Category Archives: Cycling in Malaysia

Avoiding the Heat

Posted on February 11, 2018 by alchemyrider

Malaysia’s climate is equatorial, being hot and humid throughout the year. The maximum temperature and high humidity numbers for Kuala Lumpur so far in February 2018 bear this out.

Data courtesy of Weather Underground

I have written in the past about how to beat the heat. I wrote a post about how much to drink on a ride. Another post was about the efficacy of wearing a base layer. There was a post about how to keep sweat out of your eyes.

Lately a few riding buddies and I have taken heat and humidity management to a new level.

Ride Start Times.png

When possible, we have taken to starting rides before 5.30am. That way we get most of our riding in before the sun rises at around 7.30am. We get an average of 85km / 53mi done, and have breakfast, by about 9.30am. At that time of the morning the temperature is still in the mid 20s °C / mid 70s °F.

Not everyone can start a ride before 5.30am. I for one need to take a mid-afternoon nap. But for those who can, there is no better way to stay

Out of the sun

Specialized KEG Storage Vessel

Posted on February 1, 2018 by alchemyrider

An article titled 6 of the best: saddle bags, which appeared recently on bikeradar.com, reminded me of a post I wrote last year about how to carry everything that you need while on a bike ride.

When I wrote that post, I was using a Silca Seat Roll Premio under my saddle to carry a spare tube, tire levers, a CO² regulator and gas cartridge, patches, a multi-tool, and cleaning wipes.

I’ve recently switched to using a Specialized KEG Storage Vessel instead of the Premio.

Photograph courtesy of Specialized

Not that there’s anything wrong with the Premio. Far from it. The Premio is an excellent piece of kit, and there will be times when I use it again.

When I go on overnight credit card tours, my Apidura Saddle Pack takes the place of the Premio, so I need an alternate way to carry a spare tube, tire levers etc. I could put them in the Apidura, but opening the Saddle Pack mid-ride is not particularly convenient. I have used a top tube bag a number of times, but found that the bag gets in the way when I am out of the saddle.

The KEG sits, out of the way, in the bottle cage on my seat tube. It has the additional advantages of being extremely easy to open, it does not need to be removed from the bike like a saddle roll, and items can’t fall out like they may from a saddle bag.

Items inside the KEG are held securely by a pocketed “tool wrap,” which also prevents rattling.

Photograph courtesy of sigmasports.com

There are always a compromises when it comes bicycle components. On the minus side, the KEG occupies a bottle cage, leaving me with room for one water bottle instead of two. Which is not a problem, as there are lots of places to refill my bottle where I usually ride.

On the plus side, I have lots of exposed seat tube where I can mount one or more rear lights.

The Specialized KEG Storage Vessel is now my preferred way of carrying flat tire repair essentials.

I give it Two Thumbs Up

7 Comments

Posted in Cycling in Malaysia, Gear and Tools and tagged Apidura, Silca Seat Roll Premio, Specialized KEG Storage Vessel. Bookmark the permalink.

Seven R@SKLs Ride to Teluk Intan

Posted on January 30, 2018 by alchemyrider

Photograph courtesy of tourismperakmalaysia.com/

My first ride to Teluk Intan, in 2016, was along Federal Route 5, which is one of three north–south backbone federal highways in Peninsular Malaysia. Which makes it a heavily-used road by all manner of motor vehicles. The road surface bears the scars of constant pounding by heavy lorries and buses. Which makes it less than ideal to cycle on.

I rode to Teluk Intan twice in 2017, each time trying to find more and more secondary roads to ride on, as an alternative to Federal Route 5.

It fell to me to plan the route for this ride to Teluk Intan. Ride With GPS has a route planning feature which is easy to use. My goal was to put us onto as many roads like this as possible.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Smaller, scenic roads and paths, with very few cars or motorcycles. For the first 110km / 68mi or so, we rode on Federal Route 5 only when we had to cross a major river, e.g. the Sungai Selangor at Kuala Selangor, or the Sungai Bernam north of Sabak. We rode all but 13km / 8mi on these quiet, secondary roads.

