Tag Archives: Teh Tarik

Johor Masters Century Ride 2014

Posted on November 18, 2014 by alchemyrider

The Johor Masters Century Ride appealed to Keat and I. For the first time we were in an age group that suited our ages. 55 years and above. We managed to convince Marco and Mark to sign up for the ride as well. They were in the 35 to 39 and 40 to 44 categories respectively.

It is a 400km trip to the Lotus Desaru Beach Resort, the official hotel for the event. So Mark and I arranged to meet at the Seremban R&R, after which I followed Mark’s car down the highway, keeping an eye on the two bicycles on his roof rack.

Here we are with Mark’s mother-in-law and his daughter, having a teh tarik for the road.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Keat and his wife were already at the resort. We piled into his pickup truck that evening for the 20km drive to Kampung Sungai Rengit. We were on the hunt for dinner. We found a good one at the Beautiful Village Seafood restaurant.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

You would have thought that all that food would have kept us going for a long time. But we were among the first at breakfast at 5:00 am. The resort laid on an impressive spread for all the cyclists staying there.

Nasi lemak, roti canai, fried noodles, fried rice, boiled, fried and scrambled eggs, baked beans, sausages, congee, oatmeal, a variety of breakfast cereals , bread and pastries, fresh fruit, juices, coffee and tea. One of the best buffet breakfast I have ever seen at a cycling event.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

By 7:15am were were ready to start the ride.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

In a change from recent experience, we got going only ten minutes past the scheduled start time of 7:30am.

The route was an anti-clockwise elongated loop from the Lotus Desaru Beach Resort at Bandar Penawar north along the coast to Tanjung Sedili, then west to Kampung Mawai Baharu before turning southward to Kampung Sungai Rengit. Finally the route followed the coast back up to the Lotus Desaru.

We Flipsiders received a topography lesson at the Melaka Century Ride. I certainly thought of the state of Melaka as being relatively flat. None of us anticipated just how hilly it is between Masjid Tanah and Jasin.

We got another topography lesson at this event. The ride started with a climb. Followed by another, and then another. Seven or eight in the first ten kilometers. Then it was flat for about ten kilometers, before more rolling terrain for the next twenty kilometers.

We were at the start of a relatively flat 20 kilometer section when we saw the photographer from Attaque.

Photograph courtesy of Attaque

Keat was not far behind.

Photograph courtesy of Attaque

The 100 hilly kilometers that came next took their toll.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclomotion

Mark, Marco and I took advantage of a roadside air tebu, or sugar cane juice, stall for a drink and a rest.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

The next time we took a break, it went a bit wrong. At the 115 km mark we pulled into the first petrol station we came across on the route. Everything started out well. That Petronas station had a freezer cabinet full of Magnums. And air-conditioning. And chairs.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

After we had cooled off we got back on our bikes, turned left and followed a few other cyclists onto the road.

We were very surprised to cross the finish line a few minutes later.

Photographs courtesy of Attaque

The sub five hour finishing times were the giveaway. We had only ridden 120 kms. We should have left the Petronas station forecourt via the entrance and continued straight down the road, and not taken the exit onto the wrong road.

Having ridden across the finish line, we were given medals.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia

Despite the medals, we decided to go back the way we came, rejoin the route, and ride the full distance. A decision we questioned 40 kms later.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

By the 160 km point we had caught up with Keat, who had not made the navigational error that we had. Taking into account the extra 11 km we had ridden, we should have been less than 10 kms from the finish.

The seemingly incessant climbing had taken its toll on us. As had the rough asphalt and poorly patched roads. And the headwind. Our water bottles were empty, and we were fading badly.

So our joy at spotting the “1 KM To Go” sign in the distance turned into despair when we got close enough to see that the sign actually read “10 KM to Go.”

We had 10 kms of this terrain to cover before we got to the finish line.

Photograph courtesy of Cyclomotion

I am frankly surprised that I didn’t throw in the towel and jump into the broom wagon. I think the same thought must have crossed the minds of my Flipsider friends. The sight of Mark ahead of me provided just enough motivation to keep going. Keat said that the sight of me up ahead did the same for him.

