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The Germans visit Malaysia Part 1

Posted on November 11, 2019 by alchemyrider

In October 2018 a group of R@SKLs had a wonderful time cycling in Germany. Thanks to excellent arrangements made by Ralf from Hong Kong, and Marc and some of his friends in Germany.

Being polite Malaysians, the grateful R@SKLs invited the Germans to visit Malaysia. To their surprise, the Germans accepted the invitation!

Not only that, they booked flights and would arrive in Kuala Lumpur on 1st November 2019 for a ten-day stay.

After several discussions over teh tarik, thosai and roti canai which began in mid-September, we had a plan. Which was a good thing because Marc, Patrik, Matthias and Dieter did board their flight from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur.

We didn’t realise it at the time, but this photograph was a clue, or more accurately a warning of what the next ten days would entail.

Photograph courtesy of Marc Linke

Day 1

Ralf had arrived one day earlier, and together with Chee Leong and Pai was on hand to welcome the others to Malaysia.

Their first stop after leaving the airport was Pegasus Cycles. CK and Danial reassembled their bicycles. Bike cases were loaded onto a truck and shipped to Penang.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

You should already be getting a sense of the logistics required for our plan to work smoothly.

Getting bicycles assembled was important. More important was to introduce our guests to an essential part of Malaysian culture. Food.

TH took them across the road to the Grand Imperial restaurant in Plaza Damas for a dim sum lunch.

Photograph courtesy of Ralf Hamberger
Photograph courtesy of Ralf Hamberger

After lunch, we took the guys to the Hyatt House hotel, which was home for the next four nights. They soon discovered the infinity pool.

Photograph courtesy of Dieter Fecher

The last logistical piece for the day was to load the now-assembled bikes into Amy’s truck. Amy would take the bikes to the start of our Saturday ride.

Photograph courtesy of CK Lim

Day 2

We picked up the Germans at 6:30 am from their hotel and drove to Bandar Rimbayu. Our ride through the kampung roads to Bukit Jugra started at 7:30 am.

Map courtesy of Ride with GPS

It wasn’t long before there was a puncture.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng.

A stop after 14km was a bit sooner than expected.

Photograph courtesy of Ralf Hamberger

There was another mechanical problem soon after that, so we had another wait at the 7-Eleven in Jenjarom. Fortunately, that was the last forced stop for the day.

Photograph courtesy of Marc Linke

The highlight of this ride, or lowlight, depending upon your point of view, was the climb up Bukit Jugra to the lighthouse.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

We spent twenty minutes enjoying the view over the Langat River. Then it was time for food at our favourite Jugra ride restaurant.

Photograph courtesy of Ally

After a meal of rice, fish and vegetables we pedalled back the way we had come.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

After crossing the Langat River we stopped at Cendol & AC Santan Sawit Ross. It was time to introduce our German visitors to cendol.

The guys made a few new friends.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim
Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Everyone finished the ride safely. Back at Mont Kiara, the guys demonstrated an essential part of German culture. Beer.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Heng Keng kindly hosted dinner at his home. Complete with roast suckling pig.

Day 3

The first and third Sunday of each month is KL Car Free Morning. Roads in the city centre are closed from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. It seemed like a good idea to do a city ride.

CK and Danial mapped out a 35km route which would take us past some city landmarks.

Map courtesy of Ride with GPS

The Germans rode the short distance from their hotel to Pegasus Cycles, where about twenty other cyclists were waiting.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

We rode from Pegasus Cycles to Damansara Heights.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Then we stopped at the main entrance to the National Palace, which is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia.

Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat

Our next stop was at the top of the climb up Changkat Tunku, which is popularly known s Mayor’s Hill. There is a good view overlooking the city.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

We rode back down Changkt Tunku and into the Lake Gardens. The Tugu Negara (National Monument) is there.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

We then rolled through Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square). To the left is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, which used to house the British colonial government offices.

Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat

Next on the itinerary was the KL Tower. It is a 421 metres tall communications tower. It is the 7th tallest freestanding tower in the world.

Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat
  • Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat

The last landmark we visited was the PETRONAS Twin Towers.

  • Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
  • Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

We had ridden about 25km. It was time for thosai, roti canai and fried noodles with chicken. All washed down with fresh coconut water.

