The last time I rode along the road from Kota Puteri to Bandar Seri Coalfields was in January 2017. That was during an Audax BRM300. We had ridden 270km when we got to Kota Puteri.
Yesterday I rolled through Kota Puteri after a 60km ride from Bandar Utama to Kuang, Bestari Jaya and Simpang Tiga Ijok. We rode via Selangor Fruit Valley (or Selangor Fruits Valley, depending on who you ask). Another place I had not seen for many years.
Selangor Fruit Valley is a 646-hectare tropical fruit farm cum agro-tourism destination. The farm is at the northern end of our ride route.
Map courtesy of Ride With GPS
Twenty of us did this first proper R@SKLs group ride in months. We started as one group but soon split into two sets of cyclists. The first group waited at the junction with the road to Batu Arang for the rest of us to catch up.
We got there eventually!
Photograph courtesy of JS
Our next stop was at the Caltex station in Bestari Jaya.
Photograph courtesy of VV
More specifically, the FamilyMart at the Caltex station in Bestari Jaya. Where else can you get onigiri (Japanese rice balls) and Caramel Dalgona Coffee Sofuto?
What is the change alluded to in the title of this post?
That came south of Kota Puteri. In 2017 the road there looked like this.
Photograph courtesy of Google Maps
A winding two-way road with a narrow shoulder.
Today that road looks like this.
Photograph courtesy of Google Maps
A four-lane divided highway. You can see a remnant of the old road to the left.
Here is my route from January 2017 overlaid on the current map of the area.
Map courtesy of Ride With GPS
The narrow winding road with ruts and bumps has changed into a relatively straight and smooth divided highway that runs from Simpang Tiga Ijok to the Sungai Buloh Prison. All part of improvements to Federal Route 54, starting from the junction with Federal Route 5 at Taman Assam Jawa to the west.
On 18th March 2020, the Malaysian Government implemented a nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO) as a preventative measure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. There was a general prohibition of mass movements and gatherings across the country, including religious, sports, social and cultural activities.
The MCO was in place until 3rd May.
The main message during the MCO was:
Photograph courtesy of Alexas Fotos on Unsplash
The Malaysian government replaced the MCO with a Conditional MCO (CMCO) on 4th May. Outdoor sports activities not involving body contact were allowed on the condition that participants practised social distancing. Inter-state travel was prohibited.
On 7th June, the Prime Minister announced that the CMCO would end on 9th June, with the country entering the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) phase from 10th June. Among the activities reinstated under the RMCO was inter-state travel.
Increasing COVID-19 case counts led to the reinstatement of the CMCO in selected states on 14th October, including the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and the state of Selangor, which surrounds Kuala Lumpur. This time, the prohibition was not just on inter-state travel. We were not allowed to travel outside the district where we lived.
MCO restrictions were re-introduced in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur from 13th January 2021 following a surge in COVID-19 infections. In addition to the inter-district travel ban, travel was restricted to a 10km radius from where you lived.
On 5th March, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur exited the MCO lockdown and reinstated CMCO restrictions. Interstate travel was still prohibited, but the requirement to stay within a 10km radius and stay within your district was lifted.
This is how the various movement control orders affected my cycling in 2020.
Graphic courtesy of VeloViewer
I didn’t ride very much during the first few months of 2020. Partly due to some travel in February and March and some consulting work, also in March.
Increasing concern about COVID-19, first identified in December 2019, must have played a part. Those worries amplified when the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern at the end of January 2020.
We had to stay indoors during the early stages of the MCO. Even going for walks was prohibited. A week after the MCO started, I snuck in a ride around the block where I lived. Then people started getting fined for being outside their homes. I stayed off my bicycle until the CMCO came into effect.
There were mixed views about the wisdom of cycling during the CMCO. We understood little about how COVID-19 was transmitted. So to ride or not to ride turned on how risk-averse or risk-tolerant you are. I rode a lot in May. Mostly, by myself, and sometimes with two or three others. The phrase “I didn’t get dropped. I was just social distancing” entered the cyclists’ vocabulary.
