Tag Archives: Permanent 100

ARM 10-Anniversary Permanent 100

Posted on July 15, 2025 by alchemyrider

Graphic courtesy of Audax Randonneurs Malaysia

Since the Pink Ride 8.0 on 12th January 2025 I had not ridden another metric century. In the forty-one days before 5th July 2025 I rode three times, covering a total of 106.5 km.

So it makes perfect sense that on the 5th I signed up for the Audax Randonneurs Malaysia (ARM) 10-Anniversary Permanent 100 ride to be held on the 13th. There was a BRM200 that day as well. That distance is clearly beyond me.

ARM is a cycling club promoting long-distance cycling events (randonnées) in Malaysia, following the guidelines of Audax Club Parisien. Audax, meaning “bold” or “daring” in Latin, signifies the challenging nature of these endurance rides.

My history with Audax Randonneurs Malaysia dates back to 2nd January 2016, when I rode the first ride organised by ARM. Since then, ARM has organised more than ninety Audax rides, including some of 1,000 km and more. These are the ones I rode:

Date	Ride	My Blog Post URL
January 2016	BRM200	https://alchemyrider.me/2016/01/05/audax-brm200-malaysia-2016/
September 2016	BRM400	https://alchemyrider.me/2016/09/22/audax-brm400-malaysia-2016-part-1/ https://alchemyrider.me/2016/09/22/audax-brm400-malaysia-2016-part-2/
January 2017	BRM300	https://alchemyrider.me/2017/01/03/audax-brm300-malaysia-2017/
January 2019	Pink Ride 2.0 BRM200	https://alchemyrider.me/2019/01/15/brm200-pink-ride-2-0/
January 2020	Pink Ride 3.0 BRM200	https://alchemyrider.me/2020/01/14/brm200-pink-ride-3-0/
January 2023	Pink Ride 6.0 Permanent 100	https://alchemyrider.me/2023/01/16/permanent-100-brm-200-pink-ride-6-0/
January 2024	Pink Ride 7.0 Permanent 100	https://alchemyrider.me/2024/01/23/audax-pink-ride-7-0/
January 2025	Pink Ride 8.0 Permanent 100	https://alchemyrider.me/2025/01/16/pink-ride-8-0/

My preparation for this ride consisted of a 27.4 km ride on Friday 10th and a 39.8 km ride on Saturday 11th. Not the best of physical preparations, but it had to do. For what it is worth, I did have a freshly-lubricated chain!

It was off to the Setia Alamsari Welcome Centre in Bangi on Saturday afternoon to collect my brevet card.

My always supportive Biker Chick and I stayed at the Le’genda Hotel in the Union Square complex in Bangi.

We also stayed there before the Pink Ride 7.0 in January 2024. The Le’genda is a comfortable boutique hotel with lots of dining options nearby.

Staying at the Le’genda gave me at least one extra hour of sleep before I had to be up. I rode the 5 km from the hotel to the starting point at the Setia Alamsari Welcome Centre. I got there well in time for the 5:00 am flag off.

I should say “air horn off”. Which sounded at precisely 5:00 am. I rode this event solo, in the company of about two hundred others.

Photograph courtesy of Audax Randonneurs Malaysia

This was the Permanent 100 route.

3 km from the start, we were off large divided roads and onto narrow rural roads like this.

Photograph courtesy of Google Street View

You have to imagine riding these roads in complete darkness. The cloudy sky blocked the light from the almost full moon. It was a relief to be riding amongst dozens of other cyclists, each lighting the way.

After 20 km or so, the group was spread out along the road. By then, we were in a built-up area, which means there were street lights. The street lights were increasingly useful as the cloudy sky started dropping rain. Just a drizzle at first, but it wasn’t long before it got heavier. Fortunately, the rain stopped after an hour.

By that time, we were back on rural and unlit roads. I am glad I fully charged my headlight before this ride.

Bitter experience has taught me to drink regularly. I have suffered more than a few times from the effects of dehydration. I carry one 24-oz bottle on my bike. Assuming the routes I ride frequently pass by petrol stations, mini markets, and restaurants.

By KM 35, my bottle was almost empty. In the glow of my headlight, I saw this sign at KM 36.

While keeping an eye out for the Petron station, I stopped to photograph the Sri Sendayan mosque at KM 38.5.

I never saw the Petron station because it is on the road that runs to the left and behind the mosque. If there was a sign at the junction just after the mosque pointing toward the Petron station, I missed it in the dark.