There were a few surprises though. We came upon a few sections where the tarmac turned into this.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

I had discovered, too late, that Ride With GPS will plot a route along any road possible, paved or otherwise.

I now know that counter-checking a route generated by Ride With GPS with Google Map Street View is essential. All the laterite or otherwise unpaved roads and paths which Ride With GPS took us onto do not have Google Map Street Views. This check is easy to do, because Ride With GPS uses maps provided by Google Maps. So the small yellow Street View man is always available in the lower right corner of the map.

The red line on the upper map shows the route we rode, as created with Ride With GPS. The blue lines on the lower map show where Street View is available. That section we rode, where Street View is not available, was a narrow, unpaved track. We were able to ride it, but it was a bit worrying on narrow 23mm or 25mm tires.

I learned through experience that in future, I must avoid plotting routes on roads and paths where Google Map Street View cameras have not been.

Upper map courtesy of Ride With GPS. Lower map courtesy of Google Maps

Despite the unexpected off-road bike handling skills tests, we all had a good time. Fortunately no one took a tumble or had a flat caused by the uneven surfaces, which at times were liberally strewn with sharp stones.

As is par for the course with the R@SKLs, a long ride like this one required frequent refreshment stops.

Breakfast was at 23km / 14mi.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We had a 10am snack at 65km / 40mi.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We made a slight detour to the beach at Sekinchan, to look at some of the catch being brought ashore at the jetty.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

And to pose under the “good luck” tree.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

The good luck tree didn’t work out for Simon. He had a flat tire at 89km / 55mi. It was lucky for the rest of us though. Simon’s flat was conveniently right next to this stall selling Air Batu Campur, which is a local dessert made of shaved ice coated with with brown sugar syrup, other flavoured syrups, and evaporated milk. Other ingredients are kidney beans, red beans, creamed corn, and crushed peanuts.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

While we were quenching our thirst, the stall owner told us that there was a restaurant 2km / 1.2mi away that serves very good mee kari udang lipan (noodles and mantis shrimp curry).

It was 12.30pm when we got to that restaurant. Which, coincidentally, was when it opened.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

After lunch, we had just under 25km / 16mi, including another unexpected off road section, this time 3km / 2mi long, before we got to the bridge over Sungai Bernam. From that point we had no option but to ride along Federal Route 5, and then Federal Route 58 to Teluk Intan. Fortunately the roads north of Sabak are wide, the road surface is reasonably good, and the traffic is a bit lighter.

The 55km / 34mi ride from our lunch stop to the Yew Boutique Hotel in Teluk Intan had worked up a thirst and hunger. It was three and a half hours to dinner. We needed something to keep our strength up until then.

The famed Teluk Intan chee cheong fun (rice noodle roll, char koay teow, and a fermented barley drink did the trick.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

The main event was at 7.30pm, at Restoran d’Tepian Sungai. The udang galah (giant river prawn) feast. Clockwise from top left: curried, grilled, fried with turmeric, and in spicy coconut gravy.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

We made short work of 4 kilos / 9lb of Grade A prawns, plus fried mixed vegetables, omelettes, white rice, and three jugs of fruit juice.

After all that food, I barely managed to ride my bike to the Menara Condong (Leaning Tower) for an illuminated photograph to go with the daytime shot we took when we arrived in Teluk Intan.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

The trip back to Kapar the next day was equally food and drink-filled.

We had breakfast at the coffee shop across the street from the hotel. Our rooms came with breakfast, but the hotel starts serving at 7am. We had filled our bottles at the nearby 7-Eleven and were on the road by then.

We skipped the off-road section between Sabak and Sungai Besar. I’m not convinced that the equivalent stretch of Federal Route 5 was any smoother.

Our first stop was in Sungai Besar, 50km / 31mi into our ride. We had iced Milo, coffee, and roti canai.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

Our next stop was a sightseeing one. Our route along the coast took us past a small fishing jetty at Pasir Panjang.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Fishing Jetty Birds' Nests

We put in a further 42km / 26mi before stopping again. This time for air kelapa (fresh coconut water). Most of us had two coconuts each.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

The air kelapa stand was 60km / 37mi from our Sungai Besar food stop. The guys were hungry. Mark and I knew that the Kuala Selangor McDonald’s was only 4km / 2.5mi down the road. A sundae was calling my name. Burgers, chicken nuggets, and fries were calling out to the others.

The air-conditioning at McD’s was another attraction. It was pushing 30°C / 86°F, and it would get hotter. 40 minutes in cool air was a welcome respite.

There was 35km / 22mi left to ride from Kuala Selangor to Kapar. Including another unexpected 2km / 1.2mi sandy and stony section. Fortunately it wasn’t wet like it is in this Google Maps Street View.

Photograph courtesy of Google

Our tires survived the sharp stones. There was just one more section of Federal Route 5 to ride along. It is a toss up between riding to the right of the road shoulder, where the surface is cleaner but rougher, or on the road shoulder, where there is always a lot of debris. The heavy traffic often makes the road shoulder the safer option, but the risk of having a puncture is higher.

My rear tire went soft. It was hot, and I was cheesed off at flatting with just 5km /3mi left to go in our 290km / 180mi round trip. In my impatience, I fumbled two changes, rendering both inner tubes unusable. Lay, Marvin, and Ridzuwan bailed me out with another inner tube, helping with the tube installation, and buying cold drinks from the petrol station across the road.

The day ended well though. Simon got home with plenty of time before the concert he was going to that evening. There had been no falls or major mechanical issues. Everyone enjoyed the ride to Teluk Intan and back, despite the unpaved sections.

And Lay, Wan and I had one more meal together before our day was over. Braised lamb shanks and cendols all round.

Photograph courtesy of Lay Hoi Cheong

Teluk Intan Quote

6 Comments

Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Federal Route 5, Kapar, Kuala Selangor, Menara Condong, Restoran D'Tepian Sungai, Ride With GPS, Sabak Bernam, Sekinchan, Sungai Besar, Teluk Intan, Udang Galah, Yew Boutique Hotel. Bookmark the permalink.

Keat Wong Memorial Ride

Posted on January 21, 2018 by alchemyrider

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia magazine

Keat Wong lined up as a member of team Flipside for many a ride in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

By 2016 life was taking many Flipsiders in new directions, and our rides together became fewer and farther between.

I saw less and less of some of the Flipsiders, including Keat, over the past couple of years. Keat and I did stay in touch, but our occasional meetings were over lunch rather than on a ride.

It is sad that it took Keat’s untimely passing to bring a larger group of Flipsiders back together for a ride. At the same time, I am very happy that sixteen of Keat’s cycling companions were able to gather in his memory. Including some who literally dusted off long unused bicycles in order to honour Keat.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

We took a route that Keat rode with us many times. Bandar Sunway to Kota Kemuning for breakfast, and then on to Bandar Botanik and back to Bandar Sunway.

Map courtesy of Ride With GPS

There was only one choice of restaurant for breakfast. Pun Chun Noodle House.

Photograph courtesy of Annie Lim

I had one of Keat’s favourite breakfasts. Duck drumstick noodles.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

We pedalled along roads familiar to Keat, and laughed and smiled as we talked about the good times we had shared with him.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

RIP Keat Wong

Photograph courtesy on Yen Wong

You will be sorely missed by all who rode with you.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Bandar Botanic, Bandar Sunway, Flipside, Keat Wong, Kota Kemuning, Pun Chun Noodle House. Bookmark the permalink.

Wong Keat Soon: 1956 – 2018

Posted on January 18, 2018 by alchemyrider

Photograph courtesy of Yen Wong

My Flipside friends and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Keat Wong.

I first met Keat in early 2013. I don’t remember the circumstances. Like most cycling friendships, I suspect ours began with an introduction by a mutual cycling acquaintance.

Keat and I became members of Team Flipside. I remember lots of pre-dawn starts.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Christopher Chin

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

We shared many pre, mid, and post ride meals.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Keat brought much joy and laughter wherever he went.

Photograph courtesy of Wong Thean Liang

And a never-say-die attitude to cycling. Keat’s exploits on a bicycle are legendary. Land’s End to John O’Groats. The Maratona dies Dolomites. The
Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge. The Vätternrundan. The Silk Route. The Cape Town Cycle Tour. The list goes on.

