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The R@SKLs get fried

Posted on April 29, 2018 by alchemyrider

Temperature

I suspect what will be remembered most about today’s ride to Pulau Carey is how hot it was while we were riding back to Kota Kemuning.  It got up to 37° C / 99° F.  Combine the temperature with the humidity of almost 70%, and the temperature felt like 45° C /  113° F.  Even a rare tailwind – hooray – between Jenjarom and Bandar Rimbayu did nothing to cool us down.

Route

We shouldn’t have been surprised that it got so hot.  It felt warmer and more humid than usual at 6.15am when the first R@SKLs arrived at Restoran BR Maju.  Warning sign #1.

Carey Island early arrival

Photograph courtesy of Alfred Chan

30 of us were ready to roll at 7.00am.  Under a cloudless sky.  Warning sign #2.

Carey Island start

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Twenty minutes later we were riding through Bandar Rimbayu, with the sun already making its presence felt as it rose above the horizon. Warning sign #3.

Carey Island riding

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We were in Jenjarom at 8.00am.  The temperature was 28° C / 82° F.  About half of the group could only do a short ride and were turning back at Jenjarom.  We all flooded into a coffee shop for breakfast before the group split up.

Carey island breakfast

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Carey island breakfast 2

Photograph courtesy of Jiv Sammanthan

40 minutes later 17 of us continued on to Pantai Tanjung Rhu, Pulau Carey.  We were very happy to see that sections of Jalan Klang Banting had recently been resurfaced.  Including the section between the Lebuhraya Lembah Klang Selatan flyover and Jalan Bandar Lama, which had been exceptionally badly rutted and potholed.

As you can see from the route map above, Pulau Carey is barely an island.  The land mass of Pulau Carey is separated from the peninsula by the Langat River and a narrow meandering finger of the Strait of Malacca.

When we got to the sea at 9.20am, the tide was out.

Carey Island panorama

Photograph courtesy of Luanne Sieh

There was no shade, which was inconvenient as Jiv had a puncture just as we got to the end of the road.  There was quite a bad cut in his tire, so the fix was a bit involved and took some time.  CK to the rescue!

Carey Island flat

Photograph courtesy of Jiv Sammanthan

We interrupted the repair for a group photograph.  It was too hot to linger, so as soon as Jiv’s tire was fixed we started the return leg to Kota Kemuning.

Carey Island group

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

By 10.30am we had covered the 16km / 10mi between the beach and our regular cendol stall.  Wet, ice cold and sweet.  Just what the doctor ordered when it was 32° C / 90° F and felt closer to 37° C / 99° F.

Carey Island cendol

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

The temperature kept climbing as we rode the 28km / 17mi from the cendol stop to Restoran BR Maju in Kota Kemuning.  We needed a short rest in the shade at Kampung Sri Cheeding after 15km / 9mi.

Lots of sunblock and sunscreen were applied today.  Nevertheless, I suspect some of us got burnt over the last 35minutes of the ride today.  It was a scorcher!  Probably hot enough to do this.

Carey Island fried egg

Photograph courtesy of alert-conservation.org

 

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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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R@SKLs Do Penang – Day One

Posted on June 5, 2017 by alchemyrider

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Shoes Not Allowed.png

The R@SKLs crawled or bounced out of bed, depending on how much wine and beer had been consumed the night before.  Freshly-baked bread, jam, juice, yogurt, fresh fruit, and coffee were waiting in the communal kitchen / dining area.

The plan for the day was a gentle ride of between 30 to 40km / 18 to 25mi, interrupted at regular intervals for food and drink.  The estimated time of arrival back at the hotel was 11am.  What transpired was a little different.

