Category Archives: Cycling in Malaysia

CFAL 2018: Round Island Ride

Posted on August 14, 2018 by alchemyrider

Photograph courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Sunday morning, woke up yawning; did my alarm really ring?
Pulled on my bibs and sprayed that sun screen all over my skin.
Went down the stairs and kissed my bike to make it come alive.
‘Cause with 22 gears and the R@SKLs all in pink,
I got to go for a Round Island ride.

With apologies to The Bee Gees

The half dozen or so R@SKLs who needed breakfast before the Round Island Ride met in front of the Tien Hotel at 6.00am. Lebuh Chulia and the surrounding streets were becoming filled with blinking bike lights as cyclists emptied out of the many hostels, backpacker inns and boutique hotels which have opened in old Georgetown since it was accorded UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site status in 2008.

Old Georgetown is now even more of a tourist draw. Most tourists don’t look for breakfast at 6.00am on a Sunday morning. So we were greeted with rows of dark shop fronts as we rode around looking for breakfast.

The first open place we found was the Restoran Liyaqatali Nasi Kandar Beratur. Open from 10.00pm to 8.30am. As its name suggests, you queue (beratur) for your food, and then try to find somewhere to sit on the sidewalk outside.

We wanted roti canai. We were directed to Restoran Dalcha Kassim Mustafa. That was open, but the roti man only starts doing his thing at 7.00am. So we settled for rice and curry and hard-boiled eggs.

We were back in front of Tien Hotel at 6.30am where a cloud of pink was already gathering.

Photograph courtesy of Billy

There were more than twenty-five of us. As is always the case, the larger the group, the more likely that at least one rider will have a flat tire. Mark, who seems to have become our designated mechanic whenever Danial or CK is not around, was called into action to help Kieren with his flat. Which ultimately required a change of tire to fix. Henry, thank goodness, had a spare tire to loan to Kieren.

Kevin also had a flat tire outside the Tien Hotel. He took it as a sign that he should skip the ride. A decision no doubt helped by the after-effects of the beach party.

The Penang City Hall on the Esplanade is a little more than 1km away from the Tien Hotel. We took up our customary position right at the back of the estimated 3,500 participants in this, the 10^th edition of CFAL.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We were flagged off a bit after 7.00am by Malaysia’s Finance Minister Mr Lim Guan Eng. Mr Lim has a long-standing relationship with CFAL, having served as the Chief Minister of Penang between 2008 and 2018.

CFAL 2018 Day 2 Lim Guan Eng Cycling Plus Mag

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Plus Magazine

The start was slow as the exit from the Esplanade is narrow. That gave us the opportunity to enjoy the sunrise.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

We made a short photo stop opposite Pulau Jerejak, where you have a view of both bridges between the island and the mainland.

CFAL 2018 Day 2 2nd Bridge

The next stop was at Teluk Kumbar. We were 28km / 17mi into the ride and 1km from the first of the two climbs on the route.

CFAL 2018 Day 2 Route Map event howei com

Map courtesy of event.howei.com

Nasi lemak, teh tarik and a restroom. This place ticked all the boxes.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Up, up and away.

CFAL 2018 Day 2 Climb 1 Cycling Plus Mag

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Plus Magazine

Working.

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

Resting.

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

In past years the CFAL route took a sharp left turn at the bottom of the rapid descent from Bukit Genting. I was behind a group of a dozen riders as we approached that corner at speed. All of us were looking at the RELA man at the junction for directions.

CFAL 2018 Day 2 Rela Cycling Plus Mag

Except our man was not indicating anything. He wasn’t even looking our way. So everyone ahead of me continued straight down the road.

4km /2.5mi later I started thinking “This can’t be right.” I looked back and saw Martin Lee and Ralf. They had followed me. Oops!

Map courtesy of Ride With GPS

Now I know we could have turned left at Jalan Sungai ‘Pinang and rejoined the official route about 4km from the second climb. Oh well. An extra 8km / 5mi never hurt anyone. Ha ha ha!

The rest of the R@SKLs had no such problems. Except for Kieren, who suffered a second cut tire and had to Grab Car it back to town.

CFAL 2018 Day 2 Riders 1 Cycling Plus Mag

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Plus Magazine

The second climb up Jalan Teluk Bahang is more than twice as long as the Bukit Genting climb, but the average gradient is the same.

CFAL 2018 Day 2 Riders 3 Cycling Plus Mag

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Plus Magazine

CFAL 2018 Day 2 Riders 2 Cycling Plus Mag

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Plus Magazine

Our next regrouping point was at the Teluk Bahang Dam.

CFAL 2018 Day 2 Reservoir

While we were larking and monkeying about (SOP for the R@SKLs at rest stops) this young man, Danial Asyraf, pulled up. He was riding with his grandfather, Bakar Noordin. Bakar Noordin is one of six friends who in 2012 rode from Lebuh Downing in Penang to Downing Street in London.

CFAL 2018 Day 2 Six year old and Grandfather Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

His six-year-old grandson is no slouch on a bicycle either. If it took you more than four hours to complete the Round Island Ride, please do not look the next photograph.

Photograph courtesy of Penang Mountain Bike Association

You looked! Repeat after me . . .

Emoji courtesy of Bitmoji

We let Danial and his grandfather ride off ahead of us. I for one had no need to be embarrassed by a six-year-old spinning past me on the slopes of Jalan Batu Ferringhi.

