was breathing hard behind my back and seem ages to the top. Alas! We were greeted with ice showers & more bananas.


Ice cool shower @ the peak

Fortunately that was the last hill but we need another miracle to finish the last 30km or so. I was already on my reserve tank. We turned from Pantai towards Mendum, Arief's tyre blew apart. Luckily each of us carried spares.

"I get really pissed when riding with someone without spares. To me they have no respect for the other person".

Pulled off the tubes & bang! Out of nowhere Rahman Ujang Brava appeared. Apparently he trailed behind some hundreds of invisible finishers & caught up with us. He helped Arief with the tubes as some other whipped lcrooked like the road-sign lookin like a beaten snake. They clamored towards the almost never ending twist & turns that blurred our minds.


D beaten snake climb with Rahman Ujang Brava givin a hand to Arief.

One fella who trailed us was wobbling left to right. What a sight. I sniggered as he cursed the moon, the stars & all the planets in the universe. Sniggering? I was lamenting at the last 20km to finish. Fortunately Mendum Hill is easier climbed from the reversed. If you ride to Mendum from Lenggeng, you're hell doomed!

From Lenggeng onwards, gears were at the lightest - spinning at every mile. The strong wind wasn't much help either - it just made the ending more dreadful.
On a high note, I had neither cramps nor mishaps. I'm very proud of Arief to have achieved so much without much training. Kids, can’t expect to match tem eh?

When we arrived in Nottingham Univ, there we only a few souls around & some workers tearing down the flag-off arch. There were no more lunch & to add insult...all medals promised to the finishers of the loop were all gone! WTF?

Don't tell me after all the grueling hills & overtaking a few hundred other cyclists there were nothing & no one left? We paid our entries didn't we?

Where are the marshals who are supposed to do their job? In a race, if u made a u turn, your numbers will be marked or torn-off. If we can't professional about this, don't act like one please.

One girl @ a desk even had the cheek to say..."Finish lah, what to do".

I came to know later that those who took a U turn & hitched a ride on the sweeper lorries were given medals. Even heard those who illegally entered the race got it!

"I WAS FAST ENUFF TO WIN A MEDAL but TOO SLOW AGAINST THE CHEATERS"



Some people would just go down so low, for a few measly bucks.
What a F***ed-up ending.



Broga loop race

Google route


Arief d young warrior with a "Borrowed medal"...enuff said

CIOCC bidding Chiao!



Meaning of tush - the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on. Your ass lah...

311010 Rodalink Putrajaya Grand Opening

On the dot I waited-up for the guys but all I could find was Rahman EM. We were supposed to ride to Nilai & do the 80km loop but then I remembered that Rodalink was doin a grand opening in Precinct 14 Putrajaya. I said let's go & everyone seems to agree.

Since it still too early for Rodalink to roll-up the rolling shutter, we decided unanimously to take the long way to Putrajaya via the hellish hills of Kampung Limau Manis.

Loads of cyclists were already at the gates of Rodalink upon our arrival. What luck. If we had gone to Nilai, we would have missed the free water bottles & bike jerseys. Arrived in the nick of time as the last 10 pieces were given away.

An old friend Hj. Mie of Tri-Paku

As the horns were blared signaling the Rodalink fun ride, we relinked with our usual clan members Rizal, Wak Jali, Baby, Syarul, Cikgu Hisyam & the usual recognizable faces. Tri-Paku led the noisy group around the beautiful scapes of Putrajaya. We did a 10km loop from Presint 14 & made a u turn @ the Jabatan Akauntan Negara - not forgettin a grouppo shot right in front of Perdana Putra.

Syarul caught-up with his long lost twin. The separation had made him bigger than his elder brother due to unchecked volume of bottle feeding.

Thank you Rodalink for the gifts, great discounts & friendly staff awaits you!

Rodalink Putrajaya No 22, Jalan Diplomatik Presint 15 Putrajaya.

People, check out Rodalink here.

Map: Unikeb-Kampung Limau Manis-Rodalink-Unikeb

Google route
Rodalink @ D&G points

ManCIOCC with his plastic pet giraffe.

