Old Roots, New Routes

Cognoscenti Day 3

Posted on September 6, 2015 by alchemyrider

Day 3 was a very special affair. The highlights started with a very interesting breakfast conversation with Dr. Allen Lim. “Yes” that Allen Lim. The one-time Director of Sport Science for the Garmin and RadioShack cycling teams. Perhaps better-known today as the founder of Skratch Labs. Among a myriad of other things, Allen talked about adapting to high altitude. I wish he had told me about taking an iron supplement to help maintain blood oxygen levels before I arrived in Boulder.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

After keeping Allen speaking for far longer than planned, we all piled into cars for the ride to Golden. The home of the Colorado School of Mines, the Coors Brewing Company, and on this day, the starting point for a ride that would end atop Lookout Mountain.

We started from the Starbucks parking lot on Washington Avenue in Golden. A spot most convenient for its access to bathroom facilities. We rolled south through Golden, but unfortunately not under the famous arch. Which would have been the second highlight of the day. That section of Washington Avenue was already closed for the final stage of the USA Pro Challenge from Golden to Denver.

Photograph courtesy of visitgolden.com

The next highlight came about 10km / 6mi later, on the climb up West Alameda Parkway in North Dinosaur Park. We rode past sets of dinosaur footprints in the rock face to our right. How cool is that?

Photograph courtesy of Len Sharp

The highlights kept coming. Around the corner was this sight in Red Rocks Park. It reminded me of Radiator Springs from the Disney-Pixar film Cars.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

We rode within spitting distance of the Red Rocks Amphitheater, but didn’t actually see it. Which is a shame, because the photographs are spectacular.

Photograph courtesy of Bob Ash and Visit Denver

By that time we had climbed about 300m / 980ft, and I was falling behind as I moderated my effort to match my ability to take in oxygen. My ride mates were all fitter than I was! Fortunately we all took a break before the descent down Titans Road.

From here it was 40m / 130ft down in the space of 0.5km / 0.3mi. I could descend faster than some of my riding buddies. But I got left behind again on the 190m / 623ft climb to Idledale. Population 78 or so. The Cognoscenti crowd added at least 15% to that number while we hung out beside the Post Office, refilling bottles and eating Skratch Labs sushi bars and cookies.

We then proceeded to climb another 310m / 1,000ft up South Grapevine Road to Interstate Highway 70. Well, the others climbed. I crawled.

Photograph courtesy of Cognoscenti

The group waited for me to get to the top of Grapevine so that we could shoot down together. The 11km / 6.8mi run back to Golden took about 18 minutes at speeds up to 70kph / 43.5mph. Wheeee!

Then it was back to heavy breathing and slow going while climbing the 450m / 1,475ft to the top of Lookout Mountain.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

The reward at the top was lunch, catered by Cured. Cured is a specialty grocery store, liquor store and delicatessen owned by former Garmin-Slipstream rider Will Frischkorn and his wife. Salads, handcrafted sandwiches, potato chips, nuts, olives, San Pellegrino soda, Poco Dolce chocolate tiles. All under a Cognoscenti tent. Class!

Fed, watered and rested, we made our way on foot to find a good spot to watch the race come over the top of Lookout Mountain. Five riders were in the breakaway.

About two minutes later the rest of the peloton arrived.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

After the last of the peloton disappeared over the top of the mountain, we all got on our bikes and shot down the mountain the way we had come up. More wheeee!

We piled into the Cognoscenti vehicles at the Starbucks for the ride back to Boulder. After a shower and a short rest I had a sports massage. One of two massages that each of us could have during our time in Boulder. All I can say is “OUCH!” That guy had hard elbows.

Dinner was once again outstanding. This time in OAK at Fourteenth. We had meatball and ahi tuna spoons, shaved apple and kale salad, peach and tomato salad, grilled New York strip steak, curried halibut and calamari, and pasta. Followed by salted caramel pudding.

Photographs courtesy of OAK at Fourteenth

The rides get bigger with each passing day. And the good food just keeps on coming. What will Day 4 bring?

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Posted in Cycling in Colorado and tagged Cognoscenti, Cured, Dr. Allen Lim, Golden, Idledale, Lookout Mountain, North Dinosaur Park, OAK at Fourteenth, Red Rocks Park, Skratch Labs, USA Pro Challenge. Bookmark the permalink.

Cognoscenti Day 2

Posted on September 6, 2015 by alchemyrider

Day 2 started with breakfast on the back patio of the St. Julien. We were joined by Erin Carson, a strength coach to a number of elite athletes, including Mirinda Carfrae, the current Ironman Triathlon World Champion. Erin had us on the lawn doing exercises with foam rollers and stretch bands as she explained the importance of flexibility in certain joints and parts of the body to ensure stability in other areas.

Then it was time to load our bags and bikes into the Cognoscenti vehicles for the 55km / 35mi drive to the Larimer County Fairgrounds in Loveland for the start of the USA Pro Challenge Stage 6 for men and Stage 2 for women.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

Our Pro guest for the day was Craig Lewis. Perhaps best known for being a part of the winning HTC-Highroad TT team at Stage 1 of the 2011 Giro d’Italia.

Photograph courtesy of cyclingweekly.co.uk

Cognoscenti provided us with passes to the start area and the VIP tent. Those passes, and tagging along with Craig Lewis, allowed us to get close to some of the riders racing the USA Pro Challenge.

Taylor Phinney.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

Lachlan Morton, with Craig Lewis in the background. We chatted with Lachlan for a while, and would see him again as a Pro guest on Day 5.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

Team DRAPAC Pro Cycling.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

There was a bit of schwag to be had. The pack of Jelly Bellys went to my biker chick. I’ll use this custom koozie.

We also got a close look at the bikes the professionals were riding. This Trek Madone 9-Series has the front brake integrating with the recessed areas of the front fork, allowing air to flow smoothly over the entire surface. To allow the fork to turn, there are two little doors, called Vector Wings, on the front of the head tube that open up as the fork is turned, allowing the center-pull brake cable to rotate.

Just to show that some ideas have been around for a long, long time, this saddle with a central pressure relief cut out was on a vintage bicycle being displayed near the VIP tent. The bicycle dates from 1898.

These guys look surprisingly relaxed ahead of a 165km / 102 mile stage race from Loveland to Fort Collins.

After the women’s and men’s races were flagged off, we started our 92.5km / 57.5mi ride back to Boulder.

Our route crossed the men’s race route, so we stopped to watch the riders zip past. Kiel Reijnen of UnitedHealthcare Pro Racing was in the green Sprinter’s jersey. A jersey he kept all the way to the finish of the race.

We got going again onto quite a steep climb up to Carter Lake Reservoir. 175m / 574ft over 6km / 3.7mi.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

I resigned myself to being dropped by the group on the climbs. That happened a lot over the rest of the rides.

We had a hydration and feed stop at Eagle Campground – hello Fig Newtons – before descending along the east side of the reservoir.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

Our route included a section of dirt road with some loose gravel to get the adrenaline pumping.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

I spent a lot of time chasing back to the group after struggling up some incline or other. Thank goodness for Cognoscenti guide Tristan Brown on his Boo Bicycle, and Craig Lewis, who kept me company.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

It was a relatively long day in the saddle. I think we were all grateful for the watermelon and cold towels at the St. Julien.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

There was time for a shower and laundry drop off before we regrouped for pre-dinner drinks. Dinner was at The Kitchen Upstairs. True to its name, the restaurant is at the top of a flight of stairs. My legs were not happy as I hauled myself up to our table.

It was worth the climb. The surroundings were lovely, the company was excellent, the service was good and the food was fabulous. Marinated olives,spiced nuts, roast beetroot salad, radish salad, pizza, salmon, goat gouda gougères, polenta, summer succotash, summer risotto, chocolate cake and Eton mess.

Photographs courtesy of Davis Tilly Photography

The first full Cognoscenti day was done. Day 3 promised to be another great day.

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Posted in Cycling in Colorado and tagged Carter Lake Reservoir, Cognoscenti, Loveland, The Kitchen Upstairs, USA Pro Challenge. Bookmark the permalink.

Cognoscenti Day 1

Posted on September 5, 2015 by alchemyrider

Day 1 of my Cognoscenti adventure started with Karl Maier, one of the founders of Cognoscenti, picking me up from the Airbnb house where I was staying in Denver, and transporting my bike and I to the St. Julien Hotel in Boulder. My home for the next six days.

Andrew Knowles, the other founder of Cognoscenti, met us in the lobby of the hotel, where I was given my rain bag, stuffed with goodies. Bottles, Townie Syndicate tire levers and tools, Skratch Labs hydration and nutrition products, chamois cream, sun block, moisturizer, waterproof pouch, cap, and some bedtime reading. Note the name tag. A nice touch.

Cognoscenti provided everything I needed to ride, apart from a bicycle, shoes and helmet. We all received a pair of Panache Cyclewear bibshorts and a jersey. Cognoscenti styled.

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Batchelor

I had a few minutes to check in to my room and change into riding gear before heading out to the back patio of the hotel to meet the other participants and the Cognoscenti support crew.