We were all ready to roll at about 8am.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Start 2 CK Lim

Photograph courtesy of CK Lim

Lay was in town, so he joined us

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Start 1

Photograph courtesy of CK Lim

I mentioned in the Prelude post that we would do this ride in style.  We hired these three fine young men to accompany us on their scooters and motorbikes.  Armed with whistles, flags, and walkie-talkies, they stopped traffic at junctions and intersections, and rode between the traffic and us on multi-lane highways, so ensuring that we were safe during our ride.  They were our guardian angels over the weekend.  Thank you gentlemen.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Marshals CK Lim

Photograph courtesy of CK Lim

We spent the first kilometer of the ride looking for somewhere to have a second breakfast.  Clearly, the breakfast at the hotel was merely a snack to tide us over whilst we searched for a proper breakfast.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Breakfast TH Lee

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

We didn’t get far after the roti canais and teh tariks.  Simon had a puncture within the next kilometer.  Some of us were up the road, so there were only Leonard, Kevin and Kelin to stand around and watch Simon and CK replace an inner tube.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 First Flat Spectators Lee Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

We got an early taste of Penang’s bike paths.  There is an annual cycling event organized by the Campaign For A Lane (CFAL), that raises funds for the creation of bike paths and bike lanes.  CFAL has been running for about a decade, and the results are visible all around the island.

After our stint on the bike path we were on the Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu highway, riding toward the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge.  This bridge, Malaysia’s longest, opened in early 2014.  It is the second bridge linking Penang to the mainland.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Penang Bridge Simon Soo Hu

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

If we had known better, we would have retraced our track from here, and been back at the hotel, and out of the sun, by 11am.  As most of us expected.

Instead we continued on to Bayan Lepas airport, and beyond.  We all agreed that Kapitan Simon was to blame for this.  We are sure he misled our guardian angels into thinking that we all wanted to ride further.  So they took us on a longer route.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Route

Just after the right turn onto Jalan Permatang Damar Laut, at the southern tip of the island, TH had a puncture.  It was about 10am.  The sun was bright and it was already 32°C / 90°F.  A group of us waited in the only shade we could find as TH replaced his inner tube.

Fifteen minutes later we were all rolling again toward Teluk Kumbar, where we turned right.  We were now cycling north and starting to climb up Bukit Genting.  Those of us who had ridden CFAL in the past were familiar with this climb.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim
Photograph courtesy of TH Lim
Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Once down the other side, it was time for more food.  A stall in the Balik Pulau Food Court is famous for its asam laksa.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Balik Pulau Food Court 5 366 via TH Lim

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

“What’s that?  No asam laksa?”

The guys had to settle for koay teow soup instead.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Balik Pulau Food Court 4 CK Lim

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

“But wait!”  There is more asam laksa being made.”

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Balik Pulau Food Court Asam Laksa TH Lim

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

So some of the guys had seconds.  Asam laksa on top of the koay teow soup.  A decision that would rise up, so to speak, to haunt at least one person.

All smiles at this point, as we left the Balik Pulau Food Court.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Balik Pulau Food Court 6 366 via TH Lim

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

Literally 500 meters from where we took the photo above, the road started tilting up, and up, and up.  It was 5km / 5mi to Anjung Indah, with gradients touching 10% and more.  This was allegedly a shortcut back to the hotel.  Give me the longer way next time!

This was the last 20 meters of what is one of the hardest climbs any of us have done.

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

We stopped where the junction with a side road offered some extra tarmac where we could safely get off our bikes.  As you can see from the photos, the sun was directly overhead.  So we sought refuge in some shade across the road.  Pretty much in a drain.

Which would have been convenient if that asam laksa had erupted up and out of someone’s stomach!

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Anjung Indah Climb 7 CK Lim

Photograph courtesy of CK Lim

If we had known that there were fruit and drinks stalls 300 meters up the road, we would have kept going, rather than stop where we did.  Although I must admit, that is easy to say now.  We were on the limit at the time.

After all the cursing about the climb while recovered beside the drain, smiles were restored when we discovered durian at the fruit stalls.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Anjung Indah Park 1 Kevin Chin

Photograph courtesy of Kevin Chin

Treasurer Heng Keng thought that he might have to make a cash call, given the amount of durian consumed.  Especially by some guy in pink from Taiwan!

Photograph courtesy of TH Lee
Photograph courtesy of TH Lee
Photograph courtesy of TH Lee
Photograph courtesy of TH Lee

We still had 23km / 14mi to get back to the Tien hotel.  With 8km / 5mi of that along the unshaded Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu highway.

