281110 Ride 4 Grace

I didn't hesitate one moment when Steven contacted me for his plans to ride from Penang to Kelang, Selangor. Moreover his brother Chan Leng was my classmate since 1972. We had known each other since the dinosaur period.

Advised him to use the trunk roads as the PLUS highway is out of bounds for cyclists. Plotted in my mind a rough route for him & he later made a round trip by car & recce the route a couple of weeks b4 the ride.

They started riding on 26 November (My 45th Birthday) but I was caught up with a lot of other things. It would have been a perfect birthday ride.

Frankly I celebrated my birthday with the family in KB & took the flight back to KL barely having enuff sleep before the ride. Asaari & Sungai was very kind to pick me up at the cheapo terminal & whizzed me back home. Hurriedly packed some clothes & hung 2 bikes on his car.
My tummy growled as the only thing I took was some light lunch. To perk-up my physique, I slurped a bowl of eel soup & gobbled up 2 plates of rice.

Ashaari was veering right to left & immediately I took over the wheel even though I was damn tired. Luckily I wasn't sleepy. Tailed a Saga & took a left turn to Sg. Sembilang, Jeram & lodged with them @ the Kapar Seaview Resort.

Hj Farid was caught by surprise. He didn't know that I knew Steven's & his plan coz I had told Steven to keep mum over my appearance. Not wanting to chat too much as we're gonna ride 2moro we slept like logs with Ashaari snoring & snorting like a baby piglet.



Early next mornin, we clicked like a band of long lost brothers & rode together. After the customary group photograph, we rode along the canals admiring the placid tranquility of the outskirts. We rendezvoused with Daniel Shee @ DShee in Kapar & the group single filed throughout the ride for safety reasons. As usual, I went ahead at times to video & photograph their antics.

We were given an unexpected rousing welcome @ Grace Home with nasi minyak to boot! Later we were treated with a sumptuous dinner & forced upstage with our blushed cheeks.




We rendezvoused with Daniel Shee @ DShee in Kapar




Hj. Farid with Cikgu Rodzi @ the back





Who are the guys -
Thay are your regular "Joe's" who share a passion for cycling and have come together for a cause. Seven (7) of them comprising Thommy Saw, Winfred Ng, Michael Yeoh, Tuan Haji Ahmad Faridun, Cikgu Mohd Rodzi, Jimmy Tan and Steven Heong rode on a mission to raise funds for Grace Home hence our theme "Ride for Grace". The ride took them through 3 states beginning from their home state of Penang (my home state too) and ending in Grace Home in Klang, Selangor.
They rode in the wee hours of the mornings sticking mostly to coastal trunk roads and rest during the afternoons. At the end of this ride, they have covered approx. a distance of 400km.
This ride is self funded and all donations and love offerings will go to Grace Home.
We hope that the funds we raise from this ride will help to provide the folks at Grace Home a place that they can truly call their own, permanently.



The vest says, Don't run the red lights or you'll be sorry! Aint the scribbling scary?




Jimmy brought along his baby girl




Sue, Ang, me & my old La Sallian classmate Chan Leng



"If you're doin something good - I'll give you the fullest support" quoted Cikgu Mohd Rodzi who hails from Teluk Kumbar, Penang. An avid rider who pedals around the island on almost every free day. Rodzi had earlier planned a similar leisure ride to KL but he decided to team up and share our mission.

The old & destitute made me ponder a while. We have too much and yet we forget about those in need. I'm glad that I made this ride with Steven & the gang. (Even though not all the way from Penang) A ride that left a lump in my throat & tears to my eyes...

It's a great feeling...
We rode together as one - regardless of colour & creed.


Pastor Roy with Steven

Penang - Kelang, Selangor

Google route

*2 days later, Hj. Farid & Cikgu Mohd Rodzi rode back to Kuala Kangsar & arrived @ his home at 2am in the pouring rain. They rolled non stop from KL to Kuala Kangsar & just took a short nap due to a heavy downpour 20km to the end.
Apparently, they were already delirious for the last 50km or so. That's hardcore!

Da Vid



Daniel Shee @ DShee, Ashaari & me. Tompang sekaki!

211110 HOA Gombak - Genting Sempah

Hospital Orang Asli (Orang Asli Centre), Gombak - Genting Sempah

Never over-row your boat beyond your ability a nite before a long hilly ride. I'll weaken your climb. Avoid allowing your partner to tickle you or you're just be looking for trouble. The Otai's like Wak Jali, Rahman, Rizal Single Speedo can vouch for that.

Ensure that you carbo-load humongously or you'll suffer like I did. Wak Jali, Baby, Dr. Taufiq & Sharul looped the Janda's trail. Instead of meeting-up with Mak Janda, I had to settle with some aunty in Genting Sempah.

Even 4 pieces of bread & 3 pieces of cheese couldn't help...


Me, Ashaari, Sungai, Baby, Wak Jali, Dr. Taufik, my clone & Shahrul

Route HOA-Janda Baik (The Janda's Trail)

Route via Google

Elevation


Asahaari & Sungai got lost OTW to HOA & looped with me to Genting Sempah. Later, both of them left the car & rode home to Sg. Buloh. I had to leave my car too. Not becoz I wanna rode back to Bangi - hell no!

Took the wrong key & padlocked the Kancil. Unknowingly I had took the spares & left the original keys @ home! Damn & double damn. Lucky for me, Wak Jali & Baby was still around. After lunch, we stuffed three (3) bikes into his sports car (Sorry Baby, u had to squeeze yourself on the back seat all the way home).

River boy, Sungai


Ashaari, Sungai & Ashaari's twin

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.