Note to self:
I just started cycling in January.
Just because I train hard doesn't mean that I can always tackle those with years of hard training.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
A Humbling Reminder
I felt that my 1st ride up Kinglake mountain was easy, and it did feel that way since we stopped every now and then to wait for the less experienced riders. But my second trip, with Cameron, was a straight ride - no stops. It's surprising how tough it was getting TO Kinglake, and climbing UP Kinglake was a lot easier. But the trip to its foot had taken its tool - as had my lack of activity during this exam season - and I was 2 Km/H slower than I was the first time.
However, it wasn't until we started home that I realised I might have overestimated myself. For the first time, I felt leg cramps. Starting mildly the knees at first, like an aching quiver, it gradually encompassed my calves. About 30 Km from home (the total trip was 110Km on undulating rolling terrain with headwinds on the return), I had to stop at the traffic lights - and I couldn't move. The cramp had seized up my left leg and I wobbled onto the footpath. It was a full-on cramp but it hit even harder when I tried to dismount, leaving me straddled across the bike and massaging my thighs that, by now, felt as hard as my helmet. It took a bottle of gatorade and the sodium from a pack of chips to calm things down. 10 minutes later, I was riding home again. Slowly (about 28-30 Km/H).
I've identified some of the mistakes I made:
1. Overdressing - despite the temperature, the Australian sun made things very hot. An inner shirt, jersey, vest and leg warmers were excessive. I even thought I might need the arm warmers stuffed in my pocket.
2. Hubris - I pedaled in a gearing that wasn't sustainable, especially against this terrain and trip distance. I also dismissed what my body was telling me because I wanted to meet or beat my previous numbers going up Kinglake. This, I think, was the biggest factor.
3. Insufficient preparation - My first trip up Kinglake was a week before Melbourne's annual Around the Bay challenge. I had been carbo-loading and brought gatorade with me. This time, I only ate pasta two nights before the trip and brought tap water. I didn't start the ride with the 'invincible' sensation.
Since this blog is my a copy of my cycling diary, I'll put up this post to remind myself that this isn't Karate. I can't stake everything on the one-hit-one-kill paradigm - I've gotta conserve for later. This isn't a sport where you can succeed on one drastic attempt. It's an endurance sport, requiring different skills and strategies. It is also a new sport to me, having started cycling in January 2010, and hubris clearly spells disaster.
It's the first time I've ever cramped. I always thought I played smart. Being a rookie, I couldn't keep pace with the guys in Singapore or Melbourne based on pure endurance - I only did so during the cycling camps and centuries by honing my techniques and sound preparation. I never thought I would get cramps, and I admit I'm not proud of it. Hubris isn't smart: discretion is the better part of valour.
However, it wasn't until we started home that I realised I might have overestimated myself. For the first time, I felt leg cramps. Starting mildly the knees at first, like an aching quiver, it gradually encompassed my calves. About 30 Km from home (the total trip was 110Km on undulating rolling terrain with headwinds on the return), I had to stop at the traffic lights - and I couldn't move. The cramp had seized up my left leg and I wobbled onto the footpath. It was a full-on cramp but it hit even harder when I tried to dismount, leaving me straddled across the bike and massaging my thighs that, by now, felt as hard as my helmet. It took a bottle of gatorade and the sodium from a pack of chips to calm things down. 10 minutes later, I was riding home again. Slowly (about 28-30 Km/H).
I've identified some of the mistakes I made:
1. Overdressing - despite the temperature, the Australian sun made things very hot. An inner shirt, jersey, vest and leg warmers were excessive. I even thought I might need the arm warmers stuffed in my pocket.
2. Hubris - I pedaled in a gearing that wasn't sustainable, especially against this terrain and trip distance. I also dismissed what my body was telling me because I wanted to meet or beat my previous numbers going up Kinglake. This, I think, was the biggest factor.
3. Insufficient preparation - My first trip up Kinglake was a week before Melbourne's annual Around the Bay challenge. I had been carbo-loading and brought gatorade with me. This time, I only ate pasta two nights before the trip and brought tap water. I didn't start the ride with the 'invincible' sensation.
Since this blog is my a copy of my cycling diary, I'll put up this post to remind myself that this isn't Karate. I can't stake everything on the one-hit-one-kill paradigm - I've gotta conserve for later. This isn't a sport where you can succeed on one drastic attempt. It's an endurance sport, requiring different skills and strategies. It is also a new sport to me, having started cycling in January 2010, and hubris clearly spells disaster.