By the time we got back into George Town it was about 2pm.  We were boiling.  Cendol was called for.  There is a very well-known cendol stall on Lebuh Keng Kwee, which goes by the less-than-modest name of Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendol.  The queue for their cendol is always long – see below.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Cendol 1 Simon Soo Hu

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

Some locals say that the cendol from the stall across the road is, in fact, better.  We opted for that much less-crowded stall.  Some of us had two bowls of cendol, and we were on our way before the people at the end of the queue for the “Famous” cendol had been able to place their orders.

Just one more kilometer, and we were back in the air-conditioned comfort of the Tien hotel.  Most of us jumped into showers.  Some took another option.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Pool TH Lim

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

All of us did turn the rooftop pool deck into a dobi, or laundry.  Open dividers, which had obviously been designed with considerable thought and care, became excellent places to hang wet cycling kit.

Some of us took naps.  Some went for a massage.  Some indulged in the nyonya cakes and bubur kacang merah (red bean soup) that were laid out in the hotel dining area.

R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Tien Hotel Tea

Cyclists that we are, we had all done the maths, and had determined that, despite all we had eaten already, there were still calories to be replaced – see I Am Sure I’ve Earned That Second Roti Canai.  We were ready for more food.

Dinner was at Yi Bing Qing Fish Head Steamboat.  Yi Bing Qing is a big name when it comes to steamboat restaurants in Penang.  So good that Leonard paused to give thanks at the altar of the steamboat chimney.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee
Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee

In all seriousness, the steamboat was delicious.

With that meal, Day One was a wrap.  There was, allegedly, a party that night up in the lounge / bar area of the hotel.

Allegedly.  If there was a party, I slept through it. R@SKLs Penang Day 1 Halo 2

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I Am Sure I’ve Earned That Second Roti Canai

Posted on May 27, 2017 by alchemyrider

Calories Banner

My friends and I cycle for exercise, and for social interaction.  Some of that social interaction takes place while we are on our bikes. At least it does when we are riding at a moderate enough pace where talking whilst pedalling is physically possible.

Regular readers will know that most of that social interaction occurs over food.  Be it pre-ride, mid-ride, post-ride, or any combination of the three.  What the group wants to eat is often what determines where we ride.  For example, a hankering for roti canai will take us to Kundang.

Roti Canai Flat Bread, Indian Food, Made From Wheat Flour Dough.

Photograph courtesy of therakyatpost.com

Once in a while, the number of calories burnt during the ride is used as justification for a second roti canai, or whatever else has tickled the taste buds at the time.  Whatever calorie burn the Garmin bike computer reported must surely exceed the calories in two roti canai!

Calories Burned Bicycling com

Graphic courtesy of bicycling.com

Unfortunately, bike computers don’t do a good job of estimating the number of calorie burnt.  These devices use proprietary algorithms to calculate calorie burn.  You are going to get different results from different devices, depending on the algorithms and the technology they use.  There is no single international standard on how calorie burn should be measured.

Another contributor to inaccuracy is what I will call user “error”.  The algorithms all use data like rider height, weight, gender, fitness class, etc. to estimate calorie burn.  If a rider misstates their weight, for example, the estimated calorie burn will be less accurate.

The figures in the chart below are based on a 68kg / 150lb rider (so obviously not me) in constant motion; not including coasting, drafting, and descending.

Calories Burned Cycling Bicycling com

Graphic courtesy of bicycling.com

Lastly, accuracy is much improved with heart rate information.  So if you ride without a heart rate monitor, your Garmin will present you with nothing more than a rudimentary guesstimate of your calorie burn.  And more than likely overstating the number of calories you burnt.  Riding with a heart monitor reporting spurious data will also skew your calorie burn number.

DC Rainmaker has an informative blog post on this subject that you can read at How Calorie Measurement Works on Garmin Fitness Devices.

Even if we did have accurate calorie burn information, we would not necessarily be able to match our caloric intake to our caloric output.  Most of us have no idea of how many calories are in a plain roti canai (approx. 300), or a serving of nasi lemak (approx. 400), or in a Big Mac (approx 560), or in a bowl of cendol approx. 200).

Those figures come from MyFitnessPal, and are approximations.  Add egg to that roti canai, or a piece of fried chicken to that nasi lemak, and the calorie count will go up.

Calories Eating Bicycling com

Graphic courtesy of bicycling.com

Now I know that two plain roti canai and two bowls of cendol contain at least 1,000 calories.  Given my weight, height, and age, I have to ride at 26 to 32kph / 16 to 20mph for between an hour and 70 minutes to burn 1,000 calories.