Whatever the challenge, you could count on Keat to make it to the finish.

Photograph courtesy of Keat Wong

Photograph courtesy of Yen Wong

Photograph courtesy of Keat Wong

Keat you will be sorely missed by all who knew you, and who had the pleasure of your company on various bike rides.

Wishing you eternal peace.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Attaque

Photograph courtesy of cyclinghappy

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Wong Keat Soon. Bookmark the permalink.

Una Leggenda Italiana

Posted on January 14, 2018 by alchemyrider

Photograph courtesy of The Bike Artisans

The Fiat Seicento, an update of the Cinquecento, is a classic of the automotive world. Dario Pegoretti, on the other hand, is a bicycle frame building legend. He is one of the most revered and respected steel frame builders in the world. His frames, exclusively in Columbus steel, are unique. Frames which are turned into works of art by paint that expresses his artistic passions.

Pegoretti Duende in Mesonperso Yellow & Pearl Blue lines 7

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

The Bike Artisans brought Dario to Kuala Lumpur to meet his fans, and more importantly, to take orders from aficionados eager to own a custom-built Duende, Mxxxxxxo, Responsorium, or Big Leg Emma frame.

Graphic courtesy of The Bike Artisans

Over two days Dario measured and interviewed more than thirty individuals. He suggested which of his frames would suit each person’s build and riding style. Then, each customer had to decide whether to have that frame finished with a stock paint scheme, or to go for the “surprise me” option of a hand-painted Ciavete design.

Photograph courtesy of The Bike Artisans

The Bike Artisans very kindly organised two events to mark Dario’s visit to Kuala Lumpur.

The first was dinner on Saturday night at Timbre, conveniently located next door to the bike shop.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

It was an opportunity for Pegoretti owners to get their bikes autographed by Dario, for wish-we-were-owners to ogle the bikes and frames on display, and to get a photograph with the master.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

The second was the Pego-Raduno Asia Edition ride, from The Bike Artisans to Genting Sempah and back.

Photograph courtesy of Griffin Yong

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

It has been unusually cool over the past few days. Which helped make the Sunday morning ride very pleasant.

The ride ended with a satay lunch outside The Bike Artisans.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

And the opportunity to look over what was probably the largest collection of Pegorettis ever assembled in Kuala Lumpur.

Photograph courtesy of The Bike Artisans

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Photograph courtesy of The Bike Artisans

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

The thirty or so who ordered frames now have a ten month or so wait while Dario cuts and welds tubes, and paints frames in his workshop in Verona.

Perhaps Dario will visit Kuala Lumpur again at the end of the year to deliver those eagerly awaited frames.

Photograph courtesy of The Bike Artisans

8 Comments

Posted in Cycling in Malaysia, Gear and Tools and tagged Big Leg Emma, Dario Pegoretti, Duende, Genting Sempah, Mxxxxxxo, Responsorium, The Bike Artisans, Timbre. Bookmark the permalink.

Strava Ride # 1,000

Posted on January 8, 2018 by alchemyrider

I read a WordPress post by Tempo Cyclist the other day, where he described the first ride he uploaded to Strava. That got me thinking about all the rides I have uploaded to Strava over the years.

Riffing off Tempo Cyclist’s post, I looked at my 1,000th ride on Strava. It was a ride to Genting Sempah, with good friends Mark and Ridzuwan, on 18th October last year.

Coincidentally, my very first ride in Malaysia, after moving back home from the Netherlands, was also up to Genting Sempah, on 7th October 2012.

The Genting Sempah climb is probably the most cycled route in the Klang Valley. I have done the Genting Sempah climb at least forty times since that first ride in 2012. There has always been dozens of other riders on Jalan Gombak with me.

The climb is generally considered to be from the Hospital Orang Asli (HOA) to the flyover at the summit, which is almost on top of the border between the states of Selangor and Pahang.

Heatmap courtesy of Strava

A lot of people start their ride from somewhere near the HOA. It all depends on where they can find a parking space.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Lim

The ride to the flyover is very pleasant. It is usually quite cool and shady. The average gradient is about 3.5%, but with some kickers along the way to get the heart rate up. And traffic is usually fairly light, although occasionally there are car clubs or motorcyclists blasting up the hill..

