The East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) is a new elevated expressway that connects Ukay Perdana in Ampang, Selangor and Bandar Sungai Long in Kajang. The 39.5-kilometre-long (24.5 mi) expressway will open to motor vehicles shortly.
The Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (Ampang Jaya Town Council), in partnership with the MCC Ampang community cycling club, organised a bicycle ride along the EKVE on Sunday morning, 10th August.
This was the only opportunity to cycle on the EKVE before it opens to the public. That sounded like it would be fun. G, V and I signed up.
V went to the start point at Laman Tasek Tambahan on Saturday afternoon to collect our number plates and event t-shirts.
The ladies got their number plates. Mine couldn’t be found, so I was told to check with the organizers in the morning.
The ladies and I agreed to meet at Laman Tasek Tambahan at 6:30 am. V realised that with more than 1,000 cyclists registered for this ride, parking would be in short supply. I rode from home to the start. One less car trying to find a parking spot, the better.
My number plate still couldn’t be found, so I got a VIP plate instead. With that, we were ready to roll.
As often happens at these events, the advertised start time came and went. As the minutes ticked by, the sun rose higher in the sky. It has been very hot during the past week. 36ºC / 97ºF hot. V had discovered that there was more than 600 metres / 1,970 feet of elevation ahead of us. That surprised me. It sounded like a lot for a 50 km ride. Whatever the elevation would be, we didn’t fancy climbing under a hot sun.
We started the ride at the back of the group. Just as experience taught me to expect delayed starts, I also knew that, despite this being a fun ride, there would be people who came to race. We did not want to be their way.
We got moving at 7:55 am. The climbing started immediately. It was 4.3 km to the Ampang toll plaza, incorporating 105 metres of elevation. The next 2.3 km to the Ampang Interchange holds another 130 metres of elevation. We had 135 metres of elevation under our wheels as we rode onto the EKVE. And as V said we would, we did climb more than 600 metres overall.
The expressway is so new that it isn’t on Google Maps. You need Google Satellite view to see the expressway winding through the Ampang Forest Reserve. The route through this ecologically sensitive area was the source of much controversy.
The sun had disappeared behind clouds as we rode onto the expressway. The route through forested hillsides helped keep the temperature down.
There were water stops at the Rest and Recreation Centres on both sides of the highway, as well as at the Sungai Long toll plaza, between the Ampang interchange and the U-turn point 16 km later. In anticipation of a hot morning, I had two bidons on my bike, so I didn’t need to stop for water.
The concern about it being a hot morning was unfounded.
It started to drizzle about 15 minutes after the U-turn. Five minutes later, it was raining hard enough that I stopped to put on my rain jacket.
The rain was heavy until the Ampang Interchange. It then became progressively lighter as I cycled through the Ampang toll plaza and arrived at the Laman Tasek Tambahan.
There was the usual queue at the finish as riders waited to collect complimentary food packs and finisher’s medals. I had to convince the person handing out the goodies that, despite my VIP number plate, I had paid to participate and was entitled to a medal.
A collection of vendors was present in the finish area, selling food and drinks. Things like burgers, murtabak (a stuffed flatbread), apam balik (a crispy pancake filled with roasted peanuts, sugar, creamy sweet corn, butter and folded in half), fried noodles, and a variety of coffees and juices.
The covered seating areas quickly filled up, so most of us sat at tables in the drizzle. The wet didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. Everyone I spoke to enjoyed the ride. Staying cool in the rain is preferable to overheating in the sun.
G, V and I ate some murtabak and more apam balik (we had some before we started riding), checked if our plate numbers had come up in the lucky draw (not even my VIP number plate was a winner), and then headed home after a pleasant morning.
Thank you, MPAJ, MCC Ampang and EKVE for the opportunity to ride along the Klang Valley’s latest expressway.
Old Roots, New Routes 