It is a good thing that my social interactions while cycling are usually spread over three hours or so of pedalling at a decent pace.  So I do earn that second roti canai after all.  Plain of course!

 

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R@SKLs at the NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017

Posted on May 22, 2017 by alchemyrider

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Banner

It pays to have friends with connections.  In this case, Heng Keng, who got some VIP parking passes for the R@SKLs driving to Puncak Alam for the NST C-Cycle Challenge century ride.  We all car-pooled, two people and two bikes to a vehicle, and got parking spots just meters from the start line.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
Photograph courtesy of Daniel Lim
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
Photograph courtesy of Leonard Yee

Once everyone was ready, i.e. after last minute visits to the loo, we joined the 1,000 or so other participants behind the start gantry.  There were two events:  a 160km / 100mi race, and a 35km / 22mi Fun Ride.  We combined the two events, and planned to have a 160km Fun Ride.

The horn sounded and the starting flag fell at about 7.50am.  Only twenty minutes late, which is par for the course at Malaysian cycling events.

C-CYCLE CHALLENGE 2017

Photograph courtesy of Khairull Azry Bidin

The organizers had made some late changes to the course that had been initially announced.  They took about 15km / 9mi off the total distance, including 6km / 4mi of climbing.  Which significantly increased the odds that we would all have a fun ride.

The course followed a rough figure-of-eight path.  We headed south from Puncak Alam over a few of the Dragon’s Back climbs before heading west and then north around the clockwise lower loop.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Route.png

The temperature was in the mid to high 20s C / 70s F.   We had a support vehicle loaded with ice chests packed with water and 100-Plus isotonic drink.  Everything was lined up for an excellent ride.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 On The Road Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

But you know that saying about the best laid plans?  Kelin and Thomas, together with about twenty other riders, didn’t see the admittedly poorly-placed directional arrow, and sailed past the 90° right hand turn at 43km / 27mi, where the route around the lower loop turned inland.

It was 15km / 9mi before they realised their mistake.  Which perhaps wasn’t a mistake after all, as they found a cendol stall, while the rest of us didn’t.

Photograph courtesy of Kelin Chan
Photograph courtesy of Kelin Chan

We made our first stop just after that right turn.  It makes such a nice change to have a support vehicle on our rides, instead of depending upon the official rest stops.  Being guaranteed cold drinks and bananas is a massive plus.  Thank you Heng Keng for loaning your driver and vehicle to the R@SKL cause.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 First Stop Danial Shaz

Photograph courtesy of Danial Shaz

The weather had been closing in from the time we started pedalling again.  By the time we started the climb to the Department of Civil Aviation site at the top of the hill on Jalan Batu Arang, the rain had started.  It rained, heavily in places, along the entire 22km / 14mi hilly stretch which made up the middle section of the ride.  The rain kept us cool, but care was needed on the steeper descents.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Rain Kelin Chan

Photograph courtesy of Kelin Chan

Stop number two came after 87km / 54mi.  It had stopped raining, but roads were still wet.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Water Stop 2 Simon

Photograph courtesy of Luanne Sieh

Leonard didn’t get the memo about which camera to look at.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Water Stop 2 Which Camera

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Despite the rain, everyone was having a good time.  That came to a crashing halt, literally, when Danial and Ray went down just shy of the 100km / 62mi mark.  It was a high speed crash precipitated by a depression in the road surface.  Ray came out of it with just some scrapes and bruises.  Danial was not so lucky.  He will be off his bike for some time with a fractured cheekbone and the after-effects of a mild concussion.

The official paramedic who arrived on the scene was very good.  He checked Danial out for broken bones and internal injuries, cleaned up his cuts and scrapes, and got him off the road.  Forty minutes after the crash, Ray and Danial were in an ambulance to the Sungai Buloh hospital, accompanied by Luanne.

We were shaken and a bit shocked by what had happened.  We debated whether to continue the ride or not.  The group decision was to ride on, but at a slower speed.