Photograph courtesy of Khoo Yit Kiat

A number of troops of monkeys live in the jungle lining the road. It is not unusual to see some during the ride.

GS Monkeys Rodrigo Sala at tcktcktck.org

Photograph courtesy of Rodrigo Sala at tcktcktck.org

The bridge with 1.8km / 1.1mi to go to the summit is a convenient spot to stop to get your breath back before tackling the last two steep corners on the way to the flyover.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

Near that bridge, you get a good view of the Karak Highway, which replaced Jalan Gombak as the primary route between Kuala Lumpur and Bentong.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Most riders turn around at the flyover.

Photograph courtesy of Gary Wong

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Photograph courtesy of They Wei Chon

If you are hungry, there is a McDonald’s one kilometer down the other side of the hill, at the Genting Sempah R&R on the Karak Highway. We often start the Genting Sempah ride with the intention of going to the McDonald’s, but change our mind at the flyover. The prospect of climbing 64 meters / 210 feet over 1km / 0.6mi from the McDonald’s back to the flyover puts us off.

GS McDonald's

If you want to go further afield for food, you can continue down the hill from the R&R for 5km / 3mi to the left turn to Bukit Tinggi, with its collection of kopitiams, or Hokkien coffee shops.

Heatmap courtesy of Strava

A popular alternative is Janda Baik. Instead of turning left to Bukit Tinggi, you turn right and ride under this arch.

GS Janda Baik Arch

My go-to place for breakfast in Janda Baik used to be Andak’s Place.

GS Food Andak's Place

Sadly Andak’s Place has closed down.

An alternative is Kopi n Kraf.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

If you are looking for a longer ride, continue straight down the hill, past the turnings to Bukit Tinggi and Janda Baik, for another 30km / 18.6mi to Bentong.

There are food choices for those who turn around at the flyover and head back down the hill. The food stall a few hundred meters from the HOA is a popular spot for a pre-ride or post-ride drink and meal.

Photograph courtesy of Eric Siow

A few of us have taken to starting our ride to Genting Sempah from where I live. Which adds about 40km / 25mi to the 32km / 20mi from the HOA to the flyover and back. More importantly, it allows us to stop at Santa Chapati, near the Tawakal Hospital, for lunch on the way home.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Good riding, and good eats. No wonder Genting Sempah is a favourite route.

3 Comments

Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Bukit Tinggi, Genting Sempah, Genting Sempah R&R, Hospital Orang Asli, Jalan Gombak, Janda Baik, Karak Highway, Santa Chapati. Bookmark the permalink.

Cycling Infographics

Posted on January 2, 2018 by alchemyrider

Infographics make complex information eye catching, shareable and easily digestible. The best ones combine eye-catching graphics with interesting facts.

For example, A World of Languages. Did you know that 146 living languages are used as a first language in Malaysia?

2017 Infographic 7 Alberto Lucas López www lucasinfografia com

Graphic courtesy of Alberto Lucas López

Unsurprisingly, there are lots of infographics to do with cycling. This one plots the increase in the number of riders who completed the Rapha Festive 500 between 2011 and 2014.

Graphic courtesy of Rapha

For 2017, the number of roundel winners is above 19,000.

More details about the 2012 and 2013 Festive 500s are presented in these infographics.

Graphic courtesy of Rapha

Some activity-tracking sites produce individualised infographics. Strava is perhaps the most popular online cyclists’ community, with 203 million rides logged in 2017.

Each cyclist using Strava can generate a movie summarising their own achievements in 2017. The closing graphic looks like this.

Graphic courtesy of Strava

Strava also lets members generate heatmaps showing where they have ridden during a user-selected time period. The color used highlight the routes changes from blue through purple to red, depending on how often that particular route has been ridden.

Map courtesy of Strava

Third parties can access Strava’s data to produce their own infographics. This is the heatmap produced by Jonathan O”Keeffe’s Strava Multiple Ride Mapper application. It improves on the native Strava heatmap by using a wider range of colors to indicate ride frequency.

