The R@SKLs got soaked on the way back from Morib

I spent four weeks off my bike recovering from the effects of a fall.  And got back on my bike as soon as the respiratory specialist gave me the all clear.

The most recent ride was from Bandar Rimbayu to Morib via as many back roads as possible.

Map courtesy of Ride with GPS

Seven of us rode out of the IJM Rimbayu carpark at 5.40am.  (IJM is allowing cyclists to park at The Arc now).

After we approached the bridge over the Langat River a few spots of rain started to fall.  There had been lightning off in the distance for some time, and I feared we would soon be wet.

As it turned out the rain had preceded us.  The roads through the kampungs were wet, but the rain had stopped.

Photograph courtesy of Khoo Bin Soo

It stayed overcast, so we had excellent riding conditions all the way to Morib.

Photograph courtesy of Khoo Bin Soo

Photograph courtesy of Khoo Bin Soo

Less than two hours later we were seated in Delicious Bread Coffee Shop enjoying old-style steamed bread and charcoal-toasted bread with kaya, soft boiled eggs, and packets of nasi lemak and fried bee hoon.

One of the advantages of starting rides very early is that we get to our favourite food stops before all the seats are occupied and the food has run out.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

After a leisurely breakfast, we headed back along roads that we had not ridden before.  All was well until we approached Bandar Banting.  The sky had darkened considerably by then and the rain we had avoided on the way to Morib was threatening again.

We were close to rejoining a familiar road.  We saw a green and white arch ahead.  We had ridden under a green and white arch in Bandar Banting on the way to Morib.  So we headed through the arch.  A few hundred metres later we knew we weren’t on the right road.  We had ridden to the bank of the Langat River.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

So it was back the way we came.  There is more than one green and white arch in the area.  The arch we wanted was two kilometres away.

By then it was clear that we would get wet.  It was just a matter of when.  A drizzle started as we rode past the cendol stall where we often stop on our way back from Jugra, Morib or Tanjung Sepat.

Once we were on Jalan Klang Banting, the drizzle had turned into a downpour accompanied by strong winds.  We took refuge under the forecourt canopy of the PETRONAS Jenjarom station.

The rain lightened considerably within a few minutes, but it stayed windy.  We rode back out into the drizzle, which stayed with us until Kampung Seri Cheeding.  The headwind then turned into a tailwind, and we covered the three kilometres to the bridge over the South Klang Valley Expressway at just under 40kph.

We had covered about 98km / 61mi as we approached The Arc.  So we looped around a bit until we had ridden 100km.

We were all pretty wet.  After we had dried off and changed we went to Restoran BR Maju for brunch.  A very nice way to end an enjoyable-despite-the-rain ride.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng