Tag Archives: Kapar

Teluk Intan with the R@SKLs – Day 2

Posted on July 17, 2018 by alchemyrider

Teluk Intan Day 1 Menara Chondong Night Mark

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

While we were cooling down in the lobby after arriving at the Yew Boutique Hotel, we talked about a start time for our ride back to Kapar. 6.00am was mentioned. Jake asked me if that start time eas confirmed. I told him to wait until after dinner.

Sure enough. 10kg / 22lbs of udang galah in our collective stomachs prompted some recalibration. Breakfast at the coffee shop across the road from the hotel at 6.30am, and wheels rolling at 7.00am.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

We didn’t quite meet our 7.00am departure goal. Heng Keng took the photograph below. No prizes for figuring out who was the last person out of the hotel door.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

We have developed a routine for Day 2 of these Teluk Intan rides. Breakfast across the road from the hotel. Followed by a stop at the 7 Eleven 400 meters down the road for ice and water. Then onto Jalan Maharajalela and southward out of town.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tailwind from Sabak Bernam to Teluk Intan the previous afternoon. “Effortless” was one description for that 35km / 22mi section where we hit 40kph / 25mph at times. Well, we paid the full price for that tailwind, plus interest, on the way back to Kapar.

Teluk Intan Day 2 Wind bicyclenetwork com au

Photograph courtesy of bicyclenetwork.com.au

Kapar is almost directly south of Teluk Intan. As we left Teluk Intan the wind was blowing north-westward at 4kph. At 8.00am we were at Hutan Melintang, where the wind was blowing westward at 4kph. At 9.30am we were at Sabak Bernam, and the wind was blowing north-westward again, but stronger at 13kph.

We turned off Route 5 at Sabak Bernam to follow the secondary roads which run along the coast. While waiting for the others to ensure that they didn’t miss the turn, Pai handed out kokuto, which is brown sugar candy from Okinawa. Although kokuto is made from sugar cane, it tastes a lot like gula kabung or gula melaka, which are types of palm sugar.

Kokuto Oikinawan brown sugar candy jpninfo com

Photograph courtesy of jpninfo.com

Around this time a good friend to the R@SKLs, Daniel, was well into his Olympic Distance Race at the Port Dickson International Triathlon 2018. That consists of a 1.5km open water swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run.

Respect!

Photograph courtesy of Daniel Lim

Despite being on more sheltered roads south of Sabak Bernam, the headwind was just as bad. The roads were very nice though.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

We planned to make our first stop at Sungai Besar, which is 50km / 31km from Teluk Intan. The extra effort against the headwind meant that we were more than ready for a break in Sungai Besar. One of the first stalls we came upon was selling fresh coconut water. After drinking the water straight out of the coconut, it is split open so you can spoon out the jellylike flesh.

Pai’s thirst had been slaked, but he was hungry. So he crossed the road to the 988 Restaurant for a plate of chicken rice. Before long three or four others were sitting beside him, eating red bean paste filled pau, and toast with kaya (coconut jam).

We weren’t back on the road for very long before we realised that we had lost Natasha and Marco. Marco had loaded the route onto his Bryton. However, the mapped route showed a right turn which didn’t exist in reality. If you turned right at the next opportunity instead of making a u-turn and backtracking, you were on the wrong road.

Everyone found a shady spot while Lay and I went to find Natasha and Marco. Despite the headwind now blowing straight into our faces at 16kph, it was getting hot.

Teluk Intan Day 2 Waiting For Lost Trio Pai

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

We were still on country roads after 75km, with just the odd motorcycle for company.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Then we came upon a Malay wedding kenduri (feast) in full swing. As sometimes happens in rural villages, the entire width of the road had been taken over by marquees which provided shade for buffet tables and guests eating lunch.

Rather than detour around the blocked section of road, which would have required us to get back onto Route 5, we decided to walk our bikes around the edge of the marquees.

Traditional village hospitality then came to the fore. We were invited to stay and eat something. When we declined, we were plied with drinks instead. The emcee announced that we were coming through, and asked everyone to make way for us as we wound our way between tables.

Quite amazing!

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

Having declined a meal at the wedding feast, we were ready for lunch when we got to Sekinchan. Marvin said he knew a good restaurant, but wasn’t sure if

a) it was open, and
b) if it was open, whether it would be full by the time we got there.

I wouldn’t have guessed that this is a restaurant.

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

Redang Station No. 15 was open, and there was room for us. The restaurant is essentially a big room on stilts. The floor is wood planking, as are the tables and benches. The back of the restaurant opens out to the jetties where fishing boats unload their catch of the day.

Teluk Intan Day 2 Fishing Boats

Alfred was certainly comfortable. Admittedly it was 36° C / 97° F outside, and he was done riding for the day. His wife was going to pick him up after lunch.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

The online reviews for Redang Station No. 15 are either glowing or damning. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground. Marvin had already prepped us for what to expect. The restaurant serves seafood only. Either steamed or fried. No fancy sauces. No rice. No vegetables. Just fresh seafood. And fried noodles if you insist.

Everything we ate was delicious. The freshest ingredients simply prepared. Thank you for taking us there Marvin.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Martin Lee

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Apart from its seafood restaurants, Sekinchan in also noted for Redang Beach and the Wishing Tree.

Redang Beach, like almost all beaches on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is nothing special. The lack of storm activity in the Straits of Melaka limits the scouring action of the sea. Which means that a layer of silt has built up over the years, making the beaches muddy.

Those kites illustrate the 17kph wind blowing northward straight up the coast.

Teluk Intan Day 2 Pantai Redang 2 Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

The Wishing Tree gets lots of visitors. It came to fame after being featured in the Hong Kong TVB drama “Outbound Love.” You write a wish on a strip of red cloth, tie each end to a coin with a hole in the middle, and toss the cloth strip into the branches of the tree.

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

There are about 70km / 43mi between Sekinchan and Kapar. We knew that the heat and the headwind would make a rest stop essential. Conveniently, there is a McDonald’s in Kuala Selangor, which is midway between Sekinchan and Kapar.

We spent an hour at that McDonald’s, drinking iced lemon tea, 100 Plus, and Coke. And eating french fries and chocolate sundaes. And waiting for Marco and Natasha. Marco had a mechanical problem with his touring bike, and that was slowing him down.

Not that we were complaining about having to wait in the air conditioning. It was hot outside. How hot? That is crusted salt on Jake’s sleeve, from all the sweating he was doing.

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

We debated staying on Route 5 back to Kapar but decided it wouldn’t be worth riding on a heavily trafficked and rough road to save few kilometres. So we stayed on the back roads. This herd of cattle was going with the wind is it meandered all over the road. The cows and bull appeared to be relatively used to sharing the road. They weren’t in the least bothered by us riding past them.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

We had to get back onto Route 5 about 10km / 6mi from Adtek. The road surface is very rutted, and the shoulder is covered in all sorts of debris, including broken glass. The odds of getting a flat tire are high. I picked up a flat tire on that section the last time we did this ride. Now it was Marvin’s turn.

The only good thing was that Marvin flatted next to a shaded culvert. I assure you we did help Marvin fix his flat!

Photograph courtesy of Lay Hoi Cheong

We all got back to Adtek safely, which is the most important thing. Despite the constant headwind, everyone enjoyed the ride.

Being able to shower at Adtek before driving home was a real treat. Thank you again Pai for giving us access to the facilities at your factory.

We are already thinking about when to do the next Teluk Intan ride. It could well become a quarterly event.

Let’s get through CFAL first though!

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Kapar, Kuala Selangor, McDonalds, Pantai Redang, Redang Station No. 15, Sabak Bernam, Sekinchan, Sungai Besar, Teluk Intan. Bookmark the permalink.

Teluk Intan with the R@SKLs – Day 1

Posted on July 16, 2018 by alchemyrider

Teluk Intan Day 1 River View 2 Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

The two-day ride to Teluk Intan and back has become a favourite for the R@SKLs. Seven of us did this ride in January 2018. The main attraction of riding to Teluk Intan is a dinner of Macrobrachium rosenbergii, better known as giant freshwater prawn.

Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia

Other attractions of this ride are the doable-in-one-day distance of about 145km / 90mi, the number of quiet backroads along the route, and the cyclist-friendly Yew Boutique Hotel in Teluk Intan.

Not to mention being able to start and end the ride from Pai’s factory premises in Kapar. For a start, we get assigned parking in a secure parking lot.

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Plus access to restrooms, showers, and a water cooler. Wonderful!

Fourteen of us were ready to roll out of the Adtek car park at 6.00am. Including Natasha and Marco, who were celebrating one year of wedded bliss.

Teluk Intan Day 1 Anniversay Couple Marco

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

The first forty minutes of the ride was spent negotiating roads which have been damaged by a constant flow of heavy lorries. Street lighting was poor in places, so everyone had to be on full alert for potholes, bad patch jobs, and road debris.

The sun was peeking over the horizon as we turned right off Route 5 and onto Jalan Suara.

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

These were the roads we were looking forward to riding on.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Naturally, everyone was glad to be off the main trunk road that is Route 5.

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Whenever there was a river to cross we had no choice but to get back onto Route 5. The first of the bridges was at the small town of Sungai Buloh (literally Bamboo River). One would expect the river there to be the Sungai Buloh, but it is not. We crossed the Sungai Sembilang and endured Route 5 for 1.5km / 0.9mi before we were able to turn right onto Jalan Tok Empat Yusuf.

We had 10km / 6mi of quiet backroad almost entirely to ourselves before we had to get onto Route 5 again for the Sungai Selangor crossing at Kuala Selangor.

I had planned for our breakfast stop to be between Sungai Buloh and Kuala Selangor, in a roadside stall at the crossroads between Jalan Teluk Piah Kanan and Jalan Kuala Selangor. We had stopped there for breakfast the last time we rode to Teluk Intan.

So imagine my dismay when I got there, with thirteen hungry cyclists behind me, to find the stall partially demolished. Some of the R@SKLs were very hungry. I know from past experience that hungry cyclists tend to lack a sense of humour.

Luckily for me, some scouting around by the group revealed that the now-demolished stall had morphed into a bigger and better restaurant just around the corner.

Phew! Good humour restored.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

Around the time we were finishing breakfast, some other R@Skls were starting their Sprint Race at the Port Dickson International Triathlon 2018. 750 meter open water swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run. Way to go!

Photograph courtesy of Robyn Lim

After breakfast, we made it safely back onto Route 5 and over the bridge at Kuala Selangor.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

After exiting Route 5 at Jalan Sungai Tunggul, we would be on roads through paddy fields and rural countryside for the next 67km / 42mi.

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

We had covered about 58km / 36mi at a reasonable moving average of 25kph / 15.5mph by the time we got to the far edge of the paddy fields. We turned left onto Jalan Terusan Utama, which we would stay on for the next 30km / 19mi.

That was the plan.

A group of seven pulled ahead on the flat, straight and quiet road. The rest of us were rolling along at a slightly more restrained pace when Jeff went down. He was clearly in pain from an injured shoulder and was unable to continue.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

We tried hailing down passers-by in vehicles big enough to carry both Jeff and his bicycle but were unsuccessful. Fortuitously, there is a rice milling plant, Dataran Pusaka Sdn. Bhd., 300 meters from where Jeff had his accident. Even more fortuitously, someone from there was willing to load Jeff and bike into his pickup truck and to take them to the nearest town, Sekinchan.

The seven of us who had stopped at the scene rode the 7km / 4mi to Sekinchan. Jeff was in a clinic waiting to be checked out. In the meantime, Simon had been on the ‘phone with Alfred, whose family was en route to Teluk Intan in an MPV. Alfred’s wife agreed to stop in Sekinchan to pick Jeff up from the clinic.

Once we were sure that Jeff was in good hands at the clinic, and that he would be picked up from there, we headed back to Jalan Terusan Utama to continue along our route toward Sabak Bernam, which was our predetermined lunch stop.

The group ahead of us had stopped at a roadside shop while awaiting an update on the situation in Sekinchan.