2017 Strava Multiple Ride Mapper Heatmap

Map courtesy of http://www.jonathanokeeffe.com

Veloviewer.com is another third-party application that pulls data from Strava to create individualized infographics.

One is a variation on the heatmap, supplemented with the date, distance, and elevation of each of the rides within the user-selected date range.

Graphic courtesy of Veloviewer

The more popular Veloviewer infographic, especially at year-end, is the one which tracks a variety of measures through the year.

Graphic courtesy of Veloviewer

Madewithsisu.com uses your Strava data to produce art, rather than infographics in the strict sense of the word.

Like Veloviewer, the user selects the time period from which data is to be used. Clocked represents each of your activities as a ring. They start when you started and finish when you finished.

The Multi-Route plots the route of all your rides for the chosen time period.

Graphic courtesy of Sisu

If you are interested in more infographics about cycling, like this one . . .

Graphic courtesy of Velopedia: The Infographic Book of Cycling

or this one . . .

Graphic courtesy of Velopedia: The Infographic Book of Cycling

then Velopedia: The Infographic Book of Cycling is the book for you.

Grow Your Jersey Collection One Ride at a Time – 2017

Posted on December 29, 2017 by alchemyrider

This is my fifh annual gallery of jerseys and T-shirts that were given out by event organisers.

You can look at previous year’s galleries here:

2013

2014

2015

2016

The first event jersey for 2017 was from the CIMB Cycle @ Seri Menanti ride. Remembered most for the evil 1km / 0.6mi, 9% average gradient climb within sight of the finish.

CIMB

April saw the 10th running of one of my favourite events, the Janamanjung Fellowship Ride. Always well-organized, and always fun. This event give out T shirts of registered participants.

JMFR

The next month brought the NST C-Cycle Challenge. We got rained on, hard, during that ride.

I gave away the event jersey, so have this mock up rather than a photograph.

NST

Another event that is a regular fixture on my calendar is the Campaign for a Lane ride in Penang. The R@SKLs turn CFAL into a weekend adventure.

CFAL

I didn’t ride in many organized events this year. Quality over quantity. The Satun International Century Ride certainly had quality. Despite the low turnout, the organisers looked after the participants very well.

This event has given both jerseys and T shirts to riders in the past. This year we got T shirts only. I suspect the low number of participants necessitated a budget cut.

Satun

As in previous years, I offered these jerseys and T shirts to any of my friends who want them. A new rider snapped them up. Perfect!

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged CFAL, CIMB @ Seri Menanti, Janamanjung Fellowship Ride, Jersey, NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017, Satun International Century Ride, T shirt. Bookmark the permalink.

Geometric Progression Weekend

Posted on December 18, 2017 by alchemyrider

Double

We didn’t plan for our ride distances to double everyday, but that is how our three-day weekend turned out.

Day 1

Leslie, Simon, Ridzuwan and I met at the Bank Negara KTM station for the Komuter train ride to Tampin.

Photograph courtesy of Arthur Ang

As is usually the case, there were only one or two other people with us and our Apidura saddle pack-equipped bicycles in the carriage at the back of the train.

Tampin is the last stop on the Komuter line that starts from Batu Caves, to the north of Kuala Lumpur.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

It took about two hours to get there. Long enough for an appetite for lunch to develop. So our first stop was at Restoran Nasi Kandar Impian in Tampin.

The Fenix Inn in Melaka is 40km / 25mi from Tampin. So it wasn’t very long before we were on the outskirts of Melaka.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

One of our rooms at the Fenix Inn wasn’t ready when we arrived there. So we did what most people do when in Melaka. We went cendol hunting.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

We found a shop selling cendol on Lorong Hang Jebat. But the guys spotted Sid’s Pub across the road. Cendol lost out to cold beers and lime juice.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

While we were on our second round of drinks, the sky darkened and thunder rumbled. We had had enough of riding in the rain in Southern Thailand, so emptied our glasses and rode back to the hotel.

It didn’t rain.

After a shower and a nap, we gathered for what Arthur described to me as a Melaka tradition. Satay at 5pm.

Arthur, a Melaka boy, couldn’t ride with us as he had hoped. So he drove to Melaka to act as our guide while we were there. You can’t beat local knowledge. Arthur knows which tourist traps to avoid, and where the hidden gems are. The satay at the restaurant he took us to was excellent.

