My riding buddies and I try to do two rides on weekends. Usually the intent is to make the Sunday ride a slower, more relaxed ride. Usually the Sunday ride ends up being as hard or harder than the Saturday ride.
In most cases we alternate between a route that includes the Guthrie Corridor Expressway to Kampung Sri Kundang, and a jaunt up Jalan Gombak Lama to Genting Sempah and back. This time we did a variation of the Kampung Sri Kundang ride on Saturday, and a new loop from Semenyih to Lenggeng and Broga on Sunday.
Our Saturday ride started as it usually does, with a relatively quick run to Kampung Sri Kundang for roti canai and teh tarik. Liang, Marco, Mark, Marvin and I made short work of breakfast. There were no table scraps for the cat.
Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai
We then decided to tackle the Dragon’s Back on the way back. Despite the rising temperature. We had an 18km run to the PETRONAS Puncak Alam petrol station, where we stopped for cold drinks and the bathroom.
Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai
Then it was on to the main event. I’ve shown this profile before. The Dragon’s Back starts at the 47km point with a wall that hits 12%. Then it is up and down the rest of the way back to Bukit Jelutong.
This is Marco, happy to see the end of the first half of the Dragon’s Back.
Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai
Needless to say we were all toasted by the time we got back to D’Bayu.
So it made a very nice change to have a true recovery ride on Sunday. About fifteen of us made the drive south from Kuala Lumpur to Semenyih. After a pit stop at the toll plaza we rode onto the LEKAS Highway. The same highway we rode during the Shimano Highway Challenge.
Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim
This was a very relaxed ride. VERY relaxed.
Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim
After 25km we exited the highway. Not long afterwards we came to the only serious climb of the day. 100 meters up in about 2km. In keeping with our 16kph average speed to that point, we took it very easy up the hill.
The view at the top is spectacular.
We had quiet back roads all to ourselves.
And the leisurely pace meant we had time to explore. There was a time when rubber was the number one agricultural export of Malaysia. There aren’t many rubber estates left now. Most have been replaced by oil palm , or housing estates.
The goal of the ride was the Broga ABC Pan Mee shop.
The best place to be is around the back, sitting at a marble table, eating curry mee. This was Mark’s order. With roast pork and cockles. I had the no-meat option.
Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim
And drinking iced coffee.
Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim
Now this is the kind of recovery ride that I want more of.
Old Roots, New Routes 