We had more rain to contend with over the 15km / 9mi to Kuala Selangor.  The McDonald’s at Kuala Selangor was a good place to stop for some shelter and some food.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 McDonald's Simon

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

After burgers and chocolate sundaes, we realised that we would miss the cutoff time for the event.  We would all officially DNF.  Never mind.  In the bigger scheme of things, that was not the worst thing to happen that day.

Our last 40km / 25mi were made easier for us by three marshals on motorbikes, who accompanied us all the way back to Puncak Alam.  They kept traffic at a safe distance, pointed out potholes and other hazards, and blocked off junctions so we didn’t have to stop for any traffic lights.  That added some fun back into what had become a bit of a somber day.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Jln Kuala Selangor - Sg Buloh Rosdan Wahid

Photograph courtesy of Rosdan Wahid

The sun was out as we negotiated Jalan Kuala Selangor and Jalan Bukit Cerakah toward the finish.  The day had warmed up considerably by the time we crossed the line.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Finish 01 Tomoe Suga

Photograph courtesy of Tomoe Suga

Thomas and Kelin were already at the finish, medals in hand, after their unexpected detour cut short their ride.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Medals Thomas Tan

Photograph courtesy of Thomas Tan

The rest of the R@SKLs joined them at the finish area while we waited for TH and the support car to get back from the Sungai Buloh hospital with Luanne.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Finish 02 Lee Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

I suppose we could have let ourselves be entertained by these superheroes while we were there.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Super Heroes Muhd Zaaba Zakeria

Photograph courtesy of Muhd Zaaba Zakeria

It had been a day of mixed emotions, and we were all more concerned to get an update on Danial’s condition than anything else.

Even the lucky draw held no attraction for us, despite the attractive prizes.

Graphic courtesy of NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017
Graphic courtesy of NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017

Upon reflection, it was a fun ride.  It was just such a shame that Danial and Ray had that bad crash.  All the R@SKLs are very relieved that the outcome was not worse, and we wish the both of them speedy recoveries.

NST C-Cycle Challenge 2017 Medal.png

 

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R@SKLs Do Morib

Posted on May 8, 2017 by alchemyrider
Morib Sign tripadvisor co uk

Photograph courtesy of tripadvisor.co.uk

The R@SKLs still had the 1,200 plus meters / 3,900 plus feet of climbing to Fraser’s Hill, from the weekend before, in their legs.  So for this weekend’s ride they opted for the flat run from Kota Kemuning to the beach at Morib.

Sixteen of us gathered at BR Maju Restaurant in Kota Kemuning.  We weren’t the only ones in lycra at BR Maju.  It is a popular spot for cyclists to have breakfast, or just a drink, before heading out on their rides.

Morib Restoran BR Maju

Photograph courtesy of Peter Shea

My previous rides to Morib have been westward on the motorcycle path alongside the KESAS Highway, and then south on Jalan Klang Banting.  The ride along the motorcycle path is nice enough, especially on Sundays when there are few motorcycles on the path with you.

The riding on Jalan Klang Banting, however, is truly unpleasant.  That road has been damaged by the constant heavy vehicle traffic.  Cyclists face more than 10km / 6mi of potholes, ruts, lumps and bumps.

Morib Old Route

This time Meng and CK led us along a much more pleasant route southward from Kota Kemuning to Bandar Rimbayu and the bridge over the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE).

From the SKVE crossing to Jenjarom, the riding is along 14km / 9mi of well-surfaced, lightly trafficked kampung roads.  The occasional speed bump is much more preferable to the minefield that is Jalan Klang Banting.

Morib New Route

We did have to ride northwest along Jalan Klang Banting to get from Jenjarom to Jalan Bandar Lama.  Whilst the road surface along that 4.5km / 3mi section was not great, we had avoided the worst ruts and potholes to the north.

The right turn onto Jalan Klang Banting confused some of us.  A left turn onto Jalan Klang Banting, aka Federal Route 5, would take us south and then west through Banting town and onward to Morib.  Surely turning right would add distance to our ride?

Turning right instead of left did add 6km / 4mi to our ride.  The reward for riding extra kilometers was that once we were on Jalan Bandar Lama, we rode over well-surfaced and quiet roads to Morib.  Although the road surface south along Federal Route 5 from Jenjarom to Banting and then Morib does improve, there is always a lot of traffic to deal with.  Thumbs up for the coastal route.