A final water and restroom stop at the Caltex station at the bottom of the descent from the Teluk Bahang Dam, and we were on the last 22km / 13.5mi to the finish. The traffic on Jalan Batu Ferringhi was challenging, but we all got through that section okay.

Plain sailing from then on, until . . . . This time Mark had a flat of his own to fix.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

With lots of onlookers. Who knew changing an inner tube could be a spectator sport?

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

In less than 10km / 6mi we were collecting our medals at the finish line.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Posing for selfies.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Plus Magazine

CFAL 2018 Day 2 Finish 2 Cycling Plus Mag

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Plus Magazine

And sprawling on the grass.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Where TH started yelping in pain. We all thought he had a cramp. Turns out having your hand stood on by someone wearing cycling cleats hurts just as much as a cramp.

Another fantastic weekend trip with the R@SKLs. Thank you, everyone, for making it so enjoyable.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Batu Ferringhi, Bukit Genting, CFAL, Teluk Bahang, Tien Hotel Residence. Bookmark the permalink.

CFAL 2018: Beach Party

Posted on August 13, 2018 by alchemyrider

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Beach

TH exceeded his reputation as the host with the most by putting together a beach party for more than fifty people on Saturday evening.

The ball started rolling with a coach ride from the Tien Hotel to Tanjung Tokong.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

The back of the coach was reserved for Millenials. One uncle didn’t get the message.

Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee

This uncle is lucky he was at the beach party at all.

Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee

Ralf slept through the 4.15pm coach departure time. Which was bad enough. Worse was that none of us realized that Ralf wasn’t in the coach until we were almost at Tanjung Tokong. Serrena saved Ralf’s evening by getting him from the hotel and driving him to the party.

When we got to the beach the whole roast lamb still needed a few more turns on the spit. So we took group photographs. and got stuck into the beers and soft drinks.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Some of us couldn’t resist pinching food that was already on the buffet table before the dinner bell rang. Which we got told off for. Oh well. We were starving!

Once that dinner bell did ring, the food kept coming and coming. The aforementioned spit-roasted lamb, fried meehoon, battered squid, fried fish, steamed prawns, crabs, salad, wedge-cut fries, a variety of local cakes, curry puffs and fruit skewers. We weren’t starving anymore.

Some of the R@SKLs passed the time waiting for dinner by opening up a gambling table. The action was serious enough that some of the players didn’t bother with dinner. The fewer distractions the better apparently.

Photograph courtesy of Annie Lim

The PKKT crew were invited. It was nice to see them enjoying themselves after working so hard for us on the roads.

Photograph courtesy of Annie Lim

Good times!

Photograph courtesy of Annie Lim

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Annie Lim

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

After dinner, the karaoke started.

Photograph courtesy of Lai Vook Kiat

Only one of these guys can sing.

Bring on the music at any party and the dancing starts.

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Beach Party 3 Leonard Yee

Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon the beach party was rocking.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Thank you TH and Serrena for putting together a wonderful evening. I wonder how you will top this next year? Hint hint!!

The beach party wound down at 9.00pm or so. Some R@SKLs went to bed. And some R@SKLs went out for durians.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Guess which R@SKL didn’t wake up in time for the CFAL Round Island ride?

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged R@SKLs, Tanjung Tokong. Bookmark the permalink.

CFAL 2018: Food Hunt

Posted on August 13, 2018 by alchemyrider

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Hawker Food www misstamchiak com

Photographs courtesy of http://www.misstamchiak.com

Penang is noted for its street food. Forget the air-conditioned restaurants with slow service. Food in Penang is all about hawker centres and roadside stalls, with dirt-cheap dishes packed with flavour.

The R@SKLs were in Penang for the CFAL ride. That was the story anyway. I think the Saturday food hunt is really the main event for the R@SKLs.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

We were guided by these young men from PKKT Pulau Pinang. They provided escort service for us last year. This time they rode scooters upgraded with blue and red flashing lights and what sounded like an ambulance siren and an emergency vehicle horn. The first time I heard the siren I thought there was an ambulance behind me.

Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee

We didn’t have to ride far for breakfast. Cecil Street Market is 2km / 1.2mi from the Tien Hotel.

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

We were joined on the ride by friends who live in Penang.

Photograph courtesy of Dennis HS Tan

We each put RM50 / USD12 into a communal pot to pay for food and drinks during the ride. Marvin was in charge of doling out money when required. He figured no one would suspect he was carrying RM1,500 / USD365 around with him in that orange plastic bag.

Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat

Our next stop was at the recently completed Spiral Bridge which allows cyclists to cross the Bayan Lepas Expressway.

Photograph courtesy of Billy

The spiral bridge is opposite the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge which is one of two bridges joining the island to the mainland.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

We did two climbs. The first was the same one we would do during the CFAL ride. Along Jalan Teluk Kumbar from the PUSPAKOM centre to the top of Bukit Genting.

All smiles so far! We particularly enjoyed the PKKT guys bossing the traffic with their siren, horn and whistle so that we could ride through intersections and roundabouts unimpeded.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

We regrouped at the top of Bukit Genting before the rapid descent toward Balik Pulau.

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Top of Climb 1 Lai Voon Kiat

Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat

We stopped at the Balik Pulau Food Court for drinks. Including amra juice. Amra is a contraction of ambarella, which is this fruit’s English name. The Malay name for this fruit is buah kedondong.

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Ambarella Juice Dilmah Conservation

Photograph courtesy of Dilmah Conservation

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Balik Pulau Stop Martin Lee

Photograph courtesy of Martin Lee

Immediately after exiting the Balik Pulau Food Court car park we started the second climb of the day, rising up Jalan Tun Sardon. 325 metres / 1,066 feet of elevation over 4.5km / 2.8mi, at an average grade of 7.4% with a maximum grade of 17.5%.

Photograph courtesy of Dennis HS Tan

This blog has young readers, so I can’t repeat what the fellow below and on the left said when he got to the top of the climb. It was something like this . . .

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Swearing

Photograph courtesy of Dennis HS Tan

Photograph courtesy of Billy

Marvin won the Star R@SKL Of The Day award for riding his Brompton up Jalan Tun Sardon and wearing a pair of Crocs while doing it.

Photograph courtesy of Dennis HS Tan

How tough was the climb? Leonard’s “during” and “just about to die” faces tell the story.

Photograph courtesy of Dennis HS Tan

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Tough Climb up Tun Sardon Dennis HS Tan

Photograph courtesy of Dennis HS Tan

Wake me up before you go go!

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Tough Climb up Tun Sardon TH Lim

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

You can’t keep a smile of Kelin’s and Kevin’s faces for long.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

After everyone but Leonard’s heart rates had returned to near-normal levels, we unrolled our R@SKLs banner.

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Top of Tun Sardon Climb TH Lim

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Jalan Tun Sardon is steep going up, and just as steep going down. 60kph / 37mph plus where the traffic allowed.

We regrouped at the PETRONAS station at the bottom of the hill before the PKKT boys shepherded us across a busy Jalan Paya Terubong to Serrena’s business premises in Taman Seri Rambai. She had laid on a much-appreciated supply of Carlsberg, 100 Plus and fresh fruit.

Thank you Serrena!

Anyone else getting the impression that Thomas needed some rest?

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

It was noon when we left Serrena’s. Time for lunch. We went to Sin Yong Wah Coffee Shop in Air Itam. The same place where we spent more than an hour during last year’s CFAL Food Hunt, waiting in vain for the torrential rain to stop.

This time it was pushing 36° C / 97° F with not a drop of rain in sight.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

Last year we rode up to the Kek Lok Si Temple before lunch. This time we just took pictures from the coffee shop.

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Kek Lok Si Temple Kenix Chiang

Photograph courtesy of Kenix Chiang

It was about 9km / 5.5mi from Air Itam to the Penang Town Hall. We went there to collect our CFAL ride packs. We would be there again first thing in the morning to start the CFAL round island ride.

In the meantime, it was back to the Tien for a shower and a rest before the evening beach party.

It’s a good thing the hotel rules do not bar hanging cycling kit out to dry on the roof.

CFAL 2018 Day 1 Bespoiling the View Eugene Lee

Photograph courtesy of Eugene Lee

Or was the rule just ignored?

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Air Itam, Balik Pulau, Bukit Genting, Cecil Street, CFAL, Jalan Tun Sardon, Tien Hotel Residence. Bookmark the permalink.

CFAL 2018: Prelude

Posted on August 13, 2018 by alchemyrider

Graphic courtesy of event.howei.com

The annual Campaign for a Lane (CFAL) ride is the most anticipated event on the R@SKL calendar. Planning starts in March, as soon as registration for CFAL opens.

The early birds get the best accommodation in Penang. A room at the Tien Hotel. Those who were slower off the mark get the next best thing. Shared accommodation at Tien Residences. Both locations are courtesy of TH Lim, who once again outdid himself as host extraordinaire.

Graphic courtesy of TH Lim

TH took care of all the arrangments in Penang. Dehydration would not be a problem.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

He went to Penang a few days early to make sure the hawker food was up to scratch.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

He even provided custom-made caps for us.

CFAL 2018 Cap TH Lim

All the rest of us had to do was arrange our travel and get our bikes to Pegasus in time to catch the transporter van.

R@SKLs started travelling early on Friday.

Photograph courtesy of Kenix Chiang

Including some from Hong Kong.

Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat

By lunchtime on Friday bikes were in a van and on the road from Kuala Lumpur to Penang.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Th’s host duties started early on Friday evening as the first wave of R@SKLs arrived at the Tien Hotel.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

The festivities were interrupted by the arrival of the van carrying our bicycles.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Unloading expended a lot of calories, which of course had to be immediately replaced. So festivities recommenced at a hawker stall down the road from the Tien Hotel.

Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat

A sign of things to come . . . .

CFAL 2018 Sign of things to come Simon Su Hoo

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged CFAL, Penang, R@SKLs, Tien Hotel Residence. Bookmark the permalink.

Road and Rail to Tanjung Malim

Posted on August 7, 2018 by alchemyrider

Once in a while work schedules allow some of us to do weekday morning rides. Which means that the KTM Komuter train service can be a part of the route plan.

Tanjung Malim Route

The Komuter service to the north terminates at Tanjung Malim. So we rode to Tanjung Malim and took the train back to the Kepong KTM station. Ongoing track upgrading work means that Kepong is still the closest we can get to the Kuala Lumpur city centre.

We parked at the Kepong KTM station for RM4.00 / USD1.00 per day. Annie, Kieren, Mark and I rolled out of the car park at about 6.00am, heading for Federal Route 1 toward Ipoh.

By the time it was light we had completed the climb of the day, 100 metres / 330 feet over 1.3km / 0.8mi from Templer Hills to Taman Amansiara, and were rolling through Rawang toward Serendah. Serendah was a good place to stop for breakfast. Nasi lemak, char koay teow, meehoon soup, half-boiled eggs, iced Milo and coffee teed us up for the rest of the ride.