23-241010 MAD Charity Ride, PJ - Keluang

Barely four months we were invited again to ride for another cause. All the loonies out there converged for the MAD (Make a Difference) ride where donations will be given to several charity homes around Keluang in hope that the donations will make a difference in their lives. It is also a chance for us to give back to the society and help them by lessening their burdens financially.

6.30am After a sumptuous breakfast (My usual breakfast would be 4 pcs of bread, 3 sheets of cheese, a mug of cereal & energy drink) I can last 50km on these.No odd rubbish like nasik lemak or anything spicy even though I'm a chili freak. For 3 days I'll absence my gut from the hot items.

7.30am The day started with an unusual morning exercise where I had worn a sarong. I knew that the TV3 guys would look for an eccentric figure & it just did the trick. Me & the sarong was later featured on TV3's Scoreboard midnight magazine.

Pak Berahim passin' by his office sweet office which sponsored his jersey

Flagged off from the lush Tropicana & exited thru the busting city traffic chocked in smoke! Not until we reached Dengkil then the intoxicating fumes ebbed. 50km later we were treated with buns minus the bunnies. Nevertheless, it was a sight for sore eyes.Refreshed with more isotonic water & rolled ahead.

Juliana so coy & cool

The pace was a usual steady 28kph as set by the organizer. It came to frenzy toward Salak & as I screamed to some of the rides to avoid the pebbles, I was hit! Wobbled steadily & 2 seconds the support car scooped up my rims & replaced them with another. By then, the pack had already left 1k ahead of me. Pushed hard to a 40kph & caught them at the Bandar Enstek junction - nearly out of breath.

Azmar, Aini & The threesome groupies.

From then, I hid myself between the swarm of skin-tights homo sapiens & let the flow pull me. Then came the crunch. Didn't feel much of a drag until we approached the famous piglet's home - "Bukit Pelandok". All of a sudden I had to put an extra effort to the peak.Whoa! The mechanic had fixed me an ancient Mavic wheels with stainless steel spokes. No wonder I was struggling like hell. It weighs a ton!

Alas, we reached Port Dickson & gobbled-up as much carbo as we could. Sol was almost up & takin a toll on the riders.

Next long stretch took us to the beautiful but windy Pengkalan Balak. The gale was so strong that it blew-off some of the parked bikes.Worse, those like me who rode on high profiles wheels. From the C50's to the ever boastful looking C88mm's suffered the most. I recalled Tuan Azhar, the Warrant Officer from Lumut veering to the left & right - trying to his best to avoid the ferocious gust.Me & Tuan raced forward & tucked ourselves between the bunch. Fuh, that's one cyclonic condition.

MAPLAY boys

It rained heavily after the short stop in Pengkalan Balak & I took the opportunity to test my new Sony waterproof camera. Captured the riders drenched to the bone, body bathed in the porous liquid, saliva mixed with sand & mud. It was all great from the beginning of the ride but as we reached the gates of A Formosa Resort, the camera went kaput!No matter what I did, it just wouldn’t work. The damn thing just seized-up & I gritted my teeth. Got into a fit & flew into purple rage. The thought of smashing the cam onto the hard cement was so tempting but after thinking that I had spent a fortune on it, I refrained from doin so. Hard earned cash was about to go down the drain.

In all I could only salvage 5 shots after extracting the images from a card recovery program. Some pix of the mornin exercise & shots of Pak Berahim donning his WD sponsored jersey ridin past his Western Digital plant in Kelana Jaya. All the other images & videos were corrupted. I frowned & sigh in displeasure of my misfortune....All the fun, sweat & tears washed by the frigid rain.

Wild wet & dirty, we soiled the carpet

We spend the night here before continuing on the second day, makin sure I had the usual Apple Vinegar & recovery drink to avoid cramps.

Not enuff vinegar, pity this fellow

The almost never ending AMJ ended with a pit stop 10km away from the original plan. The long straight stretch was just not tiring to the physique but made my eyes tired too. I hate highways. That's why I rarely ride The MAX, LEKAS or any highways for that matter. They bore me to death. Mind you, I'd rather do the 100km Bangi-Tekala-Perez-Bt18 loop or even the killer Broga. Ridin to Bentong is the horniest; you'll get pleasurably excited by the sound of the cicadas mating.

Linin' up is the most boring part.

One rider just couldn't control his bowel & had to "Let-go" by the banana trunk.