The group had been divided about where to eat and drink in Morib.  Delicious Bread Coffee Shop was on the minds of some.  As the name suggests, their kaya toast is delicious.  But the coffee shop had run out of nasi lemak by the time we got there, so we opted for the food stalls along the beach instead.

Morib Delicious Bread

I had not noticed, but our group had shrunk by one.  Leonard’s bicycle had started making worrying noises as we left Kota Kemuning, so he headed back to his car.  And drove to Morib.  I’m not sure which he wanted to see more, us or the nasi lemak!

Morib Waiting for Food Simon

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soohu

This is what everyone had been waiting for.

Morib Food Mark

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We found a helpful tourist to take a group picture of us at the beach.

Morib Group 2 Ong Peng Hong

Photograph courtesy of Ong Peng Hong

I suspect that most tourists are disappointed when they see Morib beach.  It is not one of Malaysia’s better beaches.

Morib Beach 1 Simon Soohu

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soohu

We retraced our route back to Kota Kemuning.  We rode along the coast for 7km / 4mi, and then along the Sungai Langat for 3.5km / 2mi.  Just as the road veers away from the river, there is the option to turn left to Bukit Jugra, and a climb of 180 meters / 590 feet over 1.6km / 1mi.

We turned right.

Morib Route

As is often the case, it had warmed up considerably by 11am.  Luckily we were spared the full brunt of the sun.  There were rain clouds over the sea, and it was overcast on the coast.  It had rained the night before.  The rising temperature had made it more and more humid, so everyone was dripping with sweat.  We didn’t help ourselves by pushing a 30kph / 18.5mph pace.

Once we had crossed the climb of the day – the bridge over the Sungai Langat – we were ready for a drink and a rest.

Morib Sungai Langat Bridge Google Maps

Photograph courtesy of Google Maps

1.5km / 1mi from the river is Ross Cendol & ABC Santan Sawit.  The stall is not much to look at from the back.

Morib Cendol Johan

But it has tables and chairs shaded from the sun by umbrellas.

Morib Cendol 2 Simon Soohu

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soohu

Morib Cendol Simon Soohu

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soohu

And of course, ice-cold and sweet cendol.

Morib Cendol 3 Simon Soohu

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soohu

It was about 30km / 18.5mi from Ross Cendol back to BR Maju Restaurant.  By the time we left the cendol stall, those rain clouds over the sea had moved inland ahead of us.  The wind picked up, especially as we neared the bridge over the SKVE.  Fortunately, we didn’t get rained on.  We got a bit splashed and splattered anyway.  The roads between Bandar Rimbayu and BR Maju Restaurant were very wet.

Apart from Leonard’s mechanical, that was the only blemish on the ride.  Nice roads, good weather, and excellent company.  What more can a group of cyclists ask for?

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Roadies and Fixies Cendol Tour: Melaka to Kajang

Posted on December 18, 2016 by alchemyrider
being-tourists-5-alvin

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Our plans for an early start were scuttled by rain.  We lingered over breakfast while waiting for the rain to stop.

ready-to-roll-alvin

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

We rolled out of the Fenix Inn at 9.00am.  Not to immediately head north toward Port Dickson and Kajang, but to ride to the ruins of the A Famosa fortress, and to the Stadthuys. Two of the most photographed colonial buildings, the first Portuguese and the second Dutch, in Melaka.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee
Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Photographs snapped, we crossed the Melaka River and started our 150km / 93mi ride back to Kajang.

alvin-1-mark

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We retraced our route from the day before.  We also followed our schedule of stopping every 30km / 19mi or so.

The first stop came at a coconut water stand 27km / 17mi outside Melaka.  Mark and I had become separated from Alvin and Liang by that point.  We stopped again at the junction of Route 5 and the M142 to make sure that they didn’t miss that turn.

Riding together again, we got to Kuala Sungai Baru at 11.40am.  The Kuala Seafood restaurant already had its lunch offerings on display.  Everything tasted as good as it looked.

lunch-alvin

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

We lingered over lunch and drinks for an hour.  It had been hot the day before, and it was already hot again.  I were all dehydrated, and our bodies needed all the fluid we could take in.