We literally forced ourselves kilometer by slow kilometer up those ☹ ☁︎ ☢ last hills to the “3 KM to Go” sign, and then the “1 KM to Go” sign. The ride had started with a climb. So thankfully the final 500 meters to the finish was downhill.

Hot and tired, and happy to be done.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

The JMCR 2014 was one of the tougher rides we have done. We have another cycling adventure to talk and laugh about. We added another medal to our collections.

We learned about our capacity to persevere. And we now know from first-hand experience that Johor is not flat!

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Beautiful Village Seafood, Desaru, Johor Masters Century Ride, Kampung Sungai Rengit, Melaka Century Ride, Nasi Lemak, Sugar Cane Juice, Teh Tarik. Bookmark the permalink.

Whatever the Weather

Posted on March 17, 2013 by alchemyrider

My Not Possibles friends in Den Haag rode the Joop Zoetemelk Classic yesterday. By all accounts it was cold and windy, with a high of 8°C / 46°F. My West End friends in Houston are just about to start the Tour de Houston. It is a balmy 17°C / 62°F in downtown Houston now. It was 34°C / 93°F by the time Chon, Mark, Marvin and I finished our ride in Hulu Langat today. Houston wins the best biking weather award for this weekend.

We rode from Kampung Batu 18 along Jalan Sungai Lui to the T-junction with the B32 and the B19. Logically enough Jalan Sungai Lui follows the Lui River along the valley floor. At the junction the only option is to turn left onto the B32 road. The B19 is still closed 5km from the T-junction because of the landslide that dropped a section of tarmac into the reservoir.

The B32 takes you to the border between the states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. The border is at the top of a 10km climb that rises from 170 meters / 560 feet above sea level to 500 meters / 1,640 feet above sea level. It was very misty at the start, which meant great views once we got about a third of the way up the climb.

Genting Peres isn’t the steepest climb in the area. Nevertheless we appreciated the stop to take photographs.

Photo courtesy of They Wei Chon

It was still hard work, especially after we broke through the mist into bright sunshine. I am sure I leaked the equivalent of a Camelbak Podium Chill bottle by the time I got to the summit. Mark and Chon are waiting for Marvin, who got extra credit for doing the ride on a 29er mountain bike with knobbly tires.

I explored a bit, and found these decorative blocks at the base of the “Terima Kasih. Sila Datang Lagi / Thank You. Please Come Again” sign behind the guys. Not bad for a sign that most people whizz past in cars.

The plan was to go back the way we came to Kampung Batu 18, and then ride on to Sungai Chongkak Recreational Forest for a nasi lemak and teh tarik breakfast. It was a hot and humid second half of the ride. The thought of packets of tasty nasi lemak sustained us through the 6km climb to the restaurant.

“What?”

Our disappointment was palpable. Our mood was not improved by the very mediocre roti canai we ended up with at Kampung Batu 18.

There was one saving grace for all of us. The thick undergrowth between where we always park and the river has recently been cleared. So we could get to some cool water to wash the sweat off our faces and arms.

There was another plus for me. ISKY 2 has stopped ticking.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia, Cycling in Texas, Cycling in the Netherlands and tagged Genting Peres, Hot, Joop Zoetemelk Classic, Kampung Batu 18, Nasi Lemak, Roti canai, Sungai Chongkak, Teh Tarik, Tour de Houston. Bookmark the permalink.

Thirsty Work

Posted on March 4, 2013 by alchemyrider

Nineteen of us set off from outside the 7-11 at Bukit Jelutong on the Van’s Urban Bicycle Co. group ride this morning. We were a roughly 50-50 mix of folding bikes and road bikes. Our route to Kampung Sri Kundang was a bit different this time. Instead of heading north on the Guthrie Corridor Expressway we took the hillier option along Jalan Batu Arang to the west. Hillier to the tune of 200 meters / 650 feet of elevation in the first seventeen kilometers.

We made regular stops to regroup and to ensure that no one got lost. This was our first break at the bus stop outside the UITM Puncak Perdana campus.

Photo courtesy of Van’s Urban Bicycle Co.

From here it was five more climbs before the right-hand turn toward Sungai Buloh and Kuala Selangor. Everyone was relieved that the rest of the way to Kampung Sri Kundang was flat. Hence the smiles at the traffic light at the junction with Jalan Kuala Selangor.

Photo courtesy of Van’s Urban Bicycle Co.

Photo courtesy of Van’s Urban Bicycle Co.

It was a warm morning, but there were lots of clouds in the sky. So we weren’t in direct sun.

Photo courtesy of Van’s Urban Bicycle Co.

Even so the humidity was high so the ride was sweaty work. We were all glad to get to Kampung Sri Kundang. As always the roti canai and teh tarik was worth the ride. By the time we saddled up again the sun had come out in full force. It was at least 35°C / 95°F during the 33km back down the Guthrie Corridor Expressway. And a tough 33km for those who weren’t used to riding as far or climbing as much as we did today.

We were all hot and thirsty by the time we got back to Bukit Jelutong. I had emptied both my bottles in addition to the two teh tarik I had with my roti canai. I went straight into the 7-11. Firstly because it is air-conditioned, and secondly to buy a 1.5 liter bottle of 100 Plus. I had never drunk a liter and a half of anything in one go before. There is a first time for everything.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Bukit Jelutong, Guthrie Corridor Expressway, Hot, Kampung Sri Kundang, Roti canai, Teh Tarik, Van's Urban Bicycle Co. Bookmark the permalink.

OCBC Cycle Malaysia 2013

Posted on January 21, 2013 by alchemyrider

My alarm went off this morning at 4.15am. It was time to get ready for the OCBC Cycle Malaysia ride. Malaysia’s only mass participation cycling event on closed, public roads in Kuala Lumpur.

Our start time was 6.15am. That would give us time to complete four loops before the city streets were once again opened to motorcycles, cars, lorries and buses at 8.30am.

By 5.00am my Racun Cycling Gang buddies were arriving at the entrance to my apartment building. The ride started in front of the Petronas Twin Towers. The building I live in is 500 meters from the Twin Towers. So I had access to some of the most coveted parking space in the KLCC area.

At 5.30am we were gathered in front of Restoran Pelita, about two-thirds of the way to the start. That was where we met those of our group who had parked further away and had ridden to the KLCC.

Time for some last-minute adjustments before we rolled to the start.

This ride was billed as one of the largest of its kind in Malaysia. It certainly seemed that way as we waited amongst about 5,000 other riders at the start.

There were riders from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and from further afield. Being amongst so many riders was a bike-spotter’s dream. The “splash the cash” award went to the rider on the bike right beside us at the start. I had never seen a Specialized S-Works McLaren Venge in the wild before.

The only difference between the bike in the photo above and the one we saw this morning was that the Zipp 404s had been swapped out for a Mad Fiber carbon wheelset.

Photo courtesy of Cycling Malaysia Magazine

Photo courtesy of Procycling at procyclingwarehouse.com

So it was with the heady sight of a RM 54,000 / US 18,000 bicycle disappearing into the darkness ahead of me that I started the ride.

Photo courtesy of Cycling Malaysia Magazine

I soon forgot all about the Venge as what was supposed to be a fun ride exploded around me.

For some reason the organisers had given each of us a timing chip. Perhaps that was the reason for so many people blasting along the fairly narrow start chute at maximum speed. Sadly a number of riders came to grief a few minutes later along Jalan Raja Chulan when they hit a pot hole at speed in the pre-dawn darkness. From the pieces scattered along the edge of the road I think at least two riders are in the market for new carbon front wheels. A few others required medical attention after going down hard.

Mark L picked up a double puncture along the same stretch of road. Fortunately we had a spare inner tube each so he was able to fix both flats. The upside, if you could call it that, of having a double puncture is that by the time we got rolling again the sun was up, and the high-speed riders were all ahead of us.

The rest of the ride was a lot of fun. A few meandering cyclists notwithstanding. After the drama of the flat tires there was a short climb into the Lake Gardens followed by a u-turn back down the hill. We rode past the Bank Negara Malaysia (Central Banks of Malaysia) building and through a wooded and quieter part of the city. The second half of the loop took us back past the office blocks, shop houses, hotels and apartments of the city center. It was a treat to ride on streets that are usually clogged with traffic.

Photo courtesy of Yuri Wong.

When I was sixteen I cycled to school along some of these same streets. So I really appreciated the opportunity to ride through a city center that has changed dramatically since then.

