Monthly Archives: December 2017

The romantic view of Cameron Highlands consists of rolling tea plantations and Tudor-style bungalows.

The R@SKLs dispensed with romanticism, opting instead for athleticism.

Graphic courtesy of Darul Ridzuan Cycling Club

Most of us had left it too late to register for this event.  Only Tomoe and Danial had signed up before registration was closed.  Eight of us decided to ride “with” Tomoe and Danial.  I say “with” because we would be with them in spirit only.  We would see them once as they raced past us, and not again until after the finish.

There are four ways to get to Cameron Highlands.  From the south via Tapah, from the south-east via a newer road from Raub, from the east coast via Gua Musang, and from the west via Simpang Pulai, on the outskirts of Ipoh.

My only previous ride to Cameron Highlands was in 2013.  I rode along the older road from Tapah through Ringlet, Tanah Rata and Brinchang.

This event started in Simpang Pulai.  We convoyed to the Hotel Pulai on Saturday evening.  The weather enroute did not look promising.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We all hoped that we would not have a repeat of our rain-filled Southern Thailand experience.

One doesn’t visit Ipoh without eating.  Nga choy kai (beansprout chicken) is at the top of many foodie lists of must-eats in Ipoh.  Restoran Ayam Tauke on Jalan Guntong has a deserved reputation for excellent nga choy kai and sar hor fun (flat rice noodles).

Waiting for our food.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

While we were waiting, Simon went to a restaurant a few doors away and brought back appetizers.  Chicken lor bak (chicken and vegetables rolled in thin bean curd skins and deep-fried), fried wantan (dumplings), and boiled and fried yong tau foo (stuffed bean curd).

Simon had to leave a deposit to ensure that he brought the empty dishes back to the other restaurant.

The main attractions.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Ipoh’s taugeh (bean sprouts) are the king of bean sprouts in Malaysia. Thanks to the abundance of hard water from the limestone hills surrounding the Kinta Valley, bean sprouts that grow here are crunchy and succulent.

Not sated by the nga choy kai, we then sat down at the restaurant where Simon had procured our appetizers.  The wan tan and lor bak were finished, so we had wing beans fried in chilli garlic oil, pork noodles, and beef soup.

Surprisingly, after that huge dinner – wait, I take that back.  I am talking about the R@SKLs here.

Unsurprisingly, despite the huge dinner, we wanted breakfast at 6.00am.  Which was delayed slightly, because as we waited outside the hotel for everyone to gather, one of CK’s inner tubes exploded.

Repairs made, we rode across Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah to Restoran Sun Kee Hin.

Photograph courtesy of Muhammad Sulaiman Jamaluddin

After noodles, coffee and tea, Tomoe and Danial rode the 4km / 2.5mi to the race start at the Symphony Suites Hotel.  They would start racing at 7.30am.

The eight of us ghost riders headed back across Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah to the A181, and upward to Cameron Highlands.

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

The Simpang Pulai route is preferred by cyclists over the Tapah route because the road surface is better, and the shoulders are wider.

As I said earlier, we didn’t actually ride with Tomoe and Danial.  We were on the road at 6.50am.  I think we perplexed a woman standing expectantly by the roadside, waiting to cheer on a boyfriend or husband.  A pair of police motorcycle had roared past her a minute or two earlier.  That is the usual signal that the race leaders are approaching.  But instead of next seeing a fast-moving peloton sweeping by, she was confronted with the sight of a group of shall we say mature men, riding at less than race pace.

Despite the forty minute headstart, the leading riders, and then Tomoe and Danial caught up with us after 20km / 12.5mi.  This was all we saw of them until the finish.

Photograph courtesy of Muhammad Sulaiman Jamaluddin

The rest of us santai-ed (relaxed) our way up the road.

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

Photograph courtesy of Muhammad Sulaiman Jamaluddin

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

We had a pair of support vehicles stocked with water, 100-Plus, bananas and biscuits.  Shelby took excellent photographs.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

She was in a car driven by Chew’s wife Alicia

Photograph courtesy of Muhammad Sulaiman Janmaluddin

Man provided sterling roadside repair support from the other vehicle tracking us.

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

We stopped a number of times to regroup.  At 30km / 19mi we had a longer stop to get drinks and bananas.

That Basso Diamante is a sweet-looking bike.