At that point, I was riding along the four-lane Jalan Felda Senayan through a built-up area. I was confident of finding a petrol station or a mini market somewhere there. That confidence faded at KM41 when the route turned right onto the rural Jalan Jimah Lama.

Fortunately, at KM 45, I came upon Warung Makan Lesong Batu, which is the only shop selling food and drink for miles around. I poured a carton of Milo down my throat and refilled my bottle with water.

By that point, I had been riding on my own for some time. The Permanent 100 and BRM200 routes split at the Jalan Jimah Lama junction. 150 riders out of the 200 or so starters would continue along Jalan Felda Senayan.

The Permanent 100 route turned right just before the warung and quickly left onto Jalan Hijayu 1/29. A group of five cyclists made those turns as I was getting back on my bike to leave the warung. I thought about chasing after them, but came to my senses. I didn’t have bags of energy to burn.

The group disappeared into the distance. Jalan Hijayu 1/29 follows the Sungai Likut Besar for a couple of km. It was just past 7:00 am. It was getting light, so I relaxed and enjoyed the view..

The only checkpoint on the Permanent 100 route was at Restoran Aniepha, 55 km into the ride. That is where I caught up with the five cyclists who were ahead of me. They were already set to ride on. After getting my brevet card stamped, I sat for a while and rested my feet. I was starting to get “hot foot.” My shoes must have been done up too tightly.

My next stop was at the Shell station in Sepang to drink a carton of chocolate milk, eat a Snickers bar, and visit the restroom.

The Sepang Shell station was at KM68. The weather had stayed overcast and cool. I was drinking and eating enough. I am sure it helped that I regularly sucked on Ricola herbal drops. I still have a persistent cough that I picked up six weeks ago. The “unique blend of 10 Swiss Alpine herbs” helped with my cough, and the sugar no doubt kept my energy level up.

The road out of Sepang Town towards Bangi is Jalan Sepang – Jenderam. That road has been in a state of constant construction for years. The plan is to expand it from two lanes to a divided four-lane. Some of the work is complete, but the new roadway is not yet open to motorised traffic.

However, you can cycle on it. 3.5 km from the Shell station, I was on fresh tarmac.

All good things come to an end. Fresh tarmac gave way to gravel at KM 73.9. That was still better than riding close to vehicles. That would have been even more dicey as the road shoulder was non-existent in places.

I had no choice but to get back onto the road amongst traffic at KM 75.6. Fortunately, the construction ended 1 km further on, so there was a reasonable road shoulder to ride on into Pekan Salak.

I needed to refill my bottle at the Petronas station in Pekan Salak. I had another chocolate milk while I was there. I needed the carbs to get over the series of hills on the way to the finish. Not least the 2 km climb from KM 81 with a maximum gradient of 9%.

My hydration and nutrition strategy paid off. I got to the finish just after 10:00 am. No flats. No cramps. I was pleased.

With my brevet card stamped and finisher’s medal in my pocket, I rested in the Welcome Centre A/C for a while before cycling the 5 km back to the hotel.

A shower followed by a nap. Then dim sum at BACC Seafood, followed by churros at Chulop! A very nice ending to an excellent weekend.

This is the slate of Audax rides for the rest of 2025.

Graphics courtesy of Audax Randonneurs Malaysia

The shortest ride is the Audax Merdeka Ride BRM200 on 16th August. I need more than one month to get ready for a 200 km ride.

Perhaps the Pink Ride 9.0 next January.

Pink Ride 8.0

Posted on January 16, 2025 by alchemyrider

Audax Randonneurs Malaysia (ARM) marked its 10th Anniversary with the eighth edition of the Pink Ride. The Pink Ride honours the power and spirit of lady cyclists. This now iconic ride is free for all ladies, encouraging more women to take on the challenge of long-distance cycling.

I did my first Pink ride, the BRM 200 km distance, in 2019. Read about that twenty-strong group ride here.
A dozen of us did the BRM 200 km distance again in 2020. Read about the Pink Ride 3.0 here.
It was 2023 before I did another Pink Ride. The Pink Ride 6.0 was the first edition that offered a Permanent 100 km distance as well as the usual BRM 200 km route. I opted for the 100 km event, which you can read about here.
Four of us planned to do the Permanent 100 km Pink Ride 7.0. Read about why only two of us did the ride here.

Four of us signed up for the Permanent 100 km Pink Ride 8.0. We all agreed that given our respective states of fitness, the BRM 200 km event was a step too far.