The morning ended in the best way possible. I made it safely to the finish in front of the Twin Towers, where I got my participant medal.

Photo courtesy of Irene Cho

Then it was back to Restoran Pelita with the Racun gang, where we traded ride stories between mouthfuls of roti canai, nasi lemak and teh tarik.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Mad Fiber, McLaren Venge, Nasi Lemak, OCBC Cycle Malaysia, Pelita, Petronas Twin Towers, Racun Cycling Gang, Roti canai, Teh Tarik, Zipp. Bookmark the permalink.

Shall We Climb?

Posted on January 7, 2013 by alchemyrider

Wind comes with the territory, so to speak, in the Netherlands. So often the key decision for the Not Possibles is whether to start a ride with the wind or against it. Hills come with the territory in Kuala Lumpur. The choice to be made here is to ride a route with some climbing, or to ride a route with a lot of climbing. The choice on recent weekends has been to climb a lot. 1,319 meters / 4,300 feet the Sunday before Christmas. 1,069 meters / 3,500 feet the Saturday before New Year’s.

So it was nice to climb ‘only’ 684 meters / 2,240 feet last weekend. The Racun Cycling Gang met at Pekan Batu 18 at the usual unearthly hour of 6.45am. Well, some of us were there at 6.45am. This is Malaysia after all. Our peleton of folding bikes, mountain bikes and road bikes started into the mist along Jalan Sungai Lui at about 7.15am.

11km later we got to the T-junction with Jalan Sungai Lalang and Jalan Hulu Langat – Kuala Klawang. Every other time we have turned right toward Tasik Semenyih. There is some climbing along the way to the Sungai Tekala Recreation Park, but nothing like the climbing awaiting those who turn left.

On this day our only option was to turn left. The road to Tasik Semenyih was still closed following a landslide that took a section of the road into the reservoir. Here we are at the T-junction, waiting for the folding bikes to catch up to us. Mark is helpfully pointing out the “Road Closed” sign.

Photo courtesy, I think, of Shahfiq Abdul Manap

We regrouped, girded our loins, and started the 9km climb to the summit of Genting Peres. I had struggled to the summit from the opposite direction during the Broga 116 ride in November 2012. This time the climb was almost pleasant. It was much cooler, and I didn’t have cramping quadriceps.

A third of the way up the climb we turned a corner to a spectacular view of the mist-shrouded valley below. That view alone made the climb worthwhile.

The summit of Genting Peres is on the border between the states of Selangor and Negri Sembilan. We waited at the border marker for the rest of the foldies to arrive.

As always the payoff for all the climbing, the view notwithstanding, is the “look ma, no brakes” descent. Well, perhaps not quite “no brakes.” It is a twisty road, the surface is a bit sketchy in one or two spots and there are cars and motorbikes to watch out for. Nevertheless I surprised one driver by overtaking at 60kph.

The mist had burned off by the time we got back to the T-juntion. We had blue skies and a crescent moon overhead (I promise the moon is visible in the photo) as we rode back to Pekan Batu 18.

Photo courtesy of Mark Lim

From Pekan Batu 18 some of us rode on to the Sungai Congkak Recreational Forest. The others drove there. We all went there for this . . .

Photo courtesy of Shahfiq Abdul Manap

Nasi lemak, curry puffs and teh tarik of course. At the stall beside the river. Note that the unopened packets of nasi lemak were not for me!

All that was left to do after a beautiful ride and yummy food was to roll back down the hill and gently pedal the short distance back to Pekan Batu 18.

Photo courtesy of Mark Lim

And of course to take a nap once I got home.

Roll on 2013

Posted on January 3, 2013 by alchemyrider

My plan for a morning ride on New Year’s day suffered a serious blow as I sat in a traffic jam at 2am. The injury proved fatal to my plan. The official time of death was 5.45am. Which was the time when I turned off my alarm, rolled over and went back to sleep.

So my first ride of 2013 was on 2nd January. There were about twenty of us who set off from Van’s Urban Bicycle Co for an evening ride around Kelana Jaya. Most people were riding what Van’s specialises in – folding bicycles. I had not ridden this route before I so was very happy to stay at the back of the group and take in the sights.