8.00pm is dinner time in Melaka. Arthur took us towards Umbai, in search of grilled fish. We found the Medan Selera MBMB, at the end of Jalan Alai Perdana 21. The Medan Selera (food court) houses a number of restaurants, all selling fresh seafood, cooked to order.

Arthur and Simon chose this place.

Day 1 Arthur.png

Simon loaded up a bowl with fresh prawns, cencaru (torpedo scad), pari (stingray), and squid, under Wan’s watchful eye. The prawns and fish were grilled, and the squid was batter-fried. Delicious!

Thank you Arthur for being our food guide, and driving us around Melaka.

Day 1 Umbai Dinner

Day 2

We slept in after all that food the evening before. At 9.00am Arthur led us to a restaurant that is fabled for its fish ball soup. Unfortunately the stall owner was on holiday, so we settled for soft-boiled eggs, and toast with kaya.

Then we headed north along Lorong Hajah Maznah toward Port Dickson.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

32km / 20mi later it was time for a drink. And some roti canai. We shared two rotis between us. It was, after all, only 75 minutes since we ate breakfast!

Eight drinks and two rotis for the princely sum of RM10 / USD2.45. You can’t complain.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

At 52km / 32mi we crossed the Sungai Linggi. Worth a few photographs as the Sungai Linggi at that point forms the border between the states of Melaka and Negeri Sembilan.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

A few kilometers later we saw a sign advertising mango floats. It was 36° C / 97° F.

We stopped.

Day 2 Mangga Shake

There was a buffet with grilled cencaru and curried ikan parang (wolf herring). It was as good a time as any for lunch.

At Pasir Panjang I led the guys on a detour from our planned route. We left Route 5 and rode along Jalan Kampung Sungai Sekawang toward the sea. It made a nice change to be on a road with no vehicles.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

Jalan Kampung Sungai Sekawang rejoins Route 5 near the Eagle Ranch Resort. As the tepees indicate, the theme of this resort is the American West of cowboys and log cabins.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

By 2.00pm we were on the outskirts of Port Dickson. We had time to burn before check in time at the Waterfront Boutique Hotel. I saw a sign for Pantai Purnama. That seemed a better bet than the beach further along at Teluk Kemang, which was likely to be crowded with weekend holiday makers.

This photograph of Purnama beach is misleading. There was a reunion event going on at the beach. Just out of shot, there were lots of people on the beach and in the water.

Day 2 Beach

We enjoyed the shade and sea breeze, and our ice cold rose syrup and lime drinks.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

Leslie bought eight packets of drinks. We could only finish one packet each, so we gave the other four packets to the family having a picnic behind us.

40 minutes later we were riding past Teluk Kemang beach. It did look very crowded.

It was about 85km / 53mi from the Fenix Inn in Melaka to the Waterfront Boutique Hotel in Port Dickson. Day 1 distance x 2.

Arthur had headed back to KL after guiding us to the Melaka breakfast spot. So we didn’t have access to a car in Port Dickson. Which made the Waterfront Boutique Hotel, located on the boulevard walk, an excellent choice. Within walking distance of the hotel entrance are a variety of food outlets, bars, a bank, a 7-Eleven, etc.

As per Day 1, a shower and nap were the immediate priority after getting our room keys. Also as per Day 1, we kept up the Melaka tradition of tea at 5pm.

We sat at the Pattaya Bar, and had food delivered from the neighbouring Double Q Thai Cuisine restaurant. A selection of Thai appetizers, and plates of pad thai.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

Dinner followed at 8.00pm. We walked to the Arab place a bit further along the boulevard. A family platter of chicken mandi, with an extra serving of lamb, and Turkish coffee and crème caramel for afters.

The one downside of the hotel’s location made itself apparent at about midnight. That is when the pub near the hotel sprang to life. Pounding music and arguments in the car park kept us awake until 3am. Except for Leslie, who brought earplugs. Smart man!

Day 3

Port Dickson to Kuala Lumpur was the longest leg of our trip. An early start, despite our lack of sleep, was necessary.