Not long after we got going again we had the second, and last, flat of the day.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

At 45km / 30mi we came to the second water stop for the race participants.  There was a nice view over the valley, and the road we had just ridden up.

I think the road branching up and curving to the left goes to a large farm.  The road looks rideable, but we weren’t about to try it on this day.

2.5km / 1.5mi later we crossed the border from the state of Perak into the state of Pahang.  Along the way we rode through a 355 meter / 1,130 foot rock shed, built to shield the road from mud and rock slides.

The border is marked by a large sign on the side of the hill.  Tomoe and Danial had ridden to the finish 7km / 4mi further up the road, and come back down to this point well before the rest of us go there.

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

We rolled over the undulating terrain to the finish, which ended with a 75 meter / 246 foot kick over the final 2km / 1mi.  Simon’s brand-new bike had been christened with a major climb.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

The weather had occasionally looked threatening, but the rain never came.  The cloud cover kept things cool during our ascent.

Photograph courtesy of Shelby Lim

Everyone made it up the climb.  Arthur had a message for the R@SKLs who didn’t ride with us.

“I’m here.  Where are you?”

Photograph courtesy of Muhammad Sulaiman Jamaluddin

The rain did catch some of us on the way down.  By mid-descent the sun had come out again, and it was hot for the last 15km / 10mi.  It was 21° C / 70° F at the summit, and 36° C / 97° F at the hotel when we got back there.

A cold shower was just the ticket.  The receptionist at the Hotel Pulai was very nice, and she let us check out after 3.00pm without extra charge.  At RM80 / USD20 per night for a double room, basic but clean and comfortable, and bicycle friendly, the Hotel Pulai was an excellent choice.

Everyone was starving.  Nasi kandar is another Ipoh favourite.  It is so named from the time when nasi (rice) hawkers would move from place to place with a kandar pole on one shoulder, balancing large containers of rice meals hanging from either end of the pole.

Kedai Kopi Yong Suan is famous for their nasi kandar.  Nicknamed nasi ganja.  It is said that the rice is so delicious that it is as addictive as ganja (cannabis or marijuana).

We went there.  It was a somewhat underwhelming meal.  Admittedly we were late, so most of the food was finished.  The usual selection of side dishes had been reduced to just two:  fried chicken and salted egg.

As the saying goes, beggars can’t be choosers.  The final blow was that by the time we had finished our meal, the chendol man, who was outside when we got to the restaurant, had sold out, packed up and gone home.

Some of us went looking for more food.  Some of us hit the highway back to KL.  Arthur and Simon opted for some pampering before heading home.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

The wisest choice!

Photograph courtesy of Anandu Vinod on Unsplash

Day 4 dawned in the same way as Days 1, 2, and 3 did.  I was beginning to wonder if Songkran, the Thai New Year’s festival, had arrived early.  That holiday is known for its water festival, which the Thais celebrate like this.

We had spent three days being constantly doused with water.  Day 4 would be no different.

13 of us rode to Padang Besar.  Heng Keng took over the duties of the Chief Support Officer in the van accompanying us.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Our train to KL was scheduled to depart Padang Besar at 3.43pm.  We figured we needed about 2.5 hours to clear Immigration and Customs, get cleaned up, pack our bikes in the van, and get something to eat.

We left the hotel, in torrential rain, at about 8.15am.  That gave us about 4 hours of riding time to cover 58km / 38mi if we were going to get to Padang Besar in time to catch our train.

Map courtesy of Ride With GPS

The first flat tire of the day came within 4km / 2.5mi.  It wasn’t going to be a good day for Danial.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

The rain had eased off a bit by the time we got going again.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Our next unplanned stop came after 8.5km / 5mi.  A railway line cuts diagonally across Kanjanavanich Road, at about a 45° angle.  Railway lines always pose a hazard to cyclists.

The ideal approach is to cross the tracks as close as possible to a 90° angle, thus minimizing the possibility of getting a tire stuck in the grooves between rails and tarmac.  Wet rails are slippery, so it is important to roll straight over them, without braking or turning as you are doing so.

I was the first to get to the tracks, followed by Danial and Johan S.  I was lined up to cross the tracks at an angle less than 90°, but offset enough from the rails to roll over safely.

