Tag Archives: Wanton Noodles

Kilometer by Kilometer

Posted on October 23, 2014 by alchemyrider

Last Sunday’s easy ride was not a true indication of my physical conditioning. I couldn’t have expected anything different. The result of three months of idleness is that my heart rate races from the effort of clipping in to my pedals, let alone from trying to hold my spot in a pace line. My three rides so far just confirmed I have a long road ahead of me to regain the fitness I had in June.

Today’s test was a ride with nine other Flipsiders. We rode from D’Bayu in Bukit Jelutong to Ijok for breakfast, and then looped through Bestari Jaya to Batu Arang, and returned to the Guthrie Corridor Expressway for the ride back to Bukit Jelutong.

Fortunately for me the group made frequent stops. This is a regular one, at the point where we leave the Expressway to get onto Jalan Kuala Selangor.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

We got to the wanton noodles shop in Ijok 35 kms into the ride. We stacked our bikes against a wall and piled into the shop. There is an Alchemy bicycle somewhere in there.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

The rest of the guys settled down to their noodles while Shahfiq and I went to see why there was a crowd around a roadside stall a hundred meters away.

On sale was nasi lemak, fried chicken, a variety of curries, fried eggs . . . . and freshly made apam balik. Peanut pancakes for breakfast for me please!

I needed all those calories once we got to Bestari Jaya. The road from Ijok to Bestari Jaya (right to left in the graphic below) was pancake flat. As soon as we made the right turn toward Batu Arang the road got very lumpy. That was my cue to fall behind the others yet again as my lack of power and endurance showed on the climbs.

3D Profile courtesy of VeloViewer

And again the guys helped me out by stopping until I caught up. This was one of the few flat sections on the way to Batu Arang.

The next stop was only 5 kms down the road in Batu Arang. There is a small roadside stall selling fresh sugarcane juice. Really fresh sugarcane juice.

The canes go through the crusher three times. The juice is strained into a pitcher before being poured into ice-filled glasses. Those cold drinks were most welcome. The sun had been beating down on us since we left Ijok, and the heat was leaving its mark on us all.

I was in survival mode for the remainder of the ride. My average heart rate for the entire ride was 135 bpm. My average heart rate for the final 40 kms was 140 bpm. Despite my efforts to spin in as light a gear as possible to keep my heart rate down.

We made our regular final stop at the Elmina R&R for a cold drink from the shop there. We got back to D’Bayu at Bukit Jelutong with a couple of kilometers less than a metric century on our cycling computers. I can be as competitive as the next person when the mood strikes me. If the guys were going to do a 2 kilometer loop to make it a century ride, then so was I.

Every kilometer helps.

Janamanjung Fellowship Ride 2014

Posted on April 30, 2014 by alchemyrider

My riding buddies and I, now collectively known as team Flipside, have signed up for a number of 100 km or longer rides this year. The first was the Janamanjung Fellowship ride. This ride has been on the cycling event calendar since 2008. The ride starts and ends on the grounds of the Sultan Azlan Shah power plant, a 2,100MW facility that will bring a fourth 1,000MW unit on stream in 2015.

The power plant is on the Perak coast, 250 km from Kuala Lumpur. We convoyed to the town of Manjung on Saturday morning. As is always the case, the drive was punctuated by stops for food. Marco, Keat and I are enjoying a mid-morning snack of wanton mee in the town of Bidor.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

On the way back to his truck, Keat gave in to temptation and bought some jambu air, or rose apples.

Our next stop was at a well-known tourist spot in the town of Teluk Intan. The Leaning Tower.

We didn’t stay very long as it was an exceptionally hot day. At least 33° C.

The power plant was our next destination. We collected our ride numbers, and collectively hoped that it would be cooler the next day.

We met up with Shahfiq and his wife at the power plant. Shahfiq is from Manjung, so we depended on him to take us to a good place for lunch. Which he did.

We had dessert at an institution in Perak. James cendol. This roadside stall opened for business in 1974. Since then it has spawned a host of imitators around the country, but I wager that none are the equal of the original. The stall operator is resplendent in an ever-present red bow tie. The large photograph in the background is of this lady’s husband, with the Sultan of Perak seated on the right.

The reputation is well-deserved. The cendol is old-school good. Thick coconut milk, slightly salty pandan-flavoured noodles, palm sugar, and shaved ice. No other ingredients required. There is nothing better on a hot afternoon than an ice-cold bowl of cendol. Except two bowls of ice-cold cendol.

The plan was to go for a bike ride in the evening, but the hot weather deterred everyone. We were probably better off napping in our air-conditioned rooms.

Other Flipsiders arrived throughout the afternoon. The three in a VW combi had a scare when their van decided to take an unanticipated rest.

Photograph courtesy of Jason Chan

Fortunately the combi got going again once it had cooled down. So we had the whole group carbo-loading together that evening.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Our hotel was 5 km from the power station, so we all rode to the start. There were sixteen of us in our brand-new Flipside kit.

Photograph courtesy of Shahfiq Abdul Manap

About 1,380 of us rode under this arch, through the power plant gates, and out onto the route.

The route was a clock-wise 115 km loop. The power plant sits on an artificial island, which explains why the map shows the route extending out to sea.

The organization for this ride was excellent. Especially the marshalling along the route. There was a large group of marshalls on motorbikes to keep the riders safe through intersections and on the open roads.

We got going a little bit late, which would translate into spending more time in the heat of midday. The early going was relatively comfortable. This is one of the nicest cycling event photographs that I have ever been in. Along with Cedric at the front, and Jason.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia magazine

The three stops along the route were well stocked with chilled bottles of water and cans of 100PLUS isotonic drink. Which made for a happy group of Flipsiders.