We checked out of the hotel at 6.45am, and rolled the 500 meters to the McDonald’s at the end of the boulevard. The jazzy music which accompanied our McMuffins made a cool change from the Hindi-pop of the night before.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

We were on the road at 7.20am. Our target was a 9.30am rendezvous at Morib beach with Luanne, Chew, Mark, and Shawn. They were riding from Kota Kemuning to Morib. The idea was for us to take a break at Morib, and for them to ride with us from there back to Kota Kemuning.

The highlight of this leg was the ferry ride across the Sungai Sepang. The ride from Tanah Merah New Village to Pekan Sungai Pelek using the ferry near Kampung India is 7km / 4mi shorter than it would be if we stayed on Route 5 to Pekan Sungai Pelek.

The N4 is a quieter road than Route 5. The 1km to the ferry is even quieter.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

The river at that point is no more than 100 meters wide. The ferry crossing costs RM0.80 / USD0.20 per person, including the RM0.30 / USD0.07 charge for a bike.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

The banks of the Sungai Pelek are lined with mangrove forest. Sadly, one of the Earth’s most rapidly disappearing ecosystems.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

Back on Route 5 in Pekan Sungai Pelek, we came upon the first road sign indicating the distance to Morib. I had underestimated the distance from Port Dickson to Morib by 30%. I said, with misplaced confidence, “About 50km / 30mi.” It was actually 65km / 40mi.

It was clear we weren’t going to be at Morib beach at 9.30am. We got to Tanjung Sepat at 9.00am, and needed a break. We stopped at a roadside food stall for tea, coffee, and you char koay (deep-fried strips of dough).

The four we were going to meet at Morib beach had arrived there at 9.00am. They were already tucking into their nasi lemak as we were ordering our coffee etc. at Tanjung Sepat.

Photograph courtesy of Luanne Sieh

Morib beach is 18km / 11mi from Tanjung Sepat. I sent Mark our live location via WhatsApp. (That is such a cool WhatsApp feature). Simon messaged Mark, suggesting that he and the others start riding and meet us on our way to Morib.

Which is what they did. We crossed paths about 5km / 3mi south of Morib beach. By then the Port Dickson crew were ready for another pit stop. The Delicious Bread Café in Morib was our first choice, but it was closed.

So we rode a further 10km / 6mi to Restoran Madam Kopi-O in Banting.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

From there it was on familiar roads to Kampung Seri Cheeding, Bandar Rimbayu, and Restoran BR Maju in Kota Kemuning.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Tong

The Morib four were done for the day. Kudos to Shawn, who rode almost 100km / 62mi – his longest ride by some 60km / 37mi.

Simon and Leslie decided to call it a day as well. They accepted Luanne’s and Mark’s offers of a lift home. Wan and I had a relatively flat ride to get to Jalan Ampang, so we decided to ride on.

22km / 14mi later, we wondered if we had made a mistake. It had been more overcast than sunny all morning, but by the time we got to the Kinrara R&R it was 35° C / 95° F and bright.

The die had been cast though. We each downed an iced 100 Plus, and headed back out onto the KESAS motorcycle lane.

Fortunately for us, the clouds rolled in again, and we didn’t get roasted alive during the following 20km / 12.5mi to Mak Jah Corner in Ampang Jaya. Which is just down the road from where Wan lives.

Mak Jah Corner is noted for its Malay kuih. These were delicious. I had two more iced teas in quick succession before saying goodbye to Wan and heading home.

Day 3 Kuih

I ended up riding 163km / 101mi. Day 2 distance x 2.

The four of us had an excellent weekend. Helped in no small way by Arthur being with us in Melaka, and Luanne, Chew, Mark and Shawn joining us in Morib.

We had dry and generally cool weather over the three days. And no punctures or other mechanical issues enroute. And lots of tasty food, good company, and laughter.

Map courtesy of Ride With GPS

We are already thinking about where to tour next.

2 Comments

Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Fenix Inn, Ferry, Kota Kemuning, KTM Komuter, Melaka, Morib, Port Dickson, Sungai Pelek, Tampin, Waterfront Boutique Hotel. Bookmark the permalink.

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