Then I saw the potholes in the tarmac just before the rails.  I swerved to avoid the potholes, and skidded on the rails.  I don’t know how I stayed upright, but I did.

Danial and Johan S. were not so lucky.  Johan S. was unscathed, but Danial scraped an elbow, ripping his rain jacket sleeve in the process.  He also snapped the Boa cable on his right shoe.  Fortunately for both guys, the vehicles behind avoided them as they lay on the road.

As we were attending to Danial’s elbow, and jury-rigging a repair for his shoe, a motorcyclist skidded on the tracks and fell.  I suspect those tracks claimed many more victims.

The same railway line cut back across Kanjanavanich Road again 19km / 12mi later.  Having learnt from experience, we crossed very carefully, and without incident.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

When we crossed the second set of tracks, we had been out in the elements for about two hours.  It was time to look for a bathroom and some nourishment.  Our support van driver told us that there was a 7 Eleven a few kilometers up the road.  That would do nicely.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

We ended up not getting much from the 7 Eleven.  Alfred found a banana fritter stall on the side street beside the 7-Eleven.  That is what is in the bag I am holding.  Hot, crispy, sesame seed-coated, and delicious.

TH found a chicken rice shop a few doors down from the 7-Eleven.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Tasty chicken rice and hot chicken soup was just the ticket.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

The 7-Eleven did come in useful.  There was a standpipe outside.  We rinsed a lot of sand and grit off our bikes and ourselves at that standpipe.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Strike three for Danial happened just before the right turn toward Padang Besar.  Flat tire number two for him.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

This is our support van driver, sensibly sheltering from the rain under the rear door of the van.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

It was 13km / 8mi from the junction toward Padang Besar to the border crossing.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

We were back in Malaysia.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of AiLin Lim

We had come full circle over four wet, but fun-filled, days.  About 375km / 233mi in all.

Map courtesy of Ride With GPS

When I mapped the ride to Padang Besar, it looked like we would have a 5km / 3mi ride from the border crossing to the train station.  I asked an Immigration officer if there was a shorter way to the station.

“Yes” he said.  “Across the pedestrian bridge that runs from behind the cafe over there.”

The cafe had bathrooms, and perhaps more importantly, a hose.  We had picked up yet more sand and grit since we rinsed ourselves off at the 7-Eleven.  Another rinse was mandatory.

The pedestrian bridge took us over the railway tracks and straight into the station.  Our bike transport van was waiting for us in the car park, as was our support van.  The support van had been detained at Malaysian Customs.  They wanted to scan all our bags.  Arthur persuaded them to let the van through without us all having to backtrack to Customs to claim our bags and feed them through the scanner.

It had taken us 4 hours to ride to Padang Besar, despite the unanticipated stops.  We had plenty of time to change out of our soaking cycling kit, pack our bikes into the van which would haul them back to KL, and get something to eat at the station’s self-service restaurant.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

There was one last bit of drama at the station.  TH had lost his ticket.  And the ticket office computer system was down.  Our train was also fully-booked, which added another complication to the mix.  It took a while to sort out, with tension levels rising as our departure time approached.

TH eventually got his replacement ticket, and we were able to relax on the platform while our train was being cleaned prior to departure.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

We were somewhat quieter on the return journey that we had been four days earlier on the way to Padang Besar.

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

I think this sums up the situation . . .

The damage to the track in KL was supposed to be rectified by the day of our return.  KL must have had the same weather we encountered in Thailand, because the repairs would not be completed until the coming Sunday.

So we had another MRT ride to end our 4 day jaunt through Southern Thailand.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Graphic courtesy of bitmoji

to everyone for their team spirit team and camaraderie.  We rode through some lovely countryside, had a lot of laughs, ate well, and had a very enjoyable time overall.

Khun Metharin is moving her century ride to Hat Yai in 2018.  Mark your calendars!

Postscript

Our bicycles arrived bang on time on Wednesday at Pegasus Cycles.  That is the good news.

The bad news is that four days of consistently wet and gritty conditions wreaked havoc on bottom bracket bearings.  So many of us had rough or seized BBs that Pegasus Cycles ran out of replacement bearings.

A valid excuse to buy some new bicycle stuff!

14 of us would be riding to Hat Yai on Day 3.