Photograph courtesy of thisisiot.com

We took over the grassy area along the back wall nearest the road. That is where I was reunited with my bike, now sporting a name label on the top tube.

Unsurprisingly, I had come from the furthest away. Richard and his wife had flown in from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Matt and his wife had driven from Eu Claire, Wisconsin. Brothers Scott and Steve had driven together from Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. And Mindy and Pam had come from just up the road in Aspen, Colorado.

Our professional guest cyclist for the day was Sarah Lukas, who rides for the Amy D. Foundation team. Having one or more current or ex-professional riders with us on every ride was both a highlight and a challenge. A highlight because to a person they were always willing to chat, and to provide a pull. A challenge because they made real the gulf in cycling ability between we mortals and the professional peloton.

We were also joined each day by at least one editor from VeloNews. Names familiar to me from the VeloNews website appeared before me in the flesh: Chris Case (Managing Editor), Spencer Powlison (VeloNews.com Editor), Brad Kaminski ( Photography Editor), Dan Cavallari (Technology Editor), and Neal Rodgers (Editor at Large).

While the cast of professional riders and VeloNews editors changed daily, the Cognoscenti guides were a constant. The full support we received all week was thanks to Jon Robichaud, Russ Folger, Tristan Brown and Patrick Walker. These guys meant it when they said they would provide full support. Our bikes were washed and tuned after each ride. When we took our bikes off the rack to start a ride, bottles full of Skratch Labs hydration were already in the cages. A support van and at least one other vehicle were always nearby. Fresh chilled bottles were always available. As was an endless supply of those now famous Skratch Labs rice cakes and cookie bars.

Fully prepped, we headed out on what was described as an “acclimatization spin.” A 57.5km / 36mi ride along the flats of Boulder County to St. Vrain Road and back. There was about 475m / 1,560ft of climbing. Which was a lot for me, but as I was to discover, was just a hint of what was to come.

The ride was relatively fast for me. Which signalled trouble, because I could already see that my new friends were all stronger riders than I was. I was struggling with the lower air pressure and oxygen levels. Boulder is 1,655m / 5,430ft above sea level. Which translates to 17% less oxygen by volume than is available at sea level.

It was also hot at 32.8°C / 91.0°F. With a 24kph / 15mph westerly wind. Not the time to have only an apple and three coffees in the fuel tank.

Despite my panting in the hot and dry air, I did enjoy the ride. Especially the gravel sections. Riding unpaved roads like those was new to me. It took a while to get comfortable riding on the loose surface. Oddly enough I felt more comfortable on the rutted sections, which felt like the cobbles of South Holland and Belgium.

The last 6km / 3.5mi were along the Boulder Creek bike path. Where I was at last able to catch my breath.

Photograph courtesy of Dan Hugo

We were greeted back at the St. Julien by slices of iced and salted watermelon, and iced towels to drape over the backs of our necks. Our bikes were taken from us to be washed. We were given mesh bags for our used kit, which would be laundered overnight. See what I mean about first-class support?

We had an hour or so to shower and freshen up before meeting in the St. Julien lobby for a drink with our pro rider and VeloNews guests. Then we walked the short distance to PMG for dinner.

Cognoscenti believes that Boulder is one of the best intersections of cycling and food and wine in the world. We had just had some fabulous cycling, and PMG did not disappoint on the food front. Shared plates of fried eggplant, crostini with English peas and ricotta, Tuscan kale salad, Burrata with heirloom tomatoes and bagna cauda, tortellini with butter and sage, swordfish, and roast chicken came one after the other out of the kitchen. Luckily I still had room for the chocolate pot de crème and fresh peaches for dessert.

Bring on Day 2.

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Posted in Cycling in Colorado and tagged Boulder, Boulder Creek, Cognoscenti, Gravel, PMG, Skratch Labs, St. Julien Hotel, VeloNews. Bookmark the permalink.

A Bicycle for the Cognoscenti Adventure

Posted on September 5, 2015 by alchemyrider

Do all avid cyclists do this? Rationalise the need for a new bicycle based upon the flimsiest of arguments?

In my case, the arguments were that the Cognoscenti rides would be in Boulder and the surrounding area. Alchemy Bicycle Company is in Denver. The two places are only 56 km / 35 mi apart. I would need a bicycle for the ride. If I bought a new one in Denver, I would save the hassle of having to travel with a bike from KL to Boulder.

Of course I needed a new bicycle!

I looked at the Alchemy Bicycle Company website. I am an avowed metal frame rider. So my options were the titanium Eros, the titanium Aiolos, or the stainless steel Skylla.