Dieter was suspicious of the fresh coconut 😆.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

We finished the ride well before noon. To keep the Germans entertained, Pai took them to Batu Caves that afternoon.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Pai dropped the Germans off at the Pavilion shopping mall. They found a German bistro that serves everything from pork knuckles and ribs to cold cuts and sausages. The place must have been a dream come true for our five visitors 🇩🇪.

Dinner was close to the Pavilion, at the food stalls along Jalan Alor.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim
Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Unsurprisingly, the Germans ended the night in a bar 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

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トモエスガのお別れライド *

Posted on March 12, 2018 by alchemyrider

* The Farewell Ride for Tomoe Suga

Tomoe 14

Photograph courtesy of CK Lim

The R@SKLs have been delighted, and privileged, to have had Tomoe ride with us.  Her ready smile and infectious enthusiasm brightened every ride she did with us.

Tomoe is a very accomplished cyclist.  Basking in her reflected glory is the closest most of us got to being a podium finisher!

Tomoe 1 Tomoe

Photograph courtesy of Tomoe Suga

It is a measure of the friendships Tomoe has developed during her time in Kuala Lumpur that 47 cyclists participated in the farewell ride the R@SKLs organised for her.

We started from Restoran BR Maju in Kota Kemuning.  As usual, Alfred was early.  Very early!

Tomoe BR Maju Alfred Chan

Photograph courtesy of Alfred Chan

By 7.10am we were on the road toward Bukit Jugra.

Tomoe 6 Pai

Photograph courtesy of Pai Hsing Chou

This was the largest group ride many of us had ever been on.

It turned out to be a day of a few firsts.  The ride from the base of Bukit Jugra to the lighthouse is just 1km / 0.6mi long, but the road rises 111 meters / 364 feet in that distance.  That is an average gradient of 10%.

For some, this was their first ride up to the lighthouse and the Jugra sign.

Tomoe Jugra Top Pai

Photograph courtesy of Pai Tsing Chou

For first-timer and regular alike, getting up that hill is an achievement.

Photograph courtesy of Chew Wee Giap
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee
Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Danial won the prize for Most Daring Cameraman.

Tomoe Jugra 1 CK Lim

Photograph courtesy of CK Lim

Some thought better of sweating and grunting up the climb.

Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee
Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee

From Bukit Jugra we rode the 13km / 8mi to the beachfront at Morib for breakfast.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Lim
Photograph courtesy of Danial Lim
Photograph courtesy of Danial Lim
Photograph courtesy of Danial Lim
Photograph courtesy of Danial Lim
Photograph courtesy of Danial Lim
Photograph courtesy of Danial Lim
Photograph courtesy of Danial Lim
Photograph courtesy of Danial Lim

And some posing with the Straits of Melaka behind us.

About 45 minutes later we were back on the road, retracing our route.

Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim

Japan may be the Land of the Rising Sun, but Malaysia has its share of sun as well.

Tomoe Rising Sun

The temperature was 19°C / 66°F when we started the ride in Kota Kemuning.  When we left Morib it was 34°C / 93°F.  By the time we got to our regular cendol stop 23km / 14mi later, it was 37°C / 99°F.  We needed that ice-cold cendol.

The proprietor of Cendol & ABC Santa Sawit Mak Lang was taken aback when I ordered 60 bowls of cendol.  He didn’t think that he heard me right.  It took a few repetitions of the order, helped by the sight of more and more overheated cyclists streaming into the stall’s seating area, to convince him that I was serious.

Tomoe Cendol Martin Lee

Photograph courtesy of Martin Lee

The return ride from Morib had turned into a hot one.  That meant a touch of sunburn, and some cramps, within the group.  But that didn’t stop everyone from completing the ride.  For some it was their first metric century ride.  Another milestone achieved!

Fortunately there were no falls or crashes.  The worst mechanical issues were one dropped chain, and one slow leak.  An excellent result for a group of 48 riders.

The R@SKLs wish Tomoe much success and happiness back in Japan.  And of course, many enjoyable kilometers on her bicycle.

Tomoe Happy Biking

Jepun Boleh!

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A bit like trying to herd cats

Posted on July 17, 2017 by alchemyrider

Morib Banner jkstakent com

Graphic courtesy of jkstalent.com

The Bangsar Cycling Group organised a Sunday ride from Kota Kemuning to Morib.  I suggested that they use the route that the R@SKLs ride to get to Morib.  It avoids the heavily-trafficked and poorly surfaced Jalan Klang Banting, except for  4.5km / 2.8mi stretch from Jenjarom to Jalan Bandar Lama.