As you can see from the route this was an urban ride in every respect. Van’s occupies shop space in 3 Two Square, which sits in a group of commercial buildings on the edge of a large residential area. We alternated between busy main thoroughfares and quieter neighbourhood streets. We rode past restaurants, schools, banks, mosques, sports facilities, a park and of course lots of homes.

Naturally we had to stop for refreshments at a mamak restaurant a kilometer or so before we got back to Van’s. We parked our bikes in front of the closed pharmacy next to Al-Ehsan restaurant.

As is often the case in the evenings folding tables are set up on the sidewalks, and where possible, on the edge of streets as well. We joined some tables together and plonked ourselves down on plastic stools. We tucked into what else but roti canai, nasi lemak and teh tarik.

We didn’t cover many kilometers, but that isn’t the point of the Racun Cycling Gang rides. There will be time enough for kilometers and climbs this weekend. This was a good start to the year.

Mark’s Nasi Lemak Ride

Posted on November 26, 2012 by alchemyrider

The West End Bicycles Six Thirty group in Houston has Ted’s Taco Ride. Mark’s Nasi Lemak Ride could become the equivalent for the Racun Cycling Gang in Kuala Lumpur. Roti canai and teh tarik have made frequent appearances in my posts. This is the first time I have mentioned nasi lemak. Nasi lemak is another quintessential Malaysian dish. Best described by a good friend of mine, Azlan Zahari Zahid, who writes a blog titled The Nasi Lemak Journal. Click on the link to his blog to read his description of this very popular dish.

Mark Lim suggested that we add a ride to the Sungai Congkak Recreational Forest to the end of our round trip from Kampung Batu 18 to the Sungai Tekala Recreational Park. More specifically, to the nasi lemak at Sungai Congkak. Mark, Chon and I set off at 7.15am for Sungai Tekala. Two hours later we were back at Kampung Batu 18 and ready for the main event of the day. After a final 75 meters / 250 feet of climbing we pulled up to an unassuming stall on the bank of a small river.

This is what we came for.

Individual packets of nasi lemak wrapped in banana leaf. The traditional way of serving this dish. Here’s what was inside each packet.

A little mound of coconut and pandan flavored rice topped with a sambal made from chillies, onion and dried anchovies, a slice of cucumber and a bit of omelette. Simple and delicious. We demolished two packets each in next to no time. Which turned out to be the last of that batch of nasi lemak. When Marvin and his friend, whom we had met up with toward the end of our ride, arrived a short while later they had a thirty minute wait for the next batch to finish cooking.

The stall was relatively cool, nestled as it was at the edge of the jungle and next to a small river. The water made a pleasant roar as it tumbled over the rocks.

We sat with our teh tariks and enjoyed each other’s company and the calm surroundings. My sense of well-being due no doubt to the two helpings of nasi lemak that I had just devoured. As I gazed around the stall I noticed a framed newspaper article on the wall titled “Me and My BMI. Nasi Lemak and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance.”

It turns out that this particular nasi lemak stall is well-known. The proprietor Haji Ramli Maon and his wife Rosnah Zakaria have been serving one of Malaysia’s favorite breakfast meals to cyclists and non-cyclists alike for more than fifteen years. A stream of whom had turned up on bikes and in cars as we sat there.

Marvin and his friend got their nasi lemak, piping hot and fragrant, fresh out of the pot. They agreed it was worth the wait. Mark, Chon and I had a third packet each. We couldn’t resist. Especially when a packet costs only RM 1 / USD 0.33. My somewwhat excessive breakfast of three packets of nasi lemak and two teh tariks cost the princely sum of RM 6 / USD 2. I paid the equivalent of fifty nasi lemaks to the guy who came by selling bottles of jungle honey. If he is to be believed that honey is a miracle cure for most any ailment. Mark has already tried some of his. He confirms his thumbs up rating for the honey.

Chon (left) and Mark, jungle honey and teh tariks.

I give the whole morning a thumbs up. I don’t think this will be the last Mark’s Nasi Lemak Ride.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Houston, Kuala Lumpur, Nasi Lemak, Racun Cycling Gang, Six Thirty, Sungai Congkak, Sungai Tekala, Ted's Taco Ride, Teh Tarik. Bookmark the permalink.