An email exchange and then a Skype consultation with Ryan Cannizzaro of Alchemy followed. Ryan’s suggestion was to go with the Eros, which is more performance-oriented than the Aiolos. Interestingly, Alchemy is considering removing the Skylla from their line of offerings. Stainless steel is a great material for ride quality, but it requires care to prevent corrosion and ensure durability.

Alchemy already had my frame dimensions. This would be bicycle number three that they have built for me. Read about the first bike here.

I stuck with a SRAM Red 22 drivetrain. I have SRAM on my other bikes. I must admit that if the SRAM Red eTap wireless electronic groupset was already commercially available, I would have opted for it.

The handlebar is a Ritchey Carbon Streem II.

When it came to choosing a wheelset, Ryan told me that Rol Wheels share workshop space with Alchemy. Ryan recommended a pair of hand-built Race SLs.

All I needed to do was bring my Speedplay pedals and my Selle Italia SLR Superflow saddle with me to Denver to complete the bike build.

The bicycle that Alchemy built for me is gorgeous.

Photograph courtesy of Alchemy Bicycle Company

There are a couple of personalized touches on this bike. My first Alchemy bike is purple. The second is orange. As a nod to those bikes, the front fork is painted orange and purple.

Photograph courtesy of Alchemy Bicycle Company

Each of my Alchemys has a decorative element related to where I was living when I got the bike. One bike has a Texas star on the seat tube. Another has the crest of the City of The Hague on the seat tube.

And for my KL bike . . .

Photograph courtesy of Alchemy Bicycle Company

Ryan took me out on a 70km / 43.5mi shakedown ride along the Cherry Creek Trail. This bike rides as nicely as it looks.

The Cherry Creek Trail is very picturesque.

Photograph courtesy of Lennar Corporation

If the riding in Denver was anything to go by, the riding in Boulder promised to be spectacular.

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Posted in Cycling in Colorado and tagged Aiolos, Alchemy Bicycle Company, Cherry Creek Trail, Denver, Eros, Skylla. Bookmark the permalink.

The Cognoscenti Adventure

Posted on September 4, 2015 by alchemyrider

Ever since my riding buddy Keat embarked on Silk Route 2014 with Tour d’Afrique, I have been taken with the idea of a cycling vacation. Perhaps not as long as Keat’s Shanghai to Istanbul ride. And perhaps with accommodation a bit less spartan than a tent. I do like my comfort.

I came across Rapha Travel. Their rides take in some spectacular countryside, but I wondered if the riding might be a little harder than I would like.

Trek Travel is another well established cycling vacation provider. Trek appears to cater to a wider spectrum of rider types.

Some ex-professional bike racers have gone into the cycling vacation business. Andy Hampsten, the 1988 Giro d’Italia winner, founded Cinghiale Cycling Tours, which offers cycling experiences in Italy. There are of course a host of other cycling tour companies to choose from.

The cycling vacation idea got pushed to the back of my mind as work and other distractions took precedence. Instead I took the occasional cycling weekend trip to participate in century rides in Ipoh, Kota Bahru and Manjung.

Then in June 2015 I saw a short article about a cycling vacation in the online edition of VeloNews. It was titled “Climb All Day, Eat All Night, and Get Up Close and Personal With the Pros.”

I watched the embedded video about Cognoscenti and I took the bait. I clicked through to the Cognoscenti website and read the details for their “Tours for the cycling and food aficionado.” Including the following description for all six of the Cognoscenti trips for 2015:

Luxury accommodations at the St. Julien Hotel & Spa – Mountain View Room
Professionally led, fully supported rides with pro-cyclists as guides and coaches
Gourmet dinners, including beer & wine at the best restaurants in Boulder
All breakfasts & lunches
Education sessions with Boulder sports luminaries
Professional Trainer led stretching and core building sessions
Access to daily massage therapy
Support vehicle for each ride staffed by a pro bike mechanic
Fresh gourmet on bike nutrition supplied by Cured & Skratch Labs
Custom bib shorts, jersey & socks by Panache Cyclewear
Custom Cognoscenti Rain Bag, t-shirt & cap
Professional photographer providing photographs of your experience

The unique elements of the trip I was interested in was the opportunity to ride with the editors of VeloNews and Velo Magazine, to visit the start of Stage 6 and to watch a portion of Stage 7 of the USA Pro Challenge.

I was hooked! Especially as the August 21^st to 26^th dates worked for me.

There was one more thing to do before sending in my reservation and booking flights. Find out if Alchemy Bicycle Company could build me a new bicycle in time for the Cognoscenti ride.