One definite plus in the early days of the lockdown was the empty roads, apart from the food delivery riders. They continue to provide an essential service, even after restaurants were allowed to have dine-in patrons again.
The sign translates to “Jointly tackle the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Photograph courtesy of MalayMail
Interstate rides, like trips to Port Dickson or Teluk Intan, were a distant memory. Masks joined helmets as mandatory items on every ride.
Photograph courtesy of Mike Baumeister on Unsplash
It didn’t take long for the R@SKLs to make an interstate trip after RMCO replaced the MCO on 10th June. It was “Hello Port Dickson!” on 12th June.
Photograph courtesy of Terry Shim
We were in Port Dickson again at the end of July.
Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai
I averaged 1,000km in May, June and July. That trend continued the following month. Helped by an Audax 300 ride on 30th August.
There was another inter-state ride in September. We devoted eight days to pedalling to Penang and back.
Photograph courtesy of Yaopey Yong on Unsplash
The first few weeks of October were a washout as far as cycling was concerned. I put it down to an attack of idleness following our Penang ride.
A surge in COVID-19 infections in some parts of the country, including Kuala Lumpur, prompted the move back to RMCO status in mid-October. This time with a prohibition on inter-district travel. The fine for transgressors was MYR1,000 / USD250. That kept me off my bike for most of the rest of October and November. I rode a total of 450km during those months.
By December, a weariness of the COVID-19 restrictions was setting in. More and more cyclists, including myself, were taking a chance on riding across district boundaries. I rode further in December than in any other month in 2020.
That enthusiasm was curtailed in January 2021.
Not only were we playing under MCO rules in mid-January, those rules included travel limited to a 10km radius around where you live. That 10km radius looks like this for me.
Map courtesy of 2kmfromhome.com
The imposition of the 10km radius limit coincided with a newfound enthusiasm to cycle amongst some friends. Friends who live within a couple of kilometres from me. Having someone to ride with, I have ridden on 50 of the past 56 days. Who would have guessed?
i have a new appreciation for the views within 10km of home.
On 5th March, we went back to CMCO rules. No 10km radius limit and inter-district travel prohibition any more. So my ride on the 6th was with friends I haven’t seen, let alone ridden with, since the end of 2020.
COVID-19 restrictions did curtail my riding in 2020. Especially in March, April and October.
2021 is off to a good start. I hope that with vaccinations on the way, we will have this pandemic under control. At last.
Photograph courtesy of Aljoscha Laschgari on Unsplash
The Rapha Festive 500 returned for the 11th year in 2020. The challenge remained the same. Ride 500km in the eight days between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Different in 2020 was that indoor rides counted towards the 500km target. No doubt in recognition of a) the popularity of online riding platforms like Swift, Rouvy and FulGaz, and b) the various levels of COVID-19 lockdowns around the world.
Also different in 2020 was that Rapha would not send a woven roundel to everyone who completed the challenge. The reward in 2020 is a digital roundel in your Strava Trophy Case.
I assume that Rapha decided to stop sending woven roundels because the numbers of participants have mushroomed over the years. There were 84 participants in 2010. There were 119,206 participants in 2019. The cost of manufacturing and posting increasing numbers of roundels must be prohibitive.
These are the woven roundels that were sent to successful participants from 2011 to 2019.
Images courtesy of Rapha
Come to the 2020 edition of the Festive 500 and Rapha must be glad they stopped sending woven roundels. The inclusion of indoor rides more than doubled the number of participants compared to 2019. There were 240,991 participants in 2020.
Data courtesy of Strava
This is the digital roundel for 2020.
Image courtesy of Rapha
I am curious to see how many participate in the 2021 Rapha Festive 500. And what the digital roundel looks like.
I have been riding a bicycle for twelve years or so. As I mused about my Strava stats, I started reflecting on what I know now about cycling that I didn’t know when I bought that hybrid bike at the end of 2008.
There are the obvious things, like how to use cleats and how to select the right gear for the speed and the terrain.
There are other initially less obvious things that I came to learn and appreciate through experience.