The start and finish was at MesaMall in Nilai. My Biker Chick and I were at the mall the afternoon before the ride to collect four ride packs.

Apart from some stickers, a discount coupon for cycling products, isotonic tablets and the all-important brevet card, we also got a super useful waterproof pouch. Perfect for holding a mobile phone and some cash.

The Pink Ride 3.0 in 2020 also started and finished at MesaMall. I stayed in a nearby hotel before that ride. Since then, apartment blocks integrated with the mall have been built. I booked two homestay apartments, one for my Biker Chick and one for G and V.

We had a nice view of the hills around Nilai.

G and V arrived that evening. We hit the mall right away, looking for food. Campur Campur Kitchen was a winner.

We walked off some of those calories by exploring the mall. We added calories by eating ice cream at Nice to CU. We bought drinks and nibbles for the morning at Jaya Grocer, and then it was time for bed. I set my alarm for 3:30 am.

G, V and I went downstairs to meet M at 4:30 am.

About 150 of us rode into the dark a little after 5:00 am.

The Permanent 100 km route took us from MesaMall through Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi, Sepang and over the Sungai Langat at Banting. It was very pleasant once dawn broke and we could see where we were going. The forecasted rain stayed away, and the air was cool.

We made our first extended stop at Kampung Batu Laut. Not counting the twelve-minute stop after just 9.6 km to fix my flat tire.

I refilled my 750 ml bidon for the second time at Pantai Batu Laut. I was making a concerted effort to drink a lot. I am sure the reason I struggled on past long rides is because I didn’t drink enough.

I had more to drink at our breakfast stop at Kafe Cikgu Kundang 2.5 km later. The bike racks caught our attention. The food was worth stopping for.

The first checkpoint was 3.5 km down the road at Tanjung Sepat. We met old cycling friends there.

From Tanjung Sepat, we rode to Sungai Pelek, where I refilled my bottle again. The weather continued to be kind to us.

Photographs courtesy of Audax Randonneurs Malaysia

The BRM 200 km riders turned right at Pekan Sepang and rode to Lukut, Port Dickson, Rantau, Sendayan and Bandar Baru Enstek.

We rode from Pekan Sepang straight to Bandar Baru Enstek and back to MesaMall.

Map courtesy of Audax Randonneurs Malaysia

About six and a half hours after we left MesaMall, we rolled back under the Start / Finish arch and into the mall to the final checkpoint.

We collected our medals and celebrated our successful metric century ride.

We all felt it in our legs the following day, but apart from that, we were none the worse for wear. I am sure drinking more than three litres during the ride made a positive difference for me.

There is another Pink Ride scheduled for May. Perhaps we will be fit enough to ride the BRM 200 distance.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Audax Randonneurs Malaysia, MesaMall, Nilai, Pantai Batu Laut, Permanent 100, Pink Ride 8.0, Tanjung Sepat. Bookmark the permalink.

Audax Pink Ride 7.0

Posted on January 23, 2024 by alchemyrider

Audax Randonneurs Malaysia has organised a Pink Ride since 2018. These Pink Rides are a celebration of female cyclists’ strength and unity. I wrote about the Pink Ride 2.0, the Pink Ride 3.0 and the Pink Ride 6.0.

The first five Pink Rides were BRM200 events. Brevet de Randonneurs Mondiaux (BRM) events are sanctioned by the Audax Club Parisien (ACP). The BRM events are run all over the world under rules laid down by ACP, which also records and validates the rides.

Last year, Audax Randonneurs Malaysia added a Permanent 100 Pink Ride option. Permanents are not sanctioned nor recognized by the ACP.

A Permanent 100 Pink Ride was offered this year as well. Although advertised as a 100km ride, it was 120km long.

I rode the Permanent 100 last year. That was the only 100km or further ride I did in 2023. Opting for the 120km ride this year instead of the BRM200 was a no-brainer. That also suited my three riding companions.

Once the route was confirmed, I set about identifying possible rest stops. I picked out more options in the second half. We would ride the first half in the early morning before the sun came out. The second half of the route has more than twice as much elevation as the first half, so we might need to stop more often. Finally, the stretch between Sendayan and Mantin is mostly through oil palm estates with almost no roadside facilities.

The start and finish was the Setia EcoHill Mall. That is about an hour’s drive from home. Rather than leaving home at 3:30 am on Sunday morning, I chose to stay at a hotel close to the mall on Saturday night.