The weather can change very quickly, and it did so after lunch.  We had to take cover at a bus stop near Batu Ibol as a sudden cloudburst rolled by.

rain-mark

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

The rain eased after ten minutes, so we headed back out onto the very wet road.  We rode through drizzle and on wet roads all the way to Port Dickson.

We stopped at Azmi Cendol in the town centre to dry off a bit.

And for some of this.

why-we-ride-alvin

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

And some of this.

liang-sleeping-alvin

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

We were just over halfway home.  The sun came out again as we sat at Azmi Cendol.  Time to reapply the SPF70.  The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful.  No punctures!

It was hot and steamy.  We stopped for a much needed rest and something to drink just before the 100km / 62mi mark.  Coincidentally at the 99 Speedmart in Tanah Merah where we bought Cokes and such the day before.

There are 140 meters / 460 feet of climbing in the 12km / 7.5mi between Tanah Merah and Sepang.  Which was especially hard work for Alvin and Liang on their fixies.  They fully deserved the stop at the Shell petrol station in Sepang.

The climbing doesn’t stop after Sepang.  There is another 465 meters / 1,525 feet of elevation in the 45km / 28mi to Kajang.  By the time we got to Pekan Salak we all needed to refill our bottles.

refill-alvin

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

We needed to catch our breath one final time with 20km / 12.5mi to go.  Then it was a leisurely ride past some high tech bodies:  the Atomic Energy Licensing Board, the Malaysia Genome Institute, and the Malaysian Nuclear Agency.

The National University of Malaysia in Bangi is the last landmark before the right turn toward Bandar Teknologi Kajang.  From there we had just 5.5km / 3.5mi to the police station where we had parked.  Oh, and a final 100 meters / 328 feet of climbing, just for laughs!

It had taken us ten and a half hours to get from Melaka to Kajang.  Six and a half of which were spent on our bikes.  We had done the return trip in about twenty five minutes less than the outward leg the day before.  Kudos to Alvin and Liang for pedalling for every second of those thirteen hours and fifteen minutes, as we covered a tad over 320 km / 199 mi over two days.  Very impressive!

We closed our credit card tour with dinner at Restoran Yip Sheng, down the road from the police station.  Fried rice, lemon chicken and braised beancurd.

dinner-alvin

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

A tasty end to a very enjoyable two-day tour in the company of very good friends.

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Food Hunt Ride I

Posted on November 14, 2016 by alchemyrider

Admittedly most of my Flipside group rides involve food.  We have a list of restaurants and coffee shops that are on regular rotation.

Last Saturday we tried somewhere new.  Mark (our expert food spotter) had noticed a particularly crowded restaurant during one of our previous rides through Rawang.  We decided that would be our breakfast stop that morning.

It was very misty as we rode along the Guthrie Corridor Expressway towards the Lagong Toll Plaza.

food-hunt-mist-marco

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

About 50km / 31mi into the ride we arrived at the red awnings of Restoran Teratak Nogori.

food-hunt-nasi-lemak-leslie

Photograph courtesy of Leslie Thong

Mark had been attracted by the sign advertising steamed nasi lemak.  The nasi lemak was as good as advertised.

food-hunt-nasi-lemak-01-marco

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

After we got back onto Jalan Rawang we took a little detour into the housing area bordering Templer Park.  The road is much quieter there, and the views are nice too.

food-hunt-templers-park-marco

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Our route back from Templer Park into Kuala Lumpur took us toward the junction of Jalan Sentul and Jalan Tun Razak.  Right where our Bangsar Cycling Group buddy, Danial, has just revitalised the Born & Bread Cafe.

food-hunt-born-and-bread-cafe

We had to stop there for a coffee and some cake.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai
Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

The mist of the morning had long burnt off, and it was hot when we left the cafe.

To get back to where we had started our ride, we had to cut through Taman Tun Dr Ismail, popularly known as TTDI.  Which happens to be the location of a good cendol stall.  Given the temperature, a cendol stop was called for.

food-hunt-cendol-01-marco

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

An excellent way to set us up for the last 15km / 9mi  of a 100km / 62mi ride.

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Century Ride de Kelantan 2015

Posted on May 9, 2015 by alchemyrider

Kelantan Century Ride 2015 Banner

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

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

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

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Selipar Jepun

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

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia Magazine

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.