The answer is in my next post.

Photograph courtesy of Cognoscenti

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Posted in Cycling in Colorado and tagged Boulder, Cognoscenti, USA Pro Challenge, VeloNews. Bookmark the permalink.

Save a Child’s Heart 2.0 Ride

Posted on August 9, 2015 by alchemyrider

Maybank Islamic Bank organised its second cycling event to raise funds for paediatric heart patients from Malaysia and in all Asean countries where the Maybank Group is present. Held in collaboration with the National Heart Institute (IJN), the event raised RM50,000 in 2014.

This year’s event was held in Ipoh, the capital city of the state of Perak. Ipoh is far enough away from Kuala Lumpur to warrant an overnight trip. My biker chick and I stayed at the Regalodge Hotel. Chosen specifically for its close proximity to the Dataran Bandaraya Ipoh, where the ride would start and end.

So close that I was able to walk from the hotel to the Dataran Bandaraya to collect my goodie bag, buy water, 100 Plus and some ice on the way back to the hotel, put on my cycling clothes, and ride back to the Dataran. All in the span of 45 minutes.

I got back to the Dataran just as the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, and his consort, Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, were arriving. I for one was grateful to their Royal Highnesses for their punctuality. Which meant that the 120km ride started on time at 7.30am. The Sultan rode in the VVIP’s 10km event as the rest of us headed east and then north out of Ipoh.

Photograph courtesy of Tempe Chronicles Photography

As befits a charity event that was not a race, the route was not particularly challenging. There are some serious hills around Ipoh, but the organisers kept us away from them.

This was a well-run event. There were lots of ride marshals on motorbikes and in cars to ensure that the route was safe. There was one nasty-looking crash after about 40kms that took down several members of one group. It happened on a straight stretch of road, and was likely caused by too much speed coupled with poor bike-handling.

Maybank Islamic Save a Child's Heart Marshals Tempe Chronicles Photography

Photograph courtesy of Tempe Chronicles Photography

It got hot by mid-morning. No surprise there. Fortunately the rest stops were well-stocked with water. And there was ice-cold cendol on sale at the Dataran after the finish. The best three ringgit I spent all day! The ride raised RM100,000 for the cause. Double the amount raised at the 2014 event.

Photograph courtesy of Tempe Chronicles Photography

So it was smiles all around, including from the royal couple, who stayed for the cheque presentation at 12.30pm or so.

Photograph courtesy of Farah Fazu

As it was a major bank that organised the event, there were lots of sponsors who contributed. So there were goodies in the goodie bags. And the lucky draw after the event had some impressive prizes on offer, like a Garmin 1000.

You have to be in it to win it though, and I never am. I am always much more keen on getting out of the heat. On this day that meant riding the 400 meters back to the hotel for a shower and a dose of air-conditioning.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Ipoh, Maybank, Save a Child's Heart 2.0. Bookmark the permalink.

Track Cycling With a Difference

Posted on July 5, 2015 by alchemyrider

Many years ago I visited the Sepang International Circuit to watch the Malaysian Grand Prix.

My memories are that it was a thrill to see Michael Shumacher and his contemporaries in open-topped vintage cars, being driven past the grandstand. And that is was a very hot day, and that the race was incredibly loud. And that the only part of the track I saw was the start / finish straight, and if I went to the other side of the grandstand, the back straight.

Starting in April this year, the circuit has been opened on the occasional weekend morning to cyclists who wanted to ride on the 5.5km track. I missed the daytime opportunities, but grabbed the first chance to ride on the circuit at night, which was last Friday.

My biker chick came with me. She sat on the pit lane wall, building LEGO Tie Fighter micro models, while I rode a few laps. I started at 10.00pm, when there weren’t many others there.

It was a little eerie at first, riding past empty grandstands on a track that was more moonlit than floodlit in places.

I was soon joined by other riders, and it was cool to see lots of blinking red lights all around the circuit.

It was also cool to see families out on the circuit. Mark and Shelby for example.

It was a fun evening. I could be temped to do it again. Especially if the organisers allow the sale of drinks. The circuit was quiet on Friday, but it was still a hot night.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Sepang International Circuit. Bookmark the permalink.

An Abridged History

Posted on July 1, 2015 by alchemyrider

June has been a quiet month for riding. The weather, weekend travel, illness and idleness have all kept me off my bikes. I started 2015 with aspirations to average 1,000km a month. So far I am 150km per month short of that goal. Nevertheless 2015 is shaping up to be one of my better years for cycling.