Eat to Ride, or Ride to Eat?

Posted on November 21, 2012 by alchemyrider

I learned the hard way that avoiding the bonk, or going hypoglycemic, on a challenging event, requires that I eat to ride. Both before and during the ride. Fortunately I don’t do many rides that require eating on the bike. An activity that demands enough confidence, or stupidity if the roads are bad, to take your hands off the handlebar, sufficient dexterity to fish around behind your back to find your energy bar or gel or whatever, and gills so that you can continue to breathe while chewing and swallowing. All the while pedaling so you won’t get dropped.

It is much more fun, civilized even, to ride to eat. Houston’s West End Bicycles Six Thirty group introduced me to the delightful practice of riding as an excuse to eat. After our Thursday evening rides we would gather at Jax Grill or Romano’s Pizza to “replenish our glycogen stores.” I have already written about the mid-ride breakfasts at Dona Maria which give Ted’s Taco Ride its name. Good company, a bit of exercise, good food and lots of laughter. What a winning hand!

So it was “hip hip hooray” when I discovered that Den Haag’s the Not Possibles end their Saturday morning rides at the Coffee Club in Leidsenhage. Appeltaart and the occasional uitsmijter are the foods of choice in Den Haag. We have been known to linger over a second koffie verkeerd, purely for health reasons of course!

Malaysians live to eat. That is indisputable. So naturally every ride here involves eating. Either mid-ride, or after the ride, or both. Even the rides that require you to eat to ride, like the Broga 116, end with food of some description provided by the organizers. The meal of choice for the Racun Cycling Gang and the Cyclistis is often the humble roti canai. With a teh tarik to wash it down with.

Photo courtesy of Mark Lim

The best roti canai are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Everyone who has ever had one wants another. And another. And another. This was during a ride to Kundang. Specifically to eat some roti canai at this roadside stall. Shahfiq is taking an e-break. I am starting on my second roti.

Photo courtesy of Mark Lim

The eating is only part of the experience. Watching your roti canai being made is entertaining too. Which you can do now too, courtesy of this video by Mark Wiens from his blog Migrationology. As a bonus you will see teh tarik, the quintessential drink to go with your roti, being made.

I’ve been looking through Mark’s blog as I wrote this post. His write ups and photos are making me hungry. Good thing there is a ride this evening. I need an excuse to eat a roti canai or two.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia, Cycling in Texas, Cycling in the Netherlands and tagged Dona Maria, Jax Grill, Migrationology, Roti canai, Six Thirty, Teh Tarik, The Not Possibles, West End Bicycles. Bookmark the permalink.

Ride and Shine

Posted on November 4, 2012 by alchemyrider

I did an organized sightseeing ride around Shah Alam today with the Cyclistis. “Ride and Shine” is the best translation of the Bahasa Malaysia name for this ride that I can come up with.

This was a family-oriented event. There were 100 or so men, women and children on the start line at 7.30am, including the Cyclistis group.

Photo courtesy of Mohd Farid Abu Bakar

The majority were on mountain bikes, with the rest on a mix of road bikes, fixies and foldies, including a few Moultons with their frames made up of a lattice of small-diameter tubes. This Moulton TSR 30 has a Campagnolo Veloce groupset and a colour-matched Brooks B17 saddle to boot.

Photo courtesy of Mohd Farid Abu Bakar

Full marks to the Shah Alam City Council for their excellent organization. There was no entry fee to participate in this ride. Despite this there were police personnel who ensured we had the right-of-way at all intersections, a lead vehicle with flashing lights to clear the lane for us, six motorcycle outriders to keep us separated from other traffic on the roads, a minibus and lorry to provide SAG support, and three rest stops with water and food.

I worked in Shah Alam from 1985 to 1990. Apart from being the state capital of Selangor, Shah Alam was best known then for the main campus of the MARA Institute of Technology. The campus was surrounded by homes and there was a small commercial centre. Shah Alam has grown by leaps and bounds since I worked there. It gained city status in 2000. The 42 km route took us north of the Shah Alam city center into what was jungle twenty five years ago. Now the wilderness has been replaced by a series of residential neighborhoods: Bukit Jelutong, Sunway Kayangan, Kayangan Heights, Desa Subang Permai, Denai Alam and others.