Not long after that first break we had an unscheduled stop. I made the schoolboy error of taking my eyes off the rider in front of me as we were slowing down for some reason. I went from 31.5 kph to 20 kph over 60 metres. Then very rapidly to 0 kph.

I have the good fortune to ride with a great group of guys. They all pitched in to free the jammed chain, and straighten the bar, right shifter and front derailleur on my bike, while a couple of marshals patched me up. I’ll do a full crash post in a day or so.

Photograph courtesy of Keat Wong

Thanks to the efforts of the Flipsiders I got going again. By then we were the very last of the riders on the road. Accompanied by some marshals who must have wondered if we would finish in a reasonable time.

By the second water stop at 70 km we had caught up with some riders. We were well within the pack by the third stop. Fortunately there was plenty of chilled water at that third stop. It was not as hot as the day before, but the mercury was nonetheless pushing 30° C when we arrived at the stop.

We were all very very pleased to see a fire truck sending out a steady spray of cool water at the finish. We need this at all our organized rides.

Every Flipsider rode under the finishing arch. We all had a good time, despite the heat, and the cramps, and in my case scrapes and bruises.

We all left Manjung with one of these.

And more than a few of us started the trip home with a bowl or two of James’ cendol in our bellies.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Bidor, Flipside, James cendol, Janamanjung Fellowship Ride 2014, Leaning Tower, Manjung, Sultan Azlan Shah power plant, Teluk Intan, Wanton Noodles. Bookmark the permalink.

Durian Fiesta Ride

Posted on September 30, 2013 by alchemyrider

September 2013 has turned into a month for metric century rides. Yesterday Chris, Keat, Mark, Raj, Seow and I joined Dave Ern and about twenty-five other riders on a hunt for durians.

Photograph courtesy of Dave Ern

The durian is known as the King of Fruits in Malaysia. Durian is a seasonal fruit, generally available in Malaysia from June to August and from end November to January. Its popularity has led to extensive cloning and farming, not just in Malaysia but throughout South-East Asia. One result is that durians can now be bought all year round, although supply is limited and aficionados will tell you that the quality of the fruit in the off-season is variable.

Keat, Raj, Seow, Mark, photographer Chris and I started from the BHP petrol station in Kampung Bukit Tinggi.

Photograph courtesy of Chris Chin

The route that Dave Ern had planned took us downhill along the old Bentong Road. I travelled this road many many times as a child. Then it was the only way to get from Kuala Lumpur to points east of the Titiwangsa Range, which bisects the peninsula from north to south.

After about twelve kilometers the road levelled out, and it was relatively flat from the Bentong Hot Spring near Kampung Temiang to the town of Bentong.

We made a refuelling stop at Bentong. Kedai Kopi Phoon is famous for its wanton noodles. Definitely finger-licking good.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

The plan had been to continue on to the town of Raub while a support car drove on ahead scouting for durian stalls. Seven kilometers north of Bentong we got word that there were no durians to be found up the road toward Raub. So we turned off the Bentong to Raub road and rode toward Kampung Baru Sang Lee instead.

We made an unscheduled stop just after that turn. Raj and I watched as Keat replaced his punctured rear inner tube. In case you think that I was not helpful, I did lend Keat my pump. 🙂

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Kampung Baru Sang Lee is surrounded by extensive durian orchards. The village does not hide its claim to fame.

We found lots of durians at a large roadside stall in the village.

Unfortunately these were already loaded onto a lorry, ready to be hauled away to a wholesaler somewhere. There was precious little left to be eaten at the stall. The durian lovers amongst us had to make do with sharing just a couple of fruit.

So the Durian Fiesta Ride was a disappointment for anyone who had hoped to feast on the fruit. But the ride was a lot of fun nonetheless.

This was the first metric century for Chris.

For Raj and Seow too. It was a very hot day, but we had shaded and quiet roads for the most part.

Quiet for the most part. Every now and then we had one of these for company.

I overtook this lorry before slowing down to take this photograph. As the lorry swept past I saw Mark behind it, being sucked along in the slipstream. I have never been motor-paced by an eighteen-wheeler before. Mark and I had a blast effortlessly hitting 50kph plus behind this lorry. Later we latched onto the back of an oil tanker for another tow. The experience of being pulled along at speed was worth all the dust we ate.

We stopped at a Shell station in Bentong to wash the dust out of our throats. This is now my mid-ride drink of choice.

As I downed a half-liter of cold chocolate milk I noticed this display next to the cash register. What first caught my eye was the collection of mini-LEGO cars and trucks. Then I saw what the toys were sitting on. PowerBars and PowerGels.

This petrol station must attract a lot of cyclists.

The day got hotter and windier. Just as the road started tilting upward south of Bentong. We regrouped at the Bentong Hot Spring. Sadly the suspension bridge across the Benus River makes a more interesting photograph that the Hot Spring does.

The last photo op was the small waterfall four kilometers from the end of the ride.

The section of the ride between Kampung Bukit Tinggi and Kampung Rasia is the nicest. All the traffic across the Titiwangsa Range is now carried by the Karak Highway. What is left is a peaceful road that follows the arcs and curves of the Benus and Tanglir rivers, hemmed in by primary and secondary jungle.

Everybody made it back to the BHP petrol station at Kampung Bukit Tinggi. Tired and hot, but glad to have made the trip. It was a very pleasant century ride, despite the shortage of durians.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Bentong, BHP, Dave Ern, Durian, Hot, Kampung Baru Sang Lee, Kampung Bukit Tinggi, Kedai Kopi Phoon, PowerBar, PowerGel, Raub, Shell, Titiwangsa Range, Wanton Noodles. Bookmark the permalink.

Old Roots, New Routes

Tag Archives: Wanton Noodles

Kilometer by Kilometer

Janamanjung Fellowship Ride 2014

Durian Fiesta Ride

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