I consider my first day as an avid cyclist to be Sunday January 31st, 2010. That was the day Big Bill B guided me on a 53km loop around Houston, including a food stop at Carter & Cooley Company Delicatessen in The Heights.

It was the first time I rode with a Garmin cycling computer on my handlebar, which allowed me to commit this and all future rides to that collective memory that is the internet. I am a bit of a ride data geek. I started feeding that habit with Garmin Connect. After a few years I supplemented that with Ride With GPS, and very soon after Strava was added to the mix. Lately Veloviewer has joined the party.

Why so many tracking apps? In my case, mostly because they each provide different ways to view my ride data. Ride With GPS provides nice summaries by month or year. I can see what my buddies have been up to in Strava. Veloviewer makes annual comparisons easy. Charts like these ones provide the grist for this post.

Charts courtesy of Veloviewer

Between January and the end of April 2010 I rode in and around Houston. Those rides included my first century ride, The Space Race, and my first BP MS150.

Heat Map courtesy of Strava

My biker chick had started her new job in Den Haag, The Netherlands, in April. So my bike spent May in a container, along with our other possessions, on a ship bound for Europe.

I spent the rest of the year exploring the bike paths around Den Haag.

I logged 2,831kms in 2010. My average ride distance was 59kms. My average ride time was 2 hours 28 minutes.

In 2011 my total distance covered jumped to 6,886kms. My average distance went up slightly to 63kms. The average ride length went up in tandem to 2 hours 33 minutes.

Much of that increase in total distance ridden is testament to the outstanding cycling infrastructure in The Netherlands. You can’t help but get on your bicycle in a country where the riding in so safe, convenient, and scenic.

In 2012 my mileage again jumped significantly over the previous year. To 11,019kms. The average distance stayed almost the same at 62.25kms. I picked up speed though, with my rides averaging 2 hours 29 minutes.

Heat map courtesy of Strava

Almost all of my riding over these two years was in The Netherlands. I did occasionally venture further afield. I made my first extended cycling trip in 2011. I went to Ninove in Belgium, to ride in the Ronde van Vlaanderen sportif.

In 2012 I did the Ronde van Vlaanderen again, which started and ended this time in Oudernaarde. I also took two trips to Maastricht, for the UCI World Championships and the Amstel Gold sportifs.

Heat map courtesy of Strava

In October 2012 my biker chick and I returned to Kuala Lumpur. My bikes (by this time I had two) followed soon after by air freight. So it wasn’t long before I was immersing myself in the relatively new and booming road cycling scene in Malaysia.

Cycling in Kuala Lumpur reminds me a lot of cycling in Houston. You share the roads with traffic. Sometimes a lot of traffic. City riding is best done at night, when the roads, or motorcycle lanes where provided, are quieter. The popular daytime cycling routes are mostly outside the city.

In 2013 I started venturing further afield. Century rides in various cities around the country become a regular activity, including one international road trip to Hatyai in Thailand.

Despite the number of century rides, my mileage in 2013 was only 7,102kms. My rides had become shorter, averaging 49kms and 1 hour 58 minutes per ride. I remember that tropical rainstorms had a lot to do with curtailing riding time in 2013.

The downward trend continued in 2014. I had four months of enforced time off my bikes because of a crash, and two unrelated surgeries. Those breaks from cycling resulted in only 3,918kms ridden. My average ride was surprisingly long though, at 66kms and 2 hours 35 minutes.

Heat map courtesy of Strava

Almost all of my cycling since the end of 2012 has been in Malaysia. The exceptions were in 2013, when I flew to the United States to ride in the BP MS150 from Houston to Austin, and to ride in the 5 Boros Ride in New York City. In between those rides I visited an old friend in Denver, where I managed to squeeze in a few rides as well. I came home with bicycle number three.

Heat Map courtesy of Strava

That bicycle is a Ritchey Breakaway. It came with me to Melbourne in December 2013. My last cycling trip away from home to date.

Heat map courtesy of Strava

2015 looks good so far. I am up to 5,078kms as at the end of June. My average ride length for the year is 71kms. I must be a bit fitter than I was last year too. I am riding on average 5kms further this year as compared to last, but my average time is the saddle is only 3 minutes more, at 2 hours 38 minutes.

I’m hoping to take at least one cycling trip outside Malaysia this year. And I am looking forward to staying healthy and spending as much time as possible riding.

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Posted in Cycling in Belgium, Cycling in Colorado, Cycling in Malaysia, Cycling in New York, Cycling in Texas, Cycling in the Netherlands and tagged Garmin Connect, Ride With GPS, Strava, Veloviewer. Bookmark the permalink.