Riding with the right group makes all the difference
Photo courtesy of THL
This is my number one realisation.
I really enjoy riding with a group of like-minded friends. By like-minded I means friends who ride for the same reasons as I do. For fun and food, rather than as a competition and to chase personal bests. Friends who ride at about the same pace as I do. Friends who don’t mind stopping to enjoy the scenery. Friends who wait for each other when there is a flat tire or other mechanical.
Take your time when repairing a puncture
Diorama courtesy of ZAZ
As I have discovered to my cost, haste in fixing a flat tire often leads to grief. Not taking the time to check the tire for embedded bits of grit, staples, etc. guarantees another stop to fix another puncture. Rushing to install an inner tube can lead to a twisted inner tube, which results in a bumpy ride. More commonly the tube is pinched between tire and rim. The outcome upon inflation is an immediate flat.
Protect your spare inner tubes
Inner tubes are usually carried together with tire levers, multi-tools etc. These items can puncture tubes. Constant abrasion against the sides of saddlebags can also put holes in inner tubes. Inevitably, you won’t know that your spare tube is punctured until you get a flat tire.
I forget where I picked up this tip. Sprinkle talcum powder on your spare inner tube, and wrap it in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. The talcum powder stops the inner tube from sticking to itself. The powder also makes the inner tube slippery, and therefore easier to install in the tire. The plastic wrap or bag protects the inner tube from the other items in your saddlebag.
Silca Tire Levers Premio
Photographs courtesy of Silca
I have used tire levers from several other manufacturers like Pedro, Lezyne, Ritchey and Park Tool. Each of them had weaknesses. Some had tips that were too thick. Another set snapped.
These tire levers from Silca are my favourite because they have narrow tips which are easy to get underneath tight tire beads. These levers have a reinforced nylon shield which protects the rim. Useful for those who run carbon wheelsets. They are also relatively short and thus easy to store on the bike.
On-Bike Storage
Photograph courtesy of Specialized
I used a saddle bag or tool roll for many years. As with tire levers, I tried bags and rolls from Silca, Rapha, Topeak etc. Each had a shortcoming. The biggest issue was that I preferred to use the space below my saddle to mount a rear blinker, or for my Apidura Saddle Pack when I went on overnight credit card tours.
Nowadays, I use a tool storage bottle. Mine is from Specialized, but Shimano, Cateye, Elite, Fabric and others make similar items.
You have to sacrifice one bottle cage. I use the bottle cage on the seat tube. However, only having one bottle is not a problem. I am never far from a petrol station, convenience store or sundry shop, so regularly refilling one bottle is not a problem.
Street View
Image courtesy of Google
Ride With GPS is my go-to route mapping app. You need to subscribe to gain access to advanced route planning tools, but it is worth the money.
When I started planning routes, I dragged ‘Pegman’ over the map to see if the road I was thinking of riding on turned blue. I took this to mean that the road was mapped and rideable.
I was wrong. More than once, I led a group down a road that suddenly shrank to an unpaved track. Not a good thing in the middle of unfamiliar territory.
I now use Street View to preview the roads I plan to use. That helps prevent unpleasant surprises mid-ride.
Rain Vest
Photograph courtesy of Sportful
I don’t wear a rain vest to stay dry. It rains too heavily in Malaysia for that. I wear a rain vest because it protects my jerseys from muddy rear tire spatter. My rain vest consists of a polyester material that is easier to clean than my jerseys are.
Cargo Bib Shorts
Photographs courtesy of Rapha
I don’t think cargo bib shorts existed when I started riding. They have become my go-to bib shorts for longer rides. The pockets on both legs and two more pockets on the upper back mean that I can ride with empty jersey pockets. I find that more comfortable. The leg pockets are easier to access than jersey pockets are. I can also fully unzip my jersey and not have the back weighed down.
Small Chain Ring and Smaller Cog
It took longer than it should have for me to realise that I must shift to the small chainring and a smaller cog before putting my bike in the back of my car. If I don’t, there is a good chance that the high spring tension in the rear derailleur will make the crank rotate backwards and drop the chain. More often than not, the rearward moving chain drops below the chain catcher and gets trapped between the small chainring and the seat tube. Greasy fingers guaranteed to try to get the chain back onto the chainring.