Teluk Intan Day 1 Waiting and Snacking Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

With Jeff sorted out, they rode on to Sabak Bernam. The rest of us were at least an hour behind them, so they had lunch as soon as they arrived in Sabak Bernam.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

Then, clearly overcome with concern for Jeff, they had a massage!

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Lay and Heng Keng were waiting for us at Kedai Kopi Nam May. It was almost 2.00pm. The coffee shop staff were a bit concerned that they did not have enough food left to feed us. But their worry turned out to be unwarranted. We shared three platters of delicious fried noodles with fish cake.

Massages over and reunited as a group again, we got rolling. It is a bit under 40km / 25mi from Sabak Bernam to Teluk Intan. Those who had done the ride in January were not looking forward to the first five or six kilometers. For a start, we would be back on Route 5. In January there were major roadworks in progress between the town and the bridge over the Sungai Bernam. Lane closures and an awful road surface made riding that section a nightmare.

We needn’t have worried. The roadworks are complete and that section of road is now a pleasure to ride on. We also had a significant tailwind to help us along.

Having averaged 34kph / 21mph for 13km / 8mi in 35° C / 97° F heat, we need to cool down when we got to the Petron station at Hutan Melintang.

Teluk Intan Day 1 Petrol Station Ice Crwams Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

The wind was still a help over the final 16km / 10mi to Teluk Intan. The Menara Chondong (Leaning Tower) in Teluk Intan is the symbolic finishing line for this ride.

Congratulations to the first-time riders to Teluk Intan: Kenix, Natasha, Martin, Jake, and Alfred.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Jake Sow

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Teluk Intan Day 1 Menara Chondong Group Simon

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

My Biker Chick had checked everyone into the Yew Boutique Hotel and was waiting with room keys for us. We parked our bikes in the Cyclists’ Corner off the lobby and headed to our rooms to shower and change into fresh clothes. All except Alfred.

Jeff had been diagnosed with a suspected fracture, and Alfred’s wife had driven him from Sekinchan back to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur for further checks. It wasn’t until she had driven back to Teluk Intan that Alfred got a change of clothes.

Some people, including me, dashed off so quickly to their rooms that they left things behind in the hotel lobby.

Photograph courtesy of Marvin Tan

After getting cleaned up, some of us met at the food court next door to the hotel for the famous chee cheong fun, and to claim our forgotten belongings.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

We gathered in the hotel lobby at 7.10pm to either walk, cycle or drive to Restoran d’Tepian Sungai for aforementioned udang galah (giant fresh water prawn) dinner. 11.5kg / 25lbs of udang galah.

I have waxed lyrical in the past about the udang galah dishes at Restoran d’Tepian Sungai. They were just as good this time.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

We had the pleasure of some non-cyclists this time too. Apart from my biker chick and Alfred’s wife and daughters, we were joined by Marvin’s wife, his two young children and his mother.

We missed Jeff though. We all hope he heals up fast and completely.

Teluk Intan Day 1 Dinner Group Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

You would have thought that after all we ate throughout the day, we would have been stuffed. If you did think that, then you don’t know the R@SKLs.

After dinner, we walked to the Menara Chondong to take some more photographs.

Teluk Intan Day 1 Menara Chondong 13 Lee Heng Keng

Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng

That worked up a thirst in some of us. On the way back to the hotel six of us stopped at the Chris Café for a coffee and lemon cheesecake tarts.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

I was in bed and fast asleep by 10.30pm. The FIFA World Cup 3^rd and 4^th place playoff match was broadcast starting at 11.00pm. I don’t think anyone stayed awake to watch it.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Chris Cafe, Kapar, Restoran D'Tepian Sungai, Teluk Intan, Yew Boutique Hotel. Bookmark the permalink.

Seven R@SKLs Ride to Teluk Intan

Posted on January 30, 2018 by alchemyrider

Photograph courtesy of tourismperakmalaysia.com/

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

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Breakfast was at 23km / 14mi.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

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

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

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

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

And to pose under the “good luck” tree.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

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

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

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

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

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

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

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

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

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

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

Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai

Fishing Jetty Birds' Nests

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

Photograph courtesy of Simon Soo Hu

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

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Google

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

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

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

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

Photograph courtesy of Lay Hoi Cheong

Teluk Intan Quote

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

Audax BRM200 Malaysia 2016

Posted on January 5, 2016 by alchemyrider

When I first read the terms “Audax,””Brevet” and “Randonneurs,” I had to look up what they meant.

Audax: A cycling sport in which participants attempt to cycle long distances within a pre-defined time limit. Audax is a non-competitive sport: success in an event is measured by its completion. Also known as Randonneuring.
Brevet: A long-distance bicycle ride with check-point controls. Also known as a Randonnée.
Randonneur: A rider who has completed a 200km event.

Apart from noting that audax is an excuse to market hi-viz jerseys for brevets (see the zipped chest pocket for carrying a brevet card), I thought little more about that variety of cycling.

Image courtesy of Rapha

Some time later I read an online article in CyclingTips titled “Paris-Brest-Paris – Never Again.” Written by James Fairbank, a finisher of the 2011 edition of the quadrennial 1,200km brevet from Paris, to Brest, and back again in a time limit of under 90 hours.

Then I read the accounts of four other riders who also completed the 2011 Paris-Brest-Paris in “PBP 2011: Four Journeys” on the Rapha website (the provider of the Brevet jersey above).

Utterly mad!

So when I was invited to participate in the first Official Audax Brevet in Malaysia (thanks Yue-Jin), I thought “No way!” 220km / 137mi was further than I had ever ridden in one sitting, so to speak.

But the more my cycling buddies and I talked about it, the more we thought “Why not?”

Which led to ten of my buddies and I being amongst the 480 or so mad folk who registered for this event. Here we are in Kapar, ready for the 5am start.

Photograph courtesy of Marco

We collected our brevet cards and then rode off into the darkness.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Brevet Card Collection Lawrence Loh

Photograph courtesy of Lawrence Loh

Fortunately we didn’t have to make any turns during the first two hours. In the dark I couldn’t read the nifty cue card that Liang had made for us. Brevet routes are not marked, so this cue card taped to my top tube was consulted often after we got past the first check-point.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Cue Card

By sunrise we had reached Sekinchan on our run northwest up the coast.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Route

Just before 8am we rolled into the first check-point at the McDonalds in Sungai Besar.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 1st Checkpoint Liew Jho

Photograph courtesy of Liew Jho

We needed breakfast, but an Egg McMuffin didn’t appeal. So some of us went on a hunt for roti canai. Which we found at what is apparently Sungai Besar’s oldest Malay restaurant. I think the wait staff were a bit surprised to have a dozen lycra-clad guys turn up together. All demanding food.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Breakfast Shop Marco

Photograph courtesy of Marco

Six more of these please!

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Roti Canai Marco

Photograph courtesy of Marco

By the time we got going again the sun was breaking through the clouds. The weather forecast had called for continuous rain, and I had come prepared with a rain jacket and shoe covers. We were all looking forward to the cooler temperatures that rain brings.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Weather

However the only water we saw all day was in this canal. No need for that rain gear.

Photograph courtesy of Marco

The sun got brighter and brighter as the day progressed. There was some cloud cover, so we had occasional respite from direct sunshine, but we felt the heat anyway.

Photograph courtesy of Eric Chen

At about 9.30am we turned onto Jalan Sungai Panjang. Why did the squirrel cross the road?

Photograph courtesy of Ahmad Nasir

Jalan Sungai Panjang, or Long River road, is appropriately named. We were on it for 40km / 25mi.

That is not the river on the left by the way. Sungai Bernam is a couple of kilometers to the left of this road. That river demarcates the border between the states of Selangor and Perak, starting from the river mouth on the west coast and meandering 90km / 56mi or so eastward to Tanjung Malim.

Photograph courtesy of Mohd Radzi Jamaludin

Before long some of the group got bored and upped the pace. The rest of us followed for about 10km / 6mi before letting the faster riders go. We needed a break. Mark spotted a stall in the midst of the oil palm trees. Literally in the middle of nowhere. Just what the doctor ordered.

Photograph courtesy of Marco

We cruised the remaining 17km / 10.5mi to the second check-point at Kampung Soeharto, posing for some GoPro shots along the way.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Liang and Mark Liang

Photograph courtesy of Liang

Photograph courtesy of Liang

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Leslie Liang

Photograph courtesy of Liang

And enjoyed the shade beneath the clouds where we could.