Century Ride de Kelantan 2015

Posted on May 9, 2015 by alchemyrider

The Century Ride de Kelantan 2015 was held during the Labour Day and Wesak weekend. Mark and I got on the road early Friday morning, joining the throngs of people taking advantage of the four-day weekend to go on holiday or to ‘balik kampung’ (literally ‘return to village.’)

The Hotel Perdana in Kota Bahru was a welcome sight at the end of the slower than normal 450km drive.

Photograph courtesy of Trip Advisor

The Perdana was the official hotel for the ride. So from the check in counter it was a short walk to the ballroom to collect my goodie bag. We met Keat and Yen there. They had driven up the day before. It would be only a trio of Flipsiders doing the ride.

After a short nap it was time to sample some of the great food that Kelantan is justifiably well-known for. Mark knew where to go. Warisan Nasi Kukus on Jalan Kebun Sultan. ‘Nasi kukus’ is steamed rice. In this case steamed in individual containers.

Photograph courtesy of Boon Chuan

We queued up beside the roadside stall to choose from fried chicken, fried fish, squid, beef rendang and vegetables to go with our steamed rice. We then plonked ourselves down on plastic stools at a table on the street, and tucked in. Very very good.

Photograph courtesy of Kellie Itoe

For dessert, we ordered some of the best ais kacang ever from the neighbouring stall. So good that one bowl was not enough.

Photograph courtesy of Mark

The ride started from the hotel car park at 7.30am. So Keat, Mark and I were at the hotel café when it opened at 6.30am for a buffet breakfast.

When we made our way to our customary position at the back of the mass of riders at the start, we met up with the EZ Riders. Many of that group ride regularly from Bukit Jelutong, as do we, so we know quite a few of them. They had also planned to start at the back of the pack. We were invited to ride with them, and we were happy to accept.

This is Keat at the start.

Photograph courtesy of Selipar Jepun

EZ Rider Pang Teow Yeong, Mark and I getting going.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia Magazine

The route took us south and then west through Pasir Mas before turning south again to Tanah Merah. We then rode east through Machang before heading north to the timing checkpoint at Selising, and then back to Kota Bahru.

We had relatively quiet country roads for most of the ride. Where there was traffic the marshals did a very good job of keeping our side of the road clear of vehicles. We rode through this grove of trees at the 40km point.

It was a very flat course, with just a couple of climbs at the 105km mark.

Which suited all of us, because it was an exceptionally hot day. I can confirm that “Feels 45° C” at 11.00am statistic.

By the time we got to the final rest stop at Selising we were all ready for some ice cold water and the chance to catch our collective breaths in the shade. There was ice on offer too, so I put my core temperature cooling strategy into play.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia Magazine

The last 25kms were a straight shot north to Kota Bahru. Since we were such a large group riding together, we had a van with a siren and flashing lights for an escort. What a treat to have every intersection blocked off so we could ride though unimpeded.

We had that escort all the way to the finish. We stopped short of the line to regroup, and then rode through the finish together.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia Magazine

It was a lot of fun riding with the forty or so EZ Riders. They were disciplined about maintaining a 30kph average pace. They were conscientious about riding safely, be it in a triple pace line or single file. They looked after their fellow riders. And they had fun. Thank you EZ Riders for letting us tag along. We really enjoyed it.

Photograph courtesy of Charles Hedwig Fernandez

These are the two Tommasini owners, Mark and Keat, showing off their finisher’s medals.

Photograph courtesy of Keat Wong

As is the norm, there was a lucky draw to close out the century ride. And as is the norm, we didn’t stick around to see who won a new helmet or bicycle, confident that it wouldn’t be one of us.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia Magazine

Instead Mark and I rode off to look for something cold to drink. Partly because we were hot and thirsty. But mostly because the event was 155km long, and we wanted to ride the full century distance of 160km. We found cendol. Not the nicest cendol I have ever had – that was probably at the Janamanjung Fellowship Ride – but it was good enough to warrant two bowls.

The rest of the day was spent cooling down, getting cleaned up, napping, and eating some more. We went to an ayam percik restaurant that Mark had heard about for dinner. Ayam percik is very nicely described by Ai Ping at www.curiousnut.com.

Sadly the ayam percik that we had was disappointing. We made up for it by going back to the ais kacang stall on Jalan Kebun Sultan.

On Sunday morning we played tourist and visited the Siti Khadijah market. A Kota Bahru landmark.

We didn’t buy anything, but we were tempted.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

After we finished nosing around the market we headed homeward. Fortunately the traffic back to Kuala Lumpur wasn’t too bad. We made reasonable time.

I had a great time on the Century Ride de Kelantan 2015. Definitely one to do again next year.