Shifting the chain to the small chainring and a smaller cog reduces the spring tension in the rear derailleur enough to stop the crank rotating backwards.
I wonder what wisdom the next decade of riding will bring.
Pai and I had our Apidura saddle packs mounted on our bikes and were out of the Tien Terrace front door at 7:45 am. We had a short ride to the Penang ferry terminal. We got there just in time for the 8:00 am ferry.
Photograph courtesy of HCP
On Friday on the way to the ferry at Butterworth, I had lost one of my cleat covers. I went to look for it, after Pai and I got off the ferry. Amazingly it was still at the roadside. That was a fine start to the day.
We stopped at Persiaran Nasi Kandar Subaidah on Jalan Chain Ferry for breakfast. Then we were on our way along the same route we had taken to get to Penang.
Map courtesy of Ride with GPS
25km later we were on Federal Route 1. Our next turn was 50km away.
At 30km, we stopped at a Petron station to refill our bottles. At 63km we did the same at a Bestari Mart. The lady at the counter there was intrigued by a Mat Salleh speaking Bahasa. I gave her a short biography in response to all her questions.
5km later we stopped to take a photograph next to paddy fields. Ala the photographs taken during the round island ride.
Photograph courtesy of HCP
Simon please note that I sucked my tummy in for this photograph.
21km later we were at the Larut Matang Hawker Center in Taiping.
We had an early dinner at the Hu Jing Ge Chinese Restaurant in the Flemington hotel. The food was good and reasonably priced for a hotel restaurant. The suggestions of where to eat from the Taiping locals came in too late!
Photograph courtesy of HCP
After polishing off dinner, we went for a stroll in the Taiping Lake Gardens. The gardens were established in 1880. Some of the magnificent Angsana trees may date from that time.
Photograph courtesy of HCPPhotograph courtesy of HCP
Day 7
The morning of Day 7 was wet.
We rode in the rain for the first 20km to Terong. I must have started the ride dehydrated because I needed to refill my bottle at the BP station in Terong.
Map courtesy of Ride with GPS
It was a struggle to get from Terong to Beruas because of the headwinds. Every flag we saw during those 34km was flapping in the wrong direction for us.
The rolling terrain did not help. I was glad to see the coffee shop at Beruas. One of the ladies working at the coffee shop asked where the rest of the R@SKLs were.
Our next stop was 36km later at a 99 Speedmart in Seri Iskandar. I thought we would find a place to stop along Federal Route 5 about 5 kilometres from Gelung Pepusu, but I was wrong. There is nothing between the Shell station 2 kilometres after the left turn onto Federal Route 5 and Seri Iskandar.
We needed that stop. It was 36ºC, and we still had that pesky headwind. The headwind seemed to change direction as we changed direction. It was our constant and unwanted companion.
We rode the remaining 34km to Taiping without stopping. We would have taken a break at D’Anjung Bali, but it was closed. For real this time!
We cycled straight to The Entertainment Hub for beers and lunch.
When we got to the Kampar Grand Hotel, we both upgraded to rooms with a bathtub. A hot soak worked wonders on our tired bodies.
We had an early dinner at The Entertainment Hub. It was lights out before 9:00 pm.
Day 8
There was a thunderstorm during the night. Simon had warned us that heavy rain was forecast for the day. It was overcast at dawn, but there was no more rain.
Photograph courtesy of HCP
We had the Western set breakfast at the hotel. The Flemington Hotel in Taiping beats the Grand Kampar Hotel in the breakfast stakes. The Flemington is a better hotel overall.
We were on our bikes at 8:17 am.
Map courtesy of Ride with GPS
It quickly got sunny and hot.
Photograph courtesy of HCP
We stopped at the PETRONAS station in Bidor to refill bottles. There was a staff training event there. One of the staff brought plastic chairs to us to sit on. That was very nice. We probably stayed for longer than we needed to because of those chairs.