Photograph courtesy of Annie Lim

We were blessed with overcast skies for the entire ride.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

And once we were north of Rawang, we had relatively quiet roads. Most traffic heading north uses the North-South Expressway, which provided a faster alternative to Federal Route 1.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We were aiming to catch the 10.15am train from Tanjung Malim. We had a few delays caused by mechanicals early in the ride. It was 8.40am when we got to this signboard. We had covered 39km / 24mi. We still had 34km / to ride to the Tanjung Malim station.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We would have to up our pace to make the 10.15am train. Otherwise, it would be a long wait for the next train, which was not until 11.54am. We were at the Tanjung Malim station with 10 minutes to spare.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

If you look closely, you can see the train on the platform behind us. Unfortunately, it was the platform across the tracks from us. So we had to do a quick cyclocross-style scramble up a flight of stairs, across a walkway, and down another flight of stairs.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

With minutes to spare!

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Definitely a ride to repeat, especially in weather like this.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Kepong, KTM Komuter, Rawang, Serendah, Tanjung Malim. Bookmark the permalink.

Tanjung Sepat x 2

Posted on August 5, 2018 by alchemyrider

Tanjung Sepat View 1

Rides from Kota Kemuning to Morib and back have formed the basis for a number of my posts.

September 2016
March 2017
June 2017
July 2017
March 2018

Rides to Morib and back are about 100km / 62mi long. Long enough that we don’t venture further down the coast unless the destination is Port Dickson or Melaka.

Tanjung Sepat is a fishing town about 18km / 11mi down the coast from Morib. Tanjung means cape, and Sepat is a type of fish. This is one of the towns that we ride through on those longer rides.

March 2014
August 2016
December 2017

Lately, Tanjung Sepat has become a destination in its own right. I first rode inner roads to Tanjung Sepat with Lay in June. We returned via the coastal road through Morib. In July Mark led a group of R@SKLs on a Morib ride extension to Tanjung Sepat. Last Saturday Mark and I rode to Tanjung Sepat entirely on inner roads, bypassing Morib completely.

The photographs Mark posted led to some R@SKLs asking if Mark and I would lead a duplicate ride the next day. Which we did. Hence Tanjung Sepat x 2 for Mark and I.

The long-standing start point for rides to the coast has been Restoran BR Maju in Kota Kemuning. Since that ride with Lay, I have started from the Bandar Rimbayu Show Gallery instead. That cuts out 8km / 5mi of road made dusty and sandy, or muddy, depending upon the weather, by legions of earth-moving lorries.

The other R@SKLs have bought into the new starting point too.

Tanjung Sepat Route

These are the photographs that prompted other R@SKLs to want to do this ride also. Lovely quiet country roads.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

So eleven of us fired up our lights and rolled out of the Bandar Rimbayu Show Gallery carpark at 6am on Sunday.

The run to the bridge over the Langat River is the same one we always use. The only mechanical issue o the day came at the apex of the bridge, where Annie dropped her chain.

Photograph courtesy of Annie Lim

The new route I plotted kicks in about 1.5km / 1mi from the river, where we turned right off Jalan Pusara onto the much quieter Jalan Kampung Sawah.

Different day, same conditions.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Happy faces!

Photograph courtesy of Chew Wee Giap

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Chew Wee Giap

Tanjung Sepat via these inner rural roads is 65km / 40mi from Bandar Rimbayu. Everyone was hungry when we got there. The first stop was for breakfast.

Photograph courtesy of Alfred Chan

By some accounts, Tanjung Sepat’s fishing fortunes are in decline as the sea in that part of the Straits of Melaka gets increasingly polluted. It retains its reputation for good seafood restaurants, of which there are many. It is also developing other attractions.

A wooden jetty known as Lover’s Bridge collapsed some years ago and has been replaced by a concrete pier. It is not a particularly romantic structure, but it is worth going out to the end for a photograph.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

You also get a ride track 350 metres / 1,150 feet out into the Straits of Melaka.

Map courtesy of Ride With GPS

Some enterprising locals have also built a series of Instagrammable structures out of old wine barrels. Quite a tourist pull on weekends. This dragon, for instance.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

And this bridge between two towers of wine barrels.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

There is something for all ages!

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

A longer-standing attraction is the Hai Yew Heng pau (stuffed buns) shop. Famous for over forty years for its traditional home-made Hainanese steamed buns. The buns sell like hot cakes (pardon the mixed metaphor). I’ve been through Tanjung Sepat three or four times, and this was the first time the shop was open. There is no seating in the pau shop, so we sat in the coffee shop across the road

Photograph courtesy of Annie Lim

We rode back to Bandar Rimbayu was under mostly overcast skies.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We made our customary cendol stop after we re-crossed the Langat River. It made a difference having 8km / 5mi less to ride to get from the cendol stall to the carpark. I think the Bandar Rimbayu starts are here to stay.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Bandar Rimbayu, Hai Yew Heng, Langat River, Morib, Tanjung Sepat. Bookmark the permalink.

Actual Route May Vary

Posted on July 30, 2018 by alchemyrider

Janda Baik Elevation

Sunday’s ride was posted as HOA to Sempah to Janda Baik. What this usually means in practice is that we get to the Genting Sempah flyover after 765 metres / 2,500 feet of climbing over 16.5km / 10mi and only then decide whether to continue to Janda Baik, or to turn around and ride back to the Hospital Orang Asli (HOA).