Kelantan Century 2015 Route

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.

Kelantan Century 2015 KM40 Road

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

Kelantan Century 2015 KM105 Climb

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

Kelantan Century 2015 Weather

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

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Charles Hedwig Fernandez

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

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Keat Wong

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.

Kelantan Century 2015 Lucky Draw

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.

Kelantan Century 2015 Pasar Siti Khadijah Kellie Itoe

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

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

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.

Kelantan Century 2015 Logo

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Team Flipside at the Kuantan Century Ride 2014

Posted on June 3, 2014 by alchemyrider

Kuantan Century Ride 2014 Banner

The first century ride of the year for Team Flipside was in Kuantan.  This was my second KCR, having ridden the event last year with Team 165.

Fifteen Flipsiders made the three-hour trip to Kuantan from KL.  A number of us got there late on Saturday.  We were thankful to Mark for collecting goodie bags on our behalf.  The Power Bar and granola bar came in handy during the ride.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

I stayed with my cousin and her husband.  By coincidence they had decided to take me to dinner at the same restaurant where the other Flipsiders had made a reservation.  It was a good thing that a reservation was made.  Alor Akar Seafood Restaurant was packed with diners.  Good food at a reasonable price.  A recipe for success anywhere.

We met at the start at about 7am.  Some drove from their hotels.  I rode from Izan’s and Paul’s home.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Once everyone had gathered we posed for the obligatory group photograph.  We need to get Griffin a Flipsider jersey.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Evolution

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Evolution

The Flipsiders have made a habit of starting rides at the very back of the pack.  In the case of the KCR 2014 we were so far back that we were behind the police escort vehicles.  It wasn’t long before we were told to move up.

Kuantan Century Ride 2014 Escorts

Over 2,000 riders signed up for the event.  So it took a while before we back markers got across the start line.

Photograph courtesy of Faizal Shaupi

Photograph courtesy of Faizal Shaupi

The route took us north-west before curling south.

Kuantan Century Ride 2014 Route

I didn’t remember Kuantan being hilly.  I know better now.  Fortunately the climbing was limited to the first part of the course, when it was relatively cool.

Photograph courtesy of Mohamad Shazreen Arif

Photograph courtesy of Mohamad Shazreen Arif

It wouldn’t be the KCR without a portion of the ride along the beach.  It was a particularly scenic part of the ride.  Unfortunately by the time we got to the beach it was getting hot.

Photograph courtesy of Zue Rahman

Photograph courtesy of Zue Rahman

34° C / 93° F that felt like 42° C / 107° F hot.  I was so glad to see Pam, Maggie, Cindy and Van at the second rest stop.  With a van full of ice cold 100 Plus and water.  And bananas and energy bars.

Photograph courtesy of Iskandar Ahmat

Photograph courtesy of Iskandar Ahmat

They were out in support of Team Knog.  Seven friends from Van’s Urban Bicycle who completed the TCR on folding bikes.  Chapeau to those guys.

Photograph courtesy of Wan Amril

Photograph courtesy of Wan Amril

The third stop was on the grounds of the University Malaya Pahang campus.  Where ice-cold cendol was being served.  I had five servings.  Did I say it was a very hot day?

Kuantan Century Ride 2014 Cendol

The heat took its toll and quite a few starters did not make it to the finish line back in Kuantan.  All the Flipsiders completed the ride.   Marco and I finished together.  Hot and tired, but happy to get a finisher’s medal.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

I’m not sure which was worse.  Riding in that heat, or being one of the girls who handed out the medals, waiting in the heat for the last of the finishers.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclomotion

Photograph courtesy of Cyclomotion

Speaking of medals, these were pretty impressive.

Kuantan Century Ride 2014 Medal

Everyone I spoke to who had done the ride last year agreed that this year’s route was an improvement.  The omission of the Gebeng Bypass was greatly appreciated.

We all had nothing but good things to say about the organization and planning that went into the Kuantan Century Ride 2014.  The ride strted on time.  The marshaling of the route was excellent.  All the rest stops were well-stocked with cold drinks and fruit.  Thumbs up to the organizers and volunteers for a great event.

Kuantan Century Ride 2014 JM Cycling Evolution

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Evolution

Now if only they could do something about the heat.

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