2 Comments

Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Ais kacang, Ayam percik, Cendol, EZ Riders, Hotel Perdana, Kelantan, Kota Bahru, Nasi kukus, Siti Khadijah market. Bookmark the permalink.

Janamanjung Fellowship Ride 2015

Posted on May 4, 2015 by alchemyrider

At the Janamanjung Fellowship Ride 2014 I had a crash, and took out three of my Flipside team mates in the process. My goal for this year’s event was a no-brainer. Stay upright on my bike.

My biker chick and I drove from home straight to the Sultan Azlan Shah power plant in Manjung to pick up my ride number, t shirt etc.

This is the eighth edition of this event, and it showed. The organization throughout was superb. Starting with the clear signage and multiple ride pack collection desks.

Photograph courtesy of TNB Janamanjung

It also helps to have your own grounds upon which to host the event. There was plenty of space for the various tents, stage etc.

Photograph courtesy of Hirosake Watnabe

My biker chick and I stayed at the newly refurbished, and much improved Sfera Hotel. The only thing that hadn’t changed for the better was the view from the room window.

After checking in to the hotel we headed out for a meal. Manjung boy Shahfiq recommended Dapo Berando. Pretty cool place, with delicious banana fritters and smoothies.

I hopped on my bike in the evening to recce the 7km ride to the start. Then it was into the supermarket next door to the hotel to stock up on things to snack on before bedtime, and stuff to eat for breakfast.

The event website had a countdown clock, running down to the 7.00am start time. I should have been at the start by the time this was displayed.

Instead I was lying in bed looking at my mobile phone, wondering why the alarm hadn’t gone off.

I set a personal best for jumping into my gear, and inhaling a yoghurt, a coffee and a few digestive biscuits before dashing out of the room. For once I was hoping that the ride would start late.

If I had made it to the start on time I would have been a part of this.

Photograph courtesy of Hirosake Watnabe

Instead I was 2 kilometers away when I saw the flashing lights of these escort vehicles coming towards me.

Photograph courtesy of Zhang Aiman Zahanz

I had to roll to the side of the road, turn my bike around, and merge into the peloton as it came past me. A hundred meters or so down the road I heard my name being called. The only other Flipsiders at the event, Griffin and Peng Soon, were right behind me. They had started together with a group of their friends.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia Magazine

As this wasn’t a race, the pace was controlled by this car. That meant that the participants didn’t get too spread out along the route.

Photograph courtesy of Radzi Yusof

Which made it easier for the marshals to control traffic as we rode through intersections.

Photograph courtesy of Radzi Yusof

The excellent event organisation was evident throughout the day. From the police escorts . . .

Photograph courtesy of Zhang Ai Man Zahanz

to the smiling volunteers at the well-stocked rest stops.

Photograph courtesy of Radzi Yusof

It was a hot day – no surprise there – so the ice-cold bottles of water and cans of 100 Plus at the stops was very much appreciated.

We rode a changed route this time. Last year we headed west towards the coast before cutting inland. This year we rode a clockwise route east of the power plant.

There were two mandatory stops to allow the participants to rest, rehydrate, and regroup. Here I am approaching the first stop.

Photograph courtesy of Sprinter Hemicuda

The rest of the ride went well, despite the rising temperatures and the headwind as we retraced our route back to the power station.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia Magazine

I was feeling pretty good as I approached the power station – it does help not to crash – but I was still glad to see the finish line.

Photograph courtesy of Hirosaki Watnabe

And even more glad to take a shower after getting my finisher’s medal.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia Magazine

Many of the riders tucked into the lunch that was provided.

Photograph courtesy of Hirosaki Watnabe

I struggle to eat a full meal after a century ride. I have no problem with taking in fluids. As evidenced by the two bowls of cendol I downed before I rode back to the hotel.

Griffin and Peng Soon also earned one of these.

Photograph courtesy of Hirosaki Watnabe

We weren’t lucky enough to win one of the bikes that was on offer in the post-ride lucky draw though.

Photograph courtesy of Hirosaki Watnabe

Perhaps next year.

3 Comments

Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Dapo Berando, Hotel Sfera, Janamanjung, Manjung. Bookmark the permalink.

Old Roots, New Routes

Cognoscenti Day 3

Cognoscenti Day 2

Cognoscenti Day 1

A Bicycle for the Cognoscenti Adventure

The Cognoscenti Adventure

Save a Child’s Heart 2.0 Ride

Track Cycling With a Difference

An Abridged History

Century Ride de Kelantan 2015

Janamanjung Fellowship Ride 2015

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