None of the BCGers knew that route.  That is how I ended up leading the BCG ride.

Coincidentally, the R@SKLs were also riding from Kota Kemuning to Morib on Sunday.  They were starting from their usual meeting point, Restoran BR Maju.  The BCG were starting from their usual meeting point, McDonald’s.  So I arranged for both groups to meet at Bandar Rimbayu, so that we could all do the ride together.

Both groups got to Bandar Rimbayu, as planned, at 7.30am.  There were forty two riders in all, including the cameraman for this shot.

Morib 01 J Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

From the left:

Morib 07f J Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Morib 07e J Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Morib 07d J Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Morib 07c J Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Morib 07b J Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Morib 07a J Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

I set off at the head of this large group of riders, leading them through Bandar Rimbayu and onto the bridge over the SKVE.

Morib SKVE Bridge Up Shahfiq Khairy

Photograph courtesy of Shafiq Khairy

As we rolled off the bridge I was still at the head of the group, riding at approximately the advertised moving speed of 29kph / 18mph.

Morib SKVE Bridge Down Shahfiq Khairy

Photograph courtesy of Shafiq Khairy

Just as I felt a sense of control over the group, my illusion was shattered.  Riders shot off ahead of me, clearly more interested in testing their legs than sticking to 29kph.  Oh well!

Morib 12 Winston Wong

Photograph courtesy of Winston Wong

To no one’s surprise, the faster riders missed the right turn at Kampung Seri Cheeding.  Mobile phones to the rescue.  A few back-and-forth calls, and Google map consultations, and everyone was reunited 15km / 9mi later at the junction of Jalan Bukit Jugra and Jalan Jeti.   Google maps didn’t warn of this road hazard though.

Morib Cows Wee Hwee Wang

Photograph courtesy of Wee Hwee Wang

As usually happens, there was some talk of climbing Bukit Jugra.  I thought that first getting some food and drink at Morib was the way to go.  And that was what we did.

It was about 10.30am, and getting hot, by the time we left Morib for the homeward leg.

Morib 03 Shafiq Khairy

Photograph courtesy of Shafiq Khairy

The R@SKLs left a bit before the BCGers, and they headed straight back to Kota Kemuning.  Some of the BCGers were determined to climb Bukit Jugra.  Which is why we ended up here.

Morib Jugra Climb Shahfiq Khairy

Photograph courtesy of Shafiq Khairy

Some, probably wisely, elected to wait at the bottom of the hill.  Those who braved the up to 17° gradients were rewarded with views of the Langat River from the lookout point.

Morib Jugra Viewing Shafiq Khairy

Photograph courtesy of Shafiq Khairy

And the added treat of watching a paraglider launch himself off the slope.

Morib Paragliding backpackerzmag com

Photograph courtesy of backpackerzmag.com

We probably spent a bit too long up on the hill.  I had expected that we would be back at Kota Kemuning at about noon.  It was 11.30am by the time we all got going again from the base of Bukit Jugra.  There was 45km / 28mi, and a cendol stall, between us and Kota Kemuning.

Any thoughts of skipping the cendol stall were dispelled by the 34°C / 93°F temperature.  The heat, and the distance, were starting to affect some riders, so a stop for a cold drink and a rest was well worth it.

And then the punctures started.  First at the cendol stall, when a tube spontaneously popped.  Then 5km / 3mi later.  A further 5km and it was my turn.  I rode over a rock. Eight of us clustered in the shade under a tree in someone’s front garden to review the damage to my rear rim.

Morib Flat Shafiq Khairy

Photograph courtesy of Shafiq Khairy

Not good.  Fortunately the rim was still rideable.

We weren’t done yet.  We had only just got moving again when we had puncture number four.  All in the space of 13km / 8mi.

What with one thing or the other, it is no surprise that out of the total ride time of seven hours, we were stopped for three hours.  Which explains why we didn’t get back to the McDonald’s in Kota Kemuning until 2.00pm, when the temperature was pushing 37°C / 99°F.

A salted caramel sundae never tasted so good!

Morib Salted Caramel

We all got split up between Morib and Kota Kemuning.  I haven’t heard any reports of missing cyclists, so I can only assume that everyone got back safely.  Albeit some with minor scrapes, cramps and sore muscles.

I need to practice being a ride leader.  If nothing else, it makes a good excuse!

Morib Banner north florida bicycle club

Graphic courtesy of North Florida Bicycle Club

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