The weather was thankfully overcast so we stayed as cool as is possible in the tropics. The pace was gentle so there was no need to work too hard on the climbs. There was plenty of time to enjoy the views and, in these connected times, to get caught up at the rest stops.

It was noon when we finished the ride. Adzuan, Farid and I decided to have a nasi kandar lunch. The name derives from the time when hawkers would carry rice (nasi) and a variety of curries and side dishes in two large containers hanging from opposite ends of a long pole or yoke (kandar).

Photo courtesy of Buruhanudeen at http://bdeen.blogspot.com/

Hawkers walking the streets balancing a pole on one shoulder have been replaced by nasi kandar restaurants. There is a Nasi Kandar Pelita restaurant within a kilometer of where the ride ended. My lunch was a plate of steaming rice, chicken, cabbage, green beans, curry gravy and, naturally, a teh tarik. I think I replaced the calories I burned on this morning’s ride.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Cyclistis, Moulton, Nasi kandar, Shah Alam, Teh Tarik. Bookmark the permalink.

“The Hills Are Alive . . .” *

Posted on November 3, 2012 by alchemyrider

When I found out that I was moving back to Kuala Lumpur, Farid was one of the first people I contacted about riding. He and I were colleagues at Hess Corporation. At the time he rode motorbikes. I assume he still has his motorbike. These days he also hits the roads on his red and white Colnago Ace.

This morning was the first opportunity we had to ride together. Farid rides with the Cyclistis. A group afflicted with the love of cycling. Early starts are essential if you want to avoid the midday heat. I was in the car at 6.45am for the twenty eight kilometers to the meeting point. Adzuan, Asyraf, Farid, Syihan and I met around the corner from the police station at Pekan Batu 18, a village at the 18th mile on the Hulu Langat road.

Kuala Lumpur sits in a basin and is surrounded by hills. My compact crankset will get a lot of use here. Our route took us steadily upward from the start. We turned onto Jalan Sungai Lui and rode through rolling countryside for the first 10 kms. The approach to Kampung Gemi marked the first true climb of the day. 60 meters / 200 ft in 1.4 km.

The payoff was the 2.5 km descent to Tasik Semenyih. This is a man-made lake. It is one of the reservoirs that provides fresh water to Kuala Lumpur and other towns and cities in the Klang Valley. The dam holding back the lake is visible in the distance.

We rode through more rolling terrain along the western shore of the lake. In the Netherlands you have to be alert for ducks, geese and rabbits crossing the bike paths. Here we have to watch out for a different animal.

In the Netherlands all the water is horizontal; in canals and lakes. The heavy rain we have had here over the past couple of weeks is feeding lots of these alongside the roads.

At the far end of the lake we hit a 500 meter stretch that dropped at better than 6.5°. No problem with ‘riding’ my age there. The problem came just a few minutes later when we turned around to retrace our route. Going up that 500 meter stretch wasn’t as much fun.

I took a short detour at the 30 km point. They guys had told me about a steep climb up Jalan Sungai Tekali. I thought I would take a look at it. It certainly was steep with a grade of better than 9°. A taste was all I wanted so I stopped after 500 meters and waited for a car to go past before turning around. I forgot that I was in a very small gear. As I turned my bike I pushed down hard on my pedal and my front wheel lifted off the ground. In a dejà vu moment, considering the topic of my last post, I tumbled to the ground. In typical roadie fashion I first checked to see if my bike was okay. It was. I on the other hand had a bloodied elbow and a bruised hip.

I have learned a few tricks since I started riding here. One is to add a towel and a bottle of water to my riding kit bag. Essential for wiping oneself down after a hot and sweaty ride if you want to be presentable post-ride. Here are my very presentable fellow Cyclistis; Asyraf, Adzuan, Hairi (who started late on his mountain bike and caught up with us at the end of the ride) , Syihan and Farid, after the mandatory teh tarik and roti canai.

* Title courtesy of The Sound of Music.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Cyclistis, Hess Corporation, Hulu Langat, Kuala Lumpur, Netherlands, Roti canai, Tasik Semenyih, Teh Tarik. Bookmark the permalink.

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