I didn’t count, but I think eighteen of us started from the HOA. And all who started got to the Genting Sempah flyover.

Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee

Photograph courtesy of Jiv Sammanthan

Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee

The consensus was to continue down the other side of the hill. What was not so clear was continue to where? The plan I heard was to go to Bukit Tinggi for breakfast, and then do a loop through Janda Baik. We know of lots of places for breakfast in Bukit Tinggi. Restaurant and coffee shop choices in Janda Baik are more limited.

It is a high-speed run from the flyover all the way to the slightly offset four-way junction to either Bukit Tinggi to the left or Janda Baik to the right. Much more pleasant since much of the road has been repaved.

Janda Baik Route

I anticipated turning left onto the blue section in the map above. Instead of turning left to Bukit Tinggi, the lead riders turned right. I had misunderstood or was unaware that the plan had changed. Now we were doing the Janda Baik loop first (green in the map above) and then going to Bukit Tinggi for breakfast.

That upset things for a few of the group who needed to get back to the HOA by 11.00am or so. It was 8.40am when we got to the four-way junction. The Bukit Tinggi loop is 6.5km / 4mi long and includes 180 metres / 590 feet of climbing. With a thirty minute stop for breakfast, the guys could have been back at the four-way junction with enough time to climb the 280 meters / 920 feet over 6km / 3.7mi to the flyover and then roll down the rest of the way to the HOA by 11.00am.

Getting back to the HOA by 11.00am would not be possible after doing the Janda Baik loop. The run through Janda Baik is 17km / 10,5 mi long with 375 metres / 1,230 feet of climbing. So the three who had a time crunch turned around and headed back to the HOA.

The rest of us pedalled up the steep initial slope under the arch and over the rolling terrain through Kampung Janda Baik. Near the small Janda Baik police station is a sundry shop. A short stop there to buy drinks morphed into a long stop at Warung Janda Baik next door for breakfast.

Janda Baik Breakfast 1 Janda Baik Breakfast 2

There were a lot of patrons at the restaurant when we got there. The fifteen of us stretched the restaurant’s capacity to the limit. We finished off all the food they had immediately available. We had to wait while they cooked more nasi lemak for us.

An hour later we got on our bikes again. Having already fed ourselves, Bukit Tinggi was off the agenda.

I wish I could say that we all had an uneventful ride back to HOA. Unfortunately, a patch of sand caught one of our group out. Road rash and an unrideable bike were the results.

The rest of us were more than 4km / 2.5mi up the road, literally, when we heard about the mishap. Leonard commandeered this tow truck parked outside the police station at the Genting Sempah R&R to head back down the hill to pick up Henry and his bike. Nothing but the best for a R@SKL!

Photograph courtesy of CK Lim

TH had ridden past us at the R&R and gone on ahead of the rest of us, oblivious to what had happened behind him.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

So he was the first to the HOA car park and was able to drive back up to the Genting Sempah R&R to ferry Henry and his bike.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

It was not the best end to what had been a very enjoyable ride. But falling is a hazard of our sport. We are all glad that Henry suffered only some road rash. On a more positive note, many have already volunteered to help him shop for a new frame!

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Bukit Tinggi, Genting Sempah, Janda Baik. Bookmark the permalink.

Road and Rail Back to Kepong

Posted on July 25, 2018 by alchemyrider

Day 2 Mini Bus

We were a bit slow to get going in the morning. There was some not-necessarily joking about taking the bus or train all the way back to Kuala Lumpur or getting a ride with someone.

We did make the walk to Hollywood at 7.30am. Plates of prawn chee cheong fun, char kway teow, and lor bak, washed down with glasses of leng chee kang (lotus seed drink) perked everyone up.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

At 9.0am we were packed and ready to roll. Danial’s friend Eric rode with us to Gopeng before turning around and heading back home.

Photograph courtesy of Eric

We made a quick stop at the 7-Eleven in the same row of shophouses as the Ampang Cycle House. Our first proper stop was at a Petron station in Gopeng. The breakfast drinks had made their way through our bodily systems by then.

The day had started out cooler than it had been the previous day. Everyone was pleased about that.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

37km / 23mi into our ride we were in Kampar. A Petron station was a convenient place to stop for ten minutes.

At 12.30pm were in Tapah. The KFC there was a lot less appealing as a lunch venue than it had been the day before. After some scouting around, we ended up at . . .

Photograph courtesy of Ozairi Othman

Pizza Hut! That was an underwhelming experience. The pizzas were smaller than we had expected, there was no ice for our drinks, and the air conditioning wasn’t working very well. Nevertheless, between us, we polished off three regular pizzas and four 1.5 litre bottles of Pepsi Cola.

The cool of the early morning had given way to full-on heat. It was 35° C / 95° F outside. The plan had been to spend an hour in Pizza Hut. The ineffective air conditioning while we were eating made that seem unlikely. By the time we were finished eating the air conditioning had upped its game and we finally began to cool off. And so we stayed there for seventy minutes.

We then spent fifteen minutes at the Petronas station 200 metres down the road eating ice cream for dessert.

Thirty-five minutes later we were in Bidor. The iced mango and other fresh fruit at the Sakinah stall, where we had stopped on the way to Ipoh, were calling our names. That was another fifteen-minute break.