Our next stop was at Taiwan Fructose, just north of Sungkai. The R@SKLs may remember seeing that plant on the way up to Kampar and commenting about it to Pai. He knows the plant manager and his wife.
Photograph courtesy of HCP
We got a fascinating tour of the plant. Taiwan Fructose is one of two producers of fructose and maltose syrup in Malaysia. There is very little processed food and drink that does not contain fructose or maltose.
Photograph courtesy of HCP
We made one more stop at the PETRONAS station in Slim River. Having enjoyed sitting in chairs in Bidor, we borrowed stools from inside the Slim River station to sit on while we had our drinks.
23km later we were in the KFC at Tanjung Malim having lunch. We had plenty of time before the 2:55 pm train.
The rain started as we approached Rawang. Pai got off the train at the Segambut station.
Photograph courtesy of HCP
The rain stopped as I got to the Bank Negara station. A few kilometres later, I was at home. It was a safe ending to an epic trip to Penang and back.
Thank you R@SKLs for another most enjoyable Penang adventure.
Photograph courtesy of Mark Adriane at unsplash.com
Some hardy souls were awake early to hike up Penang Hill.
Photograph courtesy of LYPhotograph courtesy of LY
Rain thwarted their plan to hike up and take the funicular train back down. I don’t think anyone minded aborting the hike and proceeding to breakfast instead.
All too soon it was time to pack for the trip back to KL. Bicycle storerooms at Tien Hotel.Residence and Tien Terrace emptied. Amy’s truck was loaded.
Photograph courtesy of MLPhotograph courtesy of AH
Everyone was on the road or in the air by mid-afternoon. Except for Pai, Zulfa and I. Zulfa’s (aka Biker Chick) flight was on Monday morning. Pai and I had the ride back to Tanjung Malim ahead of us.
Let no one say that the R@SKLs only eat while cycling.
Photograph courtesy of MLPhotograph courtesy of ML
Everyone got home safely, despite the weather in Kuala Lumpur.
Photograph courtesy of LY
Pai had a meeting that afternoon. Zulfa and I explored the Tien Terrace neighbourhood. She found reasons to come back to Tien Terrace.
I am sure all the R@SKLs who made this trip look forward to coming back to Penang for more.
Photographs courtesy of Mark Chan and seb at unsplash.com
A ride around the island is the main reason for our trips to Penang. Okay, maybe the food is the main reason, and the round island ride is the excuse to come to Penang. Either way, a group of R@SKLs and our Penang-based friends gathered outside Tien Hotel.Residence at 7:15 am.
Pai and I were not among them. We planned to cycle back to Tanjung Malim, starting on Monday. We took the weekend off from riding.
The annual organized ride is not happening this year because of COVID-19. The route for the morning was very similar to the one used during CFAL. With a couple of detours led by our Penang friends.
Map courtesy of Strava
As always with our round island rides, the outrider boys accompanied the group to provide directions and stop traffic and junctions.
Photographs courtesy of ML
Many thanks and kudos to Serena and TH, who once again were fabulous hosts. They took care of all the arrangements in Penang for us. Accommodation, food, weekend activities, the works.
Photographs courtesy of LY
The detours were into the paddy fields of Balik Pulau.
Photograph courtesy of ML
The rest of the route was familiar to anyone who has ridden around the island before.
Photograph courtesy of LYPhotograph courtesy of LYPhotograph courtesy of LYPhotograph courtesy of LYPhotograph courtesy of LYPhotograph courtesy of LY
No ride can be complete without a yum cha stop.
Photograph courtesy of THL
The festivities continued with drinks and dinner at Tien Hotel.Residence.
There was plenty of food. Char koay teow fried to order, pasembur, samosas and fried cauliflower.
Photographs courtesy of THL
We had Simon’s birthday cake for dessert.
Photograph courtesy of ML
I had a craving for nyonya kueh as well. The kueh stall was closed, but Geetha and Vanessa found an apom vendor. It took a while for him to whip up fifty apoms.