Tomoe and Tommy were already back in KL.  TH had hopped into a taxi to Hat Yai after the SICR on Day 2.  Luanne, Leonard, and Kiam Woon would be driving back to KL.  Ralf and Voon Kiat would be riding back to Padang Besar, and then driving to Penang to catch their flight to Hong Kong.

Some of the Hat Yai bound R@SKLs were awake when it stopped raining at 6.30am.  WhatsApp messages started pinging around the group.  There was a common thought.  It would be nice to ride for as long as possible before it started raining again.

Those who were awake came down early to breakfast.  We decided to start cycling to Hat Yai at 8.00am, instead of the previously agreed 9.30am.  We then had to wake up the rest, so that they could get ready in time.  We got hold everyone but Arthur, who was not answering his mobile.

Arthur appeared at breakfast at about 7.45am.  It had started raining again by then.  We eventually got going at 8.30am.  We left Arthur to take his time over his coffee, and to ride in the support van to Hat Yai.

We had our first flat tire of the day within 12km / 7.5mi of heading out into the rain.  It wouldn’t be the last.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

The clouds teased us by looking like they would blow away and leave us riding under clear skies, only for more rain clouds to appear above us.

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

Another stop to attend to a flat tire meant that it took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to cover 28km / 17mi.  All that stopping and starting wore us out.  We needed a rest and a snack.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

The weather showed no sign of improving.  If anything, it looked like we would ride into heavier rain as we left the Krua Chaiyasit restaurant.

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

Flat tire number 3 came after 40km / 25mi of wet riding.  That presented an opportunity to grab a 100 Plus out of the support van.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

While we were dealing with punctures, Ralf and Voon Kiat were riding through the border crossing on their way back to Padang Besar.

Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat

Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat

With Luanne, Leonard and Kiam Woon following along in Kiam Woon’s van.

Photograph courtesy of Luanne Sieh

Ralf and Voon Kiat had the harder ride on this day.  They had to get over the Wang Kelian climb.

Our ride to Hat Yai was a leisurely one.  By 12.30pm we had covered 60km / 37mi.  That is about 15km / 9mi per hour.

So we didn’t need a rest, but we did need lunch and a bathroom.

The Transformer restaurant was a quirky place, decorated with vintage scooters, motorcycles, licence plates, etc.

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

The restaurant obviously gets its name from this sculpture at the entrance.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

After lunch we decided to skip a visit to Songkhla Lake, and to take the shorter, more direct route into Hat Yai.  In case you are wondering, it was still drizzling.

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

The rain got heavier as we rode along Phet Kasem Road for 35km / 22mi.  The road surface was poor in places, so we were all glad to hit the outskirts of Hat Yai.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

At that point we needed help negotiating the last few kilometers to The Bed Hotel in Hat Yai.  Arthur was doing sterling service as our Chief Support Officer, working with the driver to guide us along the busy city streets.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Despite the best efforts of the van driver, in admittedly chaotic traffic, we had a mixup in directions.  I am embarrassed that I lost my cool at that point.

While I thought we were lost, we were in fact meters away from our hotel,  So all ended well.

The first thing we had to do upon arriving at the hotel was to rinse ourselves and our bikes off.  We had ridden every kilometer over the three days in the rain, but the roads on Day 3 were particularly sandy.  We were covered in grit.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

While everyone else was playing with the hose, Pai and I dripped all over the lobby floor as we checked the group into the hotel.  The staff were unfazed.  Someone got a mop and cleaned up behind us.  No fuss at all.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

We had some time to burn before dinner.  It was still raining, so we got the staff to open the hotel bar for us.  TH supplied the drinks, and tunes via his Bluetooth speaker, and the group provided the high spirits and laughter.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

The rain was still coming down at dinner time.  So plans to go farther afield for food were shelved in favour of going to the food court across the road from the hotel.  It was a good choice.  The fried chicken was excellent, as were the oyster omelettes, grilled vegetables, steamed fish, and multiple packs of mango sticky rice.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

At the end of Day 3 we had another 97km / 60mi in the bag.

Map courtesy of Ride with GPS

It had been a relaxed ride, which is what we needed after the century ride the previous day.  We didn’t have a deadline to meet, so we could take our time.

That wouldn’t be the case on Day 4.  We would have a train to catch.

But first . . .

Graphic courtesy of superlife.com