Photograph courtesy of Ozairi Othman

It was past 2.30pm. The temperature would stay in the mid to low 30s° C / low 90s° F for the next three hours. We would be stopping a lot. So no change from the MO of the day before.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

One of the benefits of riding on what used to be the main trunk road linking Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh is that you pass through lots of small towns. Towns which have at least one petrol station with an air-conditioned convenience store where we could stop and rest.

Sungkai was the next of these towns. We spent twenty minutes in the BHP station there. We were not in a rush. The first non-peak train leaves Tanjung Malim at 7.00pm on weekends. We had about 45km / 28mi to go, and more than four hours to cover that distance.

It is 22km / 14mi from Sungkai to Slim River. Just a bit too far to do all in one go, given the temperature and the rolling terrain. There isn’t much between Sungkai and Slim River, so we stopped in some shade beside the road at the junction to Trolak.

We spent forty minutes at the Petronas station in Slim River. More ice cream and cold drinks. That was the good news.

Day 2 Cursing

The bad news was that I dropped my mobile phone and broke the screen.

25km / 16mi to Tanjung Malim. It was 5.30pm when we left Slim River. The temperature had dropped to 29° C / 84° F. Enough of the cutting edge had been taken off the heat that we were able to cover those last kilometres to Tanjung Malim in one go. We stopped at a Petronas station a couple of kilometres from the Komuter station to regroup and get a drink.

Photograph courtesy of Halim Zin

We then rode to the KTM station to get tickets for the 8.00pm train to Kepong. We planned to have dinner during the hour or so before that train departed. We got to the KTM station at 6.50pm and were told that we could board the 7.00pm train with our bikes. The train was already at the station. We quickly hauled our bikes up and across the overpass to the platform on the other side of the tracks and hopped onto the train.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Martzuki

Once again we had the entire carriage to ourselves.

It was dark when we pulled into the KTM Kepong station. There had been talk about getting dinner before riding home, but by the time we wheeled our bikes off the train at 8.30pm the gloss had worn off that idea. It had been a long and hot weekend, and everyone just wanted to get home. Which we all accomplished safely.

This was my first ride to Ipoh. It was a lot of fun (double pinch flats and broken phone screen aside). I would do it again. Any town with its own Hollywood-style sign is worth another visit.

Photograph courtesy of The Malaysian Times

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Bidor, Gopeng, Hollywood, Ipoh, Kepong, KTM Komuter, Slim River, Sungkai, Tanjung Malim, Tapah. Bookmark the permalink.

Rail and Road to Ipoh

Posted on July 25, 2018 by alchemyrider

Vegas and Hollywood were two of the highlights of our weekend trip to Ipoh. More on that later.

Canning Garden in Ipoh, where we spent the night, is just over 200km / 124mi from Kuala Lumpur. Which is just a bit further than we wanted to cycle.

So we went by train for part of the way. Tanjung Malim is as far as you can go northwards on the KTM Komuter train. The KTM Electric Train Service (ETS) goes beyond Tanjung Malim to Ipoh and onwards to the Thai border, but full-sized bicycles are not allowed on board the ETS trains.

Early on Saturday morning six of us met up at various points along the way to the Kepong Komuter station. We would normally have boarded the train in Kuala Lumpur. Track upgrading work means that there is temporarily no service between Kuala Lumpur and Kepong.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

Danial, Halim, Choo Chian, Safwan, Ozzy and I caught the 7.10am train ride from Kepong to Tanjung Malim. That was the last weekend non-peak hours train until 8.00pm. Bicycles are allowed on Komuter trains during non-peak hours only. The train ride took about 75 minutes. We had the last carriage almost entirely to ourselves. At 9.00am we were scouting the area around the Tanjung Malim station for a place to have breakfast.

The stop at Restoran Hijas was the first of many.

By 9.45am we were on the road northwards to Ipoh. We cycled along Federal Route 1, which as the name implies is the first and oldest federal road in Malaysia. Federal Route 1 was the backbone of the road system in the western states of Peninsular Malaysia before being supplanted by the North–South Expressway (E1 and E2).

Photograph courtesy of Ozairi Othman

Our next stop was at the Shell station in Slim River. So named for a Captain Slim, who in the nineteenth century sailed up the river, mistaking it for the larger Perak River, which was the main waterway at that time.

We were trundling along at a relatively relaxed pace. We were all carrying clothes, toiletries etc. in our saddle packs. Some of us had handlebar bags as well. Danial was on a Marin touring bike. We weren’t set up for speed.

So it was two and a half hours before we got to Restoran Shakir in Sungkai, where we had drinks and topped up our bottles with ice.

A word about the state of the road is appropriate here. The entire length of the ride was about 125km / 78mi. There were some badly rutted and patched sections, but in the main, the road surface was reasonable to good. However, there was enough debris on the road that you had to keep your eyes glued to the road ahead.

3km after leaving Restoran Shakir I got distracted by a motorcyclist pulling off the road to my left and clanged straight over a substantial lump of stone. The noise that made was loud enough to make me think that I had damaged a rim. Not the case as it turned out, but I had pinch-flatted both my tires.

Thank goodness for riding with friends whom I could borrow an inner tube from.

Photograph courtesy of Ozairi Othman

Danial and Ozzy rode on while my three assistants and I fixed two flat tires. We caught up with them about 10km / 6mi later at a row of fresh fruit stalls in Bidor. It was 1.00pm and 33° C / 91° F by then. Iced mango slices hit the spot.

We got to Tapah about thirty minutes later. A good time to stop for lunch.

Photograph courtesy of Safwan Siddiq

The KFC in Tapah was packed but we went in any way. The air conditioning was the main attraction.