Photograph courtesy of Denny Zulkasi

The first order of business upon arriving in Kampung Soeharto at 11.30am was to get our brevet cards stamped by a group of cheerful volunteers.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Check-Point 2 Lawrence Loh

Photograph courtesy of Lawrence Loh

Then it was time for lunch. The brevet organisers had warned us that there was no food or drink to be had for 40km / 25mi beyond Kampung Soeharto. We crowded into Laila Restaurant for chicken rice and lime juice.

Photograph courtesy of Marco

Shade was in demand!

BRM 200 2016 Looking for Shade Joel Tanmenghan

Photograph courtesy of Joel Tanmenghan

We spent about an hour in Kampung Soeharto. It was almost 2pm by the time we got to the outskirts of Batang Berjuntai. The first sign of refreshment after the previous bone dry 40km / 25mi was a roadside stall selling coconut water.

Take one freshly-opened young coconut, add ice and a straw, and say “aaaaaah!”

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 JM Air Kelapa Marco

Photograph courtesy of Marco

We made one more stop at the PETRONAS station at Simpang Tiga Ijok. That was only 10km / 6mi from the coconut water stall, but it didn’t take long in the 35° C / 95° F heat for us to want more cold drinks and some time in air-conditioning.

At that point most, if not all, of my buddies had ridden further than they had on their previous longest rides. I was in new territory also. Despite having ridden 190km / 118mi we were all still in good shape. Tired and a bit sore perhaps, but no one was cramping.

Our decision to ride conservatively (there was one collective rush of blood to the head before our Coca Cola stop, but that turn of speed didn’t last very long) had paid off. I was certainly feeling better at 190km on this day than I remember feeling at 100km / 62mi on a number of previous rides.

We also had the good fortune of not suffering any mechanical problems. Not a puncture amongst us. Respect to this gentleman, who finished the ride solo on a tandem that had suffered a broken rear wheel spoke. Thereby embodying the self-reliance that the Audax culture prizes. External support is expressly prohibited in the Audax rules, and if you go off course or experience a mechanical, you are expected to take responsibility for finding your own way home and making your own repairs on the road.

Photograph courtesy of Liew Jho

With ‘just’ 30km / 18.5mi to go, we lost our conservativeness. Our average speed went up by at least 4kph / 2.5mph as we pushed for the finish. This despite riding over the poorest road surface of the entire route between the 200km / 124mi and 215km / 133mi points.

The organisers had been forced to make a last-minute change to the end of the route, to avoid presumably worse conditions. The roads on the rest of the route were by and large in good to very good condition.

Audax Randonneurs Malaysia did a terrific job putting this event together. Kudos to the committee members. And a heartfelt shout-out to the volunteers who distributed and stamped the brevet cards.

All the information that went out ahead of the event was very helpful. In particular the cue sheet and photographs of the turns along the route, like this one.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Directions Sam Tow

Photograph courtesy of Sam Tow

All my buddies and I finished the ride in about 10 hours 45 minutes. Well within the time limit of 13 hours 30 minutes.

As did this group, which rolled into the final check-point at the Kapar KFC about 8 hours after they started.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 1.04 Finishers Lawrence Loh

Photograph courtesy of Lawrence Loh

In the spirit of Audax, all 389 of us who finished the event before 6.30pm, including getting to the check-points on time, were successful. One last stamp on the brevet card.

Photograph courtesy of Joel Tanmenghan

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Brevet Card

We are all very pleased with our achievement.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Finish Marco

Photograph courtesy of Marco

I think all my riding buddies joined me in stumping up the cash to get a 200km medal from the Audax Club Parisien, the body that administers randonneuring around the world. This will be quite a memento.

Audax BRM 200 Malaysia 2016 Medals Johan Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

The teaser video for the 400km / 248mi brevet in September is already out! The time limit is 27 hours.

Video courtesy of Sam Tow.

The question now is, will my buddies and I ride it?

“No way!”

For now.