Photograph courtesy of GK
There was some leftover char koay teow in takeaway boxes for anyone who needed a late-night snack.
Day 3 was the final leg of our ride to Penang. 88km to the Butterworth ferry terminal, and a few more kilometres in Georgetown to get to the Tien Residence Hotel and the Tien Terrace.
Map courtesy of Ride with GPS
The Flemington Hotel breakfast buffet opens at 7:00 am.
Photograph courtesy of VV
Breakfast is on the rooftop, so there is a nice view of the Taiping Lake Gardens.
Photograph courtesy of VV
We were ready to hit the road at 7:45 am.
Photograph courtesy of AE
Photographs courtesy of EK
Photographs courtesy of EK
Photographs courtesy of EK
Our first bottle refill stop was at the PETRONAS station in Bagan Serai. We stopped again nine kilometres later to put on rain gear.
Photographs courtesy of THL
Naturally, the rain eased off for the next twenty kilometres. We stopped again for drinks and bananas at Kawasan Perindustrian Valdor.
Photographs courtesy of THL
It started pouring as we set off again. It rained for most of the way to Butterworth.
We made good time despite the rain and were on the ferry just after noon.
Photographs courtesy of THLPhotograph courtesy of VV
Our first destination in Georgetown was the Tien Hotel.Residence. Some of the group were staying there.
Photograph courtesy of GK
The Welcome banner was a thoughtful touch.
Photograph courtesy of GK
We all took advantage of the outside hose to wash off our bikes.
Photograph courtesy of J
A smaller group of us rode on to Tien Terrace.
Photograph courtesy of THL
Tien Terrace is the latest of TH’s boutique hotel projects. A half dozen of us were the first guests in the as-yet unopened hotel. Our role was to give TH feedback about what needed attention and fixing as the finishing touches are applied.
The pool is ready.
Photograph courtesy of THL
Penang is a food lovers paradise. No surprise then that some hit the food stalls early on for snacks.
Photographs courtesy of GK
Drinks and dinner were at Tien Terrace.
Photograph courtesy of VVPhotograph courtesy of VV
Of course, where there is a pool . . .
Photograph courtesy of LY
A good time was had by all. There would be a few sore heads in the morning.
Day 2 was the longest of the three days. It was 124km from Kampar to Taiping.
Map courtesy of Ride with GPS
We left the Grand Kampar Hotel at 7:00 am.
Photograph courtesy of VV
Breakfast was about an hour later at D’Anjung Bali. I had talked up their puri to Vanessa, so I was relieved that the place was open. Despite the sign on the gate saying “Closed.”
Photograph courtesy of VVPhotograph courtesy of ANPhotograph courtesy of WWK
We paused for drinks at Gelung Pepuyu. Our next scheduled stop was at Beruas.
4km from Beruas Vanessa had her second flat tire in as many days. It sounded like a gunshot when her rear inner tube exploded. Fortunately, her tire was undamaged. It was the same tire that had flatted the day before, which was a bit of a worry. When we got to Taiping she had her wheel and tire checked at a bicycle shop. Happily she had no further problems.
Photograph courtesy of THL
Most of the group were considerably ahead of us when Vanessa flatted. They had finished their drinks at Beruas by the time the rest of us got there.
Photograph courtesy of MT
The road from Beruas to Terong is in poor condition. All the lorry traffic has left it badly rutted. Sadly one of those ruts caused Ernestine to lose control and fall. Thankfully she wasn’t hurt badly, but that was the end of her ride.
Photograph courtesy of THLPhotograph courtesy of HCP
Once she was on her way in one of the support cars to get her abrasions cleaned and dressed, the rest of us stopped at Padang Gajah for drinks and to refill bottles.
Photograph courtesy of GKPhotograph courtesy of VVPhotograph courtesy of VV
It was 35ºC at Padang Gajah, and it was 38ºC when we got to Terong 11km later. I needed to stop for ice cream. Fifteen minutes later we were riding the last 20km to Taiping.
AiWei and AiLei are from Taiping. They took us to the Larut Matang Hawker Centre for lunch.