That allowed me to collect the event kits at the EcoHill Welcome Centre on Saturday afternoon. Each event kit contained a bike frame tag with a unique QR code, a brevet card with route cues and spaces for checkpoint stamps, and a waterproof envelope to hold the brevet card, cash, etc.

My biker chick and I stayed at the Le’genda Hotel in Bangi. The decor and furnishings of this newly opened hotel are fresh and contemporary. The rooms are surprisingly large.

The hotel is part of Union Square. One side of the square is lined with restaurants. The Bangi Avenue Convention Centre sits on the opposite side of the square. Across the road from Union Square is the Bangi Wonderland Water Park.

We hit Union Square for dinner. We went to Original Teppanyaki, and we were not disappointed. The food was excellent. An interesting twist is that the drinks and dessert menu is from My IceCream, a separate outlet.

The start time for the Permanent 100 was 6:15 am. The two remaining people who planned to ride with me would be at the Setia EcoHill Mall between 5:00 am and 5:30 am. The third person forgot about a previous commitment when she registered for this ride, so she had to pull out.

I received a message as I was about to leave the hotel for the 12km drive to the mall. One person was at the mall but had forgotten his bicycle helmet. He would be an hour late for the start if he drove home to get his helmet. So we were down to a group of two.

I met Geetha outside this restaurant. It was the most popular place in the area because it was the only restaurant in the mall that was open before 5:00 am, and most importantly, it had a toilet!

We rode to the Start/Finish arch, where Sam Tow, the driving force behind Audax Randonneurs Malaysia, took our photograph.

204 cyclists started the Permanent 100. The two of us were on our way at 6:00 am. Slightly early because the QR scanner wasn’t working. We would have our frame tags scanned at the Checkpoint 60km away.

I emptied my bidon by the time we got to the Shell station at Pekan Sepang. We stopped for me to buy water and chocolate milk. We covered that first 44km at an average speed of 25kph. Only 16km to the Checkpoint.

We were at the Checkpoint at 8:37 am.

The Checkpoint was at a Shell station a couple of kilometres outside Lukut.

We got our frame tags scanned, and Geetha took my brevet card to be stamped. It was a humid morning, and I was sweating buckets. I went immediately into the Shell SELECT store to buy more water and chocolate milk.

If I had paid attention, I would have noticed the supplies available behind where brevet cards were being stamped. Hydration, amino acid replacement, and muscle pain relief needs were all covered.

We were on our way again eight minutes after arriving at the Checkpoint. We climbed about 280 metres already. We had about 625 metres of elevation ahead of us. It was time to slow down and conserve energy.

Graph courtesy of Ride With GPS

I was out of water again and ready to stop for a refill about 75km into the ride. When researching places to stop during the ride, I noted a roti canai place at kilometre 78. Roti Canai Kayu Api does not sell bottled water, but they have a help-yourself water dispenser. They also have an enticing menu. We joined a half dozen cyclists who had arrived before us and had something to eat. The roti telur kahwin roti biasa banjir combination was excellent.

Eating was an excellent idea. We had 400 metres of climbing in the 42km to go to the finish. The calories and sodium would come in very useful.

We hit the 100km mark at Kawasan Perindustrian Nilai. We were both feeling good with 20km to go. Confident that we would finish in good shape and with plenty of time to spare.

That was premature on my part. With less than 6km to go, I felt a twinge in my left sartorius muscle. An early warning of cramp. Where was that Salonpas Spray when I needed it?

I am susceptible to cramp in my sartorii. Those longest muscles in the body extend from the anterior hip to the medial tibia. When these muscles cramp, it is excruciatingly painful. I have learned to stop immediately and stretch a twinging sartorius to avoid a world of pain.

Graphic courtesy of images.ctfassets.net

I stopped and stretched. And stopped and stretched two more times after that. The last time, less than 1km from the finish. That stretching kept the cramp at bay.

In keeping with the Pink theme, a mobile unit from the Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia was at the finish, offering free clinical breast examinations.

Geetha and I rolled through the Start/Finish arch at 12:23 pm. We were both delighted with how well our ride went. Our ride time of 6 hours 23 minutes was an hour faster than we anticipated. We enjoyed the ride immensely. Best of all, we both felt good at the end.

After the finish line photograph, we closed out our Permanent 100 with cold drinks at the adjacent Sri Rahmat Selera Kampung restaurant. “Yes,” all three limau ais were mine!

A very successful day out for the two of us.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Audax Randonneurs Malaysia, Permanent 100, Pink Ride. Bookmark the permalink.

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