4 Comments

Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged #‎audaxrandonneursmalaysia‬, Audax, Batang Berjuntai, Brevet, Heat, Kampung Soeharto, Kapar, Randonneuring, Randonneurs, Sekinchan, Sungai Besar. Bookmark the permalink.

Cycle For Life 2103

Posted on December 10, 2013 by alchemyrider

Logo courtesy of Triathlon Malaysia

The final organized ride of the year for my riding buddies and I was a 125km / 78 mi charity event in aid of St. John Ambulance and Mission for Missing Children.

The route ran clockwise from Setia Alam to Kapar, and then north to Kuala Selangor. There we turned right onto Jalan Rawang and followed it through Batang Berjuntai before turning right again onto Jalan Batu Arang for the southward leg back to Setia Alam.

It wasn’t a particularly big group that gathered in the Setia Alam Welcome Center parking area at the crack of dawn. About 350 of us were at the start to listen to the pre-ride briefing from Chan Chee Seng.

Chee Seng was a familiar face from my past. The last time I met this accomplished sporting figure (he represented Malaysia in swimming at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, went on to become a successful coach, and then launched a second sporting career, becoming the first Malaysian to participate in the Kona Ironman World Championships in 1995) was about forty years ago.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclinghappy

Most of the usual suspects in our group did this ride. Raj, Mark, Chris, Marco, Keat, and a friend almost ready to roll.

Photograph courtesy of Raj

Marvin, Griffin and Chon were also there. Gary rode too, but he didn’t make it into the start line photographs.

Photograph courtesy of Chon

The first 65 km / 40 mi were as flat as the proverbial pancake. Just one highway overpass to get over as we hummed along at 35 kph / 22 mph. We grabbed bottles of water on the go (how pro is that?) at the first water zone at the 40 km / 25 mi point.

Photograph courtesy of Khairuddin Abdul Aziz

This was the road we were on between Kapar and Kuala Selangor.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclinghappy

We hit the first of the lumps on the route after 65 km / 40 mi, as we entered Batang Berjuntai. That sudden 20 meter / 66 ft climb took so much out of us that we had to stop at a 7-11 for a break! Where we were joined by a fellow rider in need of some rest and refreshment.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclinghappy

Marvin and Chon caught up to us at the 7-11.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclinghappy

We had been told that the next water stop was after 90 km / 56 mi. So we were surprised to come across it just 7 km / 4 mi later. That didn’t stop us from partaking of the PowerBars and bananas on offer.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclinghappy

As well as enjoying a touch of Mother Nature.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclinghappy

Most of the excellent photographs in this post come courtesy of this gentleman.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclinghappy

He was on his bike with his DSLR camera in his right hand, taking photographs as he rode. Fantastic.

Photographs courtesy of Cyclinghappy

Perhaps the organizers moved the stop so that we could refuel before the route turned really hilly. Which it certainly did. We had about 225 meters / 740 feet of climbing in the next 20 km / 12 mi.

Then there was a respite for 15 km / 9 mi before we came to the part of the ride that we were all dreading. The Dragon’s Back. 100 meters / 330 feet of elevation over 5 km / 3 mi, with a 12.5% pitch on the last climb.

The profile looks like this.

This is the view back down the last hill.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclinghappy

By the time most of us got to the Dragon’s Back it was noon. It had been a warm, albeit overcast, morning to start with. The temperature kept rising throughout the morning, and by midday the heat index was pushing 34° C / 93° F. Everyone in our group had to battle cramps at some point during the ride.

The remainder of the ride was thankfully flat. Even so it felt like a long 11 km / 7 mi to the finish. I suspect that more than a few riders were grateful for the assistance from the St. John Ambulance volunteers during and after this ride.

Everyone in our group made it to the finish on their bikes rather than in a support vehicle, despite the heat and the cramps. This was the longest ride to date for Chon, Gary and Raj. So they more than any deserved their finisher’s medals.

7 Comments

Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Batang Berjuntai, Cycle For Life, Dragon's Back, Kapar, Kuala Selangor, Setia Alam. Bookmark the permalink.

Old Roots, New Routes

Tag Archives: Kapar

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Cycle For Life 2103

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