Photograph courtesy of VVPhotograph courtesy of J
Photographs courtesy of MN
It was a short ride from lunch to the Flemington Hotel. It was 4:00 pm by the time we were in our rooms. That gave us seventy-five minutes before we had to be in the lobby, ready to be driven to dinner.
Photo courtesy of MLPhoto courtesy of ISPhoto courtesy of KBS
Dinner was courtesy of Simon. His penalty for pulling out of the ride. We went to Restoran Light House Seafood.
Photo courtesy of JPhoto courtesy of VV
This restaurant is famed for its seafood porridge. We had that, and lots more besides.
Photo courtesy of MLPhoto courtesy of ML
I was stuffed after that meal, but others had room for more. One of the Taiping-ites ordered fried chicken by phone. We stopped to collect the order on our way back to the hotel.
Photograph courtesy of EK
We wanted to sit at the rooftop bar but our chicken, being outside food, was not allowed. So we went to the Taiping Lake Garden across the road.
Photograph courtesy ofTAWPhotograph courtesy of GKPhotograph courtesy of THL
Photograph courtesy of Yaopey Yong at unsplash.com
I met the early members of the R@SKLs after the 8th CFAL round Penang island ride in 2016. The year of the dropped pedal 😂. Lay, whom I came across during the ride, introduced me to them.
The R@SKLs trip to Penang has been an annual event since. Each year the number of riders has grown.
This year a group of seventeen opted to cycle to Penang.
The first day’s ride was from Tanjung Malim to Kampar.
Photograph courtesy of Ally TheanlynMap courtesy of Ride with GPS
Some of us got to Tanjung Malim by road.
Photograph courtesy of SSH
The rest took the train from Sungai Buloh. After stopping at Bin Soo’s and AiLei’s for muffins.
Photograph courtesy of GKPhotograph courtesy of HCP
Being the R@SKLs, our first stop was one kilometre from Tanjung Malim KTM station for roti canai and nasi lemak at Restoran Al Kassim Maju.
Photograph courtesy of KC
We had two support vehicles for this trip. An ice chest in the back of Amy’s truck held water and 100 Plus. Our drivers, Azaman and Suwardy, took advantage of an ice delivery to the restaurant to buy ice for us.
Photograph courtesy of KC
There was a flat tire to deal with before we could get going. That was the opportunity to try out TH’s new toy.
Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai
Then we were on our way.
Photograph courtesy of THLPhotograph courtesy of HCPPhotograph courtesy of HCP
Our next stop was an unplanned one. Vanessa had a flat tire north of Trolak.
Photograph courtesy of ML
We dipped into the ice chest at our first rest stop just before Sungkai.
Photograph courtesy of MLPhotograph courtesy of MN
The next stop was for fresh-cut fruit at Bidor. Having ridden 55km, we were more than halfway to Kampar.
Photograph courtesy of EKPhotograph courtesy of KC
We spent more than one hour at Tapah for lunch. We got there at 1:00 pm. It was 36ºC, and we appreciated the air-conditioning in the KFC. We are on the floor because all the furniture has been removed from the ground floor of the restaurant. No doubt for social distancing reasons.
Photograph courtesy of VV
The others went to a chicken rice shop across the road. I assume that shop had ceiling or wall fans.
Photograph courtesy of TAL
The remaining 22km passed without incident. We checked into the Grand Kampar Hotel, showered, and went looking for food. About half of us went to the McDonald’s around the corner from the hotel. We had our first taste of strictly enforced COVID-19 SOPs there. In addition to the now-standard registration via the MySejahtera app and temperature checks, we couldn’t all gather at the counter to order our food.
Photograph courtesy of MT
After our burgers, we met most of the rest at the Entertainment Hub for more rehydration. We fell foul of the COVID-19 SOPs there too. Our group had grown to more than ten, so we couldn’t stay.
The last stop before calling it a day was at Restoran Ken Claypot House. Claypot meals are a Kampar speciality. COVID-19 SOPs meant five people to a table.
Old Roots, New Routes 