My lunch was pretty good too.

70km / 43mi done. 55km / 31mi to go.

After forty-five minutes in the cool of the KFC, we headed out into the sun again. Not for long though. It was 35° C / 95° F. Twenty minutes later we stopped at the Shell station in Temoh for ice cream and drinks.

Thirty minutes after that we were inside a Petron station at Kampar. I told you we stopped a lot.

The next ice cream and drinks stop was at a Shell station in Gopeng. It was 4.30pm, and we had 18km / 11mi to go. But we had two more stops to make before w got to Canning Garden.

All the Way from Tanjung Malim we had ridden past a multitude of roadside stalls, some quite makeshift, selling durians. Durians are regarded by many in Southeast Asia as the “king of fruits.”

Photograph courtesy of The Star Online

Durians are a seasonal fruit, and prices have soared in recent years as more and more of the local crop is exported to places like China. But this year, a combination of unusually hot weather and heavy rainfall resulted in a long durian season. This has produced an oversupply that has pushed down prices.

Danial could not resist the temptation. We stopped in Simpang Pulai for a mini durian feast. While the others were delving into durians, I noticed, set back from the road, the ruins of this mansion.

Day 1 Ruin Closeup

In its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, Ipoh was the epicentre of a tin mining boom. Newly minted millionaires built mansions like this one. Following the depletion of its tin deposits and the collapse of tin prices in the 1970s, Ipoh suffered decades of decline and neglect. Epitomised by these remains of what was once a stately home.

Our last stop was at the Ampang Cycle House, where I bought inner tubes and CO² cartridges to replace what I had borrowed.

4km / 2.5mi away from the bike shop is this terraced house which was our home for the night. Choo Chian booked it online for us. Very comfortable and well-equipped it was too.

Day 1 Home Stay

So why Vegas and Hollywood? They are the names of famous eating places in Canning Garden. Both are coffee shops housing a collection of food stalls, so there is a variety of dishes on offer.

It was 6.30pm when we arrived at Canning Garden. After storing our bikes in the house, we walked, in our cycling kits, to dinner at Vegas. Vegas is open at night but not in the morning. Hollywood, 100 metres away in the next block of shophouses, is closed at night and open in the morning. We would be at Hollywood for breakfast.

There are no dinner food photographs to show, but I assure you the food was good.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

After dinner, we washed ourselves and our cycling kits, and lounged in the sitting room for a while. Some of the guys went back out at about 10.00pm for a teh tarik. It was lights out time for Halim and I.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Bidor, Canning Garden, Gopeng, Hollywood, Ipoh, Kampar, KTM Komuter, Simpang Pulai, Sungkai, Tanjung Malim, Tapah, Vegas. Bookmark the permalink.

Teluk Intan with the R@SKLs – Day 2

Posted on July 17, 2018 by alchemyrider

Teluk Intan Day 1 Menara Chondong Night Mark

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

While we were cooling down in the lobby after arriving at the Yew Boutique Hotel, we talked about a start time for our ride back to Kapar. 6.00am was mentioned. Jake asked me if that start time eas confirmed. I told him to wait until after dinner.

Sure enough. 10kg / 22lbs of udang galah in our collective stomachs prompted some recalibration. Breakfast at the coffee shop across the road from the hotel at 6.30am, and wheels rolling at 7.00am.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

We didn’t quite meet our 7.00am departure goal. Heng Keng took the photograph below. No prizes for figuring out who was the last person out of the hotel door.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

We have developed a routine for Day 2 of these Teluk Intan rides. Breakfast across the road from the hotel. Followed by a stop at the 7 Eleven 400 meters down the road for ice and water. Then onto Jalan Maharajalela and southward out of town.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tailwind from Sabak Bernam to Teluk Intan the previous afternoon. “Effortless” was one description for that 35km / 22mi section where we hit 40kph / 25mph at times. Well, we paid the full price for that tailwind, plus interest, on the way back to Kapar.

Teluk Intan Day 2 Wind bicyclenetwork com au

Photograph courtesy of bicyclenetwork.com.au

Kapar is almost directly south of Teluk Intan. As we left Teluk Intan the wind was blowing north-westward at 4kph. At 8.00am we were at Hutan Melintang, where the wind was blowing westward at 4kph. At 9.30am we were at Sabak Bernam, and the wind was blowing north-westward again, but stronger at 13kph.

We turned off Route 5 at Sabak Bernam to follow the secondary roads which run along the coast. While waiting for the others to ensure that they didn’t miss the turn, Pai handed out kokuto, which is brown sugar candy from Okinawa. Although kokuto is made from sugar cane, it tastes a lot like gula kabung or gula melaka, which are types of palm sugar.

Kokuto Oikinawan brown sugar candy jpninfo com

Photograph courtesy of jpninfo.com

Around this time a good friend to the R@SKLs, Daniel, was well into his Olympic Distance Race at the Port Dickson International Triathlon 2018. That consists of a 1.5km open water swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run.

Respect!

Photograph courtesy of Daniel Lim

Despite being on more sheltered roads south of Sabak Bernam, the headwind was just as bad. The roads were very nice though.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

We planned to make our first stop at Sungai Besar, which is 50km / 31km from Teluk Intan. The extra effort against the headwind meant that we were more than ready for a break in Sungai Besar. One of the first stalls we came upon was selling fresh coconut water. After drinking the water straight out of the coconut, it is split open so you can spoon out the jellylike flesh.