Thru Bakri, we came across some familiar places in Muar which is the best pod for "Mee Bandung". Overheard some lady-riders yapping about wanting to stop-over Yong Peng to shop for the ceramic/clay ornamental vases but were scoffed by the marshals. Lucky for the men, we zoomed past the shops with the dejected faces from the girls. Ha ha.The bunch got soaked again. The mushy socks were makin a squelching sound. It was uncomfortable for the feet but great for the head after the much dull but humid conditions.

Stalls selling "Dokong" fruits & coconut water drooled us but only after 95.7 km on the 2nda day that we stop for the deliciously cooked asam pedas & Masak Lemak Tempoyak (Fish cooked with coconut milk & fermented durians). I had 4 helpings of "Patin" & the fermented durian made us fart & belch like stuffed pigs. What a scene.While waitin for the rest of the guests to clean up the plates, Juliana & I decided to help the grocer to clean up his store. As Juliana swept the cement & I rearranged the turnips.

Juliana & me had to work to get food

I hooked to the main group as not to loose momentum but Keluang seems sooooooo faraway. The rolling hills didn't help either. We were pushin hard & nerve wrecking.

At the one hundred & thirty fifth kilometers (135km), the heard we ushered to a playground to feast & quench ourselves with red big melons.

Some eased themselves by the bushes as me the TV3 fellas went for a few rounds of kiddies-sliding. It was sheer fun. A big break from the monotonous cadence.

Che Din Kumis Hitam & me playing hide 'n' seek

Team MAPLAY & MAPEI roadie. Yazid - the tallest guy in the centre

25km later we regrouped again for the last time in Zenxin Organic Farm. Some of us took the opportunity to get drunk with the sourly Roselle drink. Others especially the MAPLAY boys were lazily lying on the benches & swings sucking up the beautiful surrounding view of the water fountain within the farm. Little boy Zul just couldn’t resist the temptation.

This young man is still a kid. Zul Lumut

Jack giving some tip of how not to get drunk from Roselle.

Wak Kamsani (Centre) & the troupe of Keluang

Some riders from Keluang led by Wak Kamsani led us to Keluang town. It was great to see Wak Kamsani & the gang. He recognized me eventhough 2 years ago we rode to Gunung Belumut.

Bedul, Hanafy & me congratulating one another. The reception, me again & Mr. Won

We were given a grand reception. Big bang of confetti’s sprinkled from the sky like colorful raindrops. Close to a thousand spectators from every corner of Keluang came out to see us. The carnival like atmosphere & boisterous crowd was so was ecstatic, we felt like some pros who had finished a race stage.
RM100 from every registered cyclist, were given to the charity homes as a contribution from the cyclists besides the contribution from various organizations. Miriam Home, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Anak-anak Yatim Damo, Che Luan Khor Haemodialysis Centre, Kelab Kiwanis Kluang Mandarin & to OKU Sembrong benefited from this.

I'm so elated when we were given to ride with the privileged few & do a little bit in helping the needy & displaced.

Stolling with cleats in Keluang Mall

After settling the certification ceremony, we met up with two female fans & had another cuppa-tea with MAPLAY the blokes.



Early next morning we had breakfast in Keluang KTM Station & chilled out with rest of the boys. The Lumut people invited me to ride in Pangkor & as they can't wait to see me there, especially arwah Hj. Isa - the traithlete. Allah loves him more & he left us barely a week before I could meet up with him again. AlFatihah. We will miss you Hj. Isa.


Zul, me, Rashin, Tuan Azhar havin a cuppa with the late Hj. Isa (Back facing camera).
Pak Berahim, Rashin, Bedul & arwah again (Xtreme right with aero-bar) featured in the ridin pix.

Back home, I remembered that I had left my blue sarong used during the mornin workout in Shahril's Malakoff's 4WD bound for Manjung. I wonder why...

Map - Tropicana Resort - Keluang, Johor

Google route

Thank you Yazid (MAPLAY Cycling Club), Juliana & some others for these pix, I ripped it off from your FBs. Without your pix, this tale will never be told...

*Moral of the story - As I have always carried a spare battery for the camera, one should also gat a spare SD card. Losing an entire images of the ride is like losing ones mind, hence - MAD