Pai’s thirst had been slaked, but he was hungry. So he crossed the road to the 988 Restaurant for a plate of chicken rice. Before long three or four others were sitting beside him, eating red bean paste filled pau, and toast with kaya (coconut jam).

We weren’t back on the road for very long before we realised that we had lost Natasha and Marco. Marco had loaded the route onto his Bryton. However, the mapped route showed a right turn which didn’t exist in reality. If you turned right at the next opportunity instead of making a u-turn and backtracking, you were on the wrong road.

Everyone found a shady spot while Lay and I went to find Natasha and Marco. Despite the headwind now blowing straight into our faces at 16kph, it was getting hot.

Teluk Intan Day 2 Waiting For Lost Trio Pai

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

We were still on country roads after 75km, with just the odd motorcycle for company.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Then we came upon a Malay wedding kenduri (feast) in full swing. As sometimes happens in rural villages, the entire width of the road had been taken over by marquees which provided shade for buffet tables and guests eating lunch.

Rather than detour around the blocked section of road, which would have required us to get back onto Route 5, we decided to walk our bikes around the edge of the marquees.

Traditional village hospitality then came to the fore. We were invited to stay and eat something. When we declined, we were plied with drinks instead. The emcee announced that we were coming through, and asked everyone to make way for us as we wound our way between tables.

Quite amazing!

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

Having declined a meal at the wedding feast, we were ready for lunch when we got to Sekinchan. Marvin said he knew a good restaurant, but wasn’t sure if

a) it was open, and
b) if it was open, whether it would be full by the time we got there.

I wouldn’t have guessed that this is a restaurant.

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

Redang Station No. 15 was open, and there was room for us. The restaurant is essentially a big room on stilts. The floor is wood planking, as are the tables and benches. The back of the restaurant opens out to the jetties where fishing boats unload their catch of the day.

Teluk Intan Day 2 Fishing Boats

Alfred was certainly comfortable. Admittedly it was 36° C / 97° F outside, and he was done riding for the day. His wife was going to pick him up after lunch.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

The online reviews for Redang Station No. 15 are either glowing or damning. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground. Marvin had already prepped us for what to expect. The restaurant serves seafood only. Either steamed or fried. No fancy sauces. No rice. No vegetables. Just fresh seafood. And fried noodles if you insist.

Everything we ate was delicious. The freshest ingredients simply prepared. Thank you for taking us there Marvin.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Martin Lee

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Apart from its seafood restaurants, Sekinchan in also noted for Redang Beach and the Wishing Tree.

Redang Beach, like almost all beaches on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is nothing special. The lack of storm activity in the Straits of Melaka limits the scouring action of the sea. Which means that a layer of silt has built up over the years, making the beaches muddy.

Those kites illustrate the 17kph wind blowing northward straight up the coast.

Teluk Intan Day 2 Pantai Redang 2 Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

The Wishing Tree gets lots of visitors. It came to fame after being featured in the Hong Kong TVB drama “Outbound Love.” You write a wish on a strip of red cloth, tie each end to a coin with a hole in the middle, and toss the cloth strip into the branches of the tree.

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

There are about 70km / 43mi between Sekinchan and Kapar. We knew that the heat and the headwind would make a rest stop essential. Conveniently, there is a McDonald’s in Kuala Selangor, which is midway between Sekinchan and Kapar.

We spent an hour at that McDonald’s, drinking iced lemon tea, 100 Plus, and Coke. And eating french fries and chocolate sundaes. And waiting for Marco and Natasha. Marco had a mechanical problem with his touring bike, and that was slowing him down.

Not that we were complaining about having to wait in the air conditioning. It was hot outside. How hot? That is crusted salt on Jake’s sleeve, from all the sweating he was doing.

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

We debated staying on Route 5 back to Kapar but decided it wouldn’t be worth riding on a heavily trafficked and rough road to save few kilometres. So we stayed on the back roads. This herd of cattle was going with the wind is it meandered all over the road. The cows and bull appeared to be relatively used to sharing the road. They weren’t in the least bothered by us riding past them.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

We had to get back onto Route 5 about 10km / 6mi from Adtek. The road surface is very rutted, and the shoulder is covered in all sorts of debris, including broken glass. The odds of getting a flat tire are high. I picked up a flat tire on that section the last time we did this ride. Now it was Marvin’s turn.

The only good thing was that Marvin flatted next to a shaded culvert. I assure you we did help Marvin fix his flat!

Photograph courtesy of Lay Hoi Cheong

We all got back to Adtek safely, which is the most important thing. Despite the constant headwind, everyone enjoyed the ride.

Being able to shower at Adtek before driving home was a real treat. Thank you again Pai for giving us access to the facilities at your factory.

We are already thinking about when to do the next Teluk Intan ride. It could well become a quarterly event.

Let’s get through CFAL first though!

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Kapar, Kuala Selangor, McDonalds, Pantai Redang, Redang Station No. 15, Sabak Bernam, Sekinchan, Sungai Besar, Teluk Intan. Bookmark the permalink.

Old Roots, New Routes

Category Archives: Cycling in Malaysia

CFAL 2018: Round Island Ride

With apologies to The Bee Gees

CFAL 2018: Beach Party

CFAL 2018: Food Hunt

CFAL 2018: Prelude

Road and Rail to Tanjung Malim

Tanjung Sepat x 2

Actual Route May Vary

Road and Rail Back to Kepong

Rail and Road to Ipoh

Teluk Intan with the R@SKLs – Day 2

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