It's the first time I've ever cramped. I always thought I played smart. Being a rookie, I couldn't keep pace with the guys in Singapore or Melbourne based on pure endurance - I only did so during the cycling camps and centuries by honing my techniques and sound preparation. I never thought I would get cramps, and I admit I'm not proud of it. Hubris isn't smart: discretion is the better part of valour.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Around the Bay 2010
The Around the Bay in a Day (ATB), Melbourne's premier mass cycling event (16,500 for 2010) held every year around the rim of Port Phillip. It's standard distance is 210 Km and covers spectacular scenery over comparatively smooth roads. This is my first real cycling sportive and the longest I've ever cycled in one day!
It started when I accidentally bumped into Meng, a fellow Melbourne University Cycling Club rider, while I ventured out for an individual training ride. I joined his bunch - a group called the Lewis Holdway Lawyers - and their leader, Peter, roped me into the ATB. They're a really nice bunch of people and I went on a few training rides with them. In fact, the first mountain I ever rode up was done with this group one week before the ATB. It was Kinglake Mountain, which I associate with Mordor because of its charred forests.
The days leading up to the ATB was full of pasta, pasta, and more pasta. If there's one thing I have a problem with in Melbourne, it's the lack of French onion soup and fusilli pasta. I still can't find the soup, but I've found the latter in supermarkets and cooked up a sort of fusilli 'amatriciana'. This is in inverted commas because I've adopted the canned-food-and-microwave approach to cooking it. The pasta I boil and stir fry in a pan together with '5 cheeses' sauce, but the chicken used is from a can of shredded chili and mayonnaise. I found that it goes very well and in my quest to develop what the French call cycling 'souplesse', I think I'll try to master cooking this variety of pasta till it's what an Italian might call 'al dente'. If taken alongside a Spanish Latte, it'll be a "Grand Tour Gourmet"!
Anyway, I was horrified the night before the ride. When I went to pump up the tyres, I found that both were FLAT. The valve stems had ruptured, no doubt due to my recalcitrant pump nozzle. I only had one spare tube but, thankfully, my commuting bike is a Trek 3rd District with 700c tubes and thus inner tubes of the right size. A short transplant surgery later, I was all ready to go. In a way, it was fortunate that I used fresh inner tubes. Krystyna, another Melbourne University student and budding Ironwoman, had blown her tyres en route to our meeting point and several other group members blew theirs as the day wore on. Heck, we passed over-turned bikes and tube replacement maneuvers every 10 to 15 minutes through most of the day.
Except for Meng, who sprinted off early, the rest of us waited for each other. I would usually speed ahead on hilly areas and rolling terrain - no doubt a result of frequent practice on the Kew Boulevard - and wait at the peak or the end of the section. I initially tried to pedal easy and just climb with the rest, but I found myself in a pickle once I changed my rhythm and decided it would be safer to wait at the top rather than roll sideways or backwards.
The ATB was pretty well-organised. There were water-stops and mechanical assistance booths every 50 Km. The bike shops in-between were also open that Sunday and received customers with enquiries, mechanical issues, and questions about nearby eateries. I bought a spare inner tube, just in case I lost another one to misfortune. It's a pity I lost my nice Uvex sunglasses over a bump... I really liked it. Thankfully, it was a cloudy day and the glare-induced mental fatigue I experienced while cycling in the tropics wasn't a big issue.
I arrived at the first pit-stop 5 or 10 minutes ahead of my group and backtracked to the aforementioned bike shop. Over some energy food, they asked "Where were you?" "I went to buy some stuff?" "What, the groceries?" went one, while Peter (another Peter) said "It's bad enough to go Around the Bay in a Day but you have to do it backwards and forwards". Well, I shrugged and laughed.
At the pit-stops, I saw many old riders sprawled on the sunny grass patches... One only wonders whether these were the guys with the expensive bikes. Cyclists in Melbourne seem to concur of a few things though: (1) Fizik Arione saddles, (2) Mavic wheels from the Aksium and Ksyrium range, and (3) Continental tyres. All 3 are smart long-term investments - I've never heard anything but praise for these products. I've got the wheels and tyres; they're absolutely lovely. I might consider the saddle further down the road.
On the other hand, I marveled at the speed that some young fellas past us on steel bikes with toe-clips! And that was on an incline too. There were times where I'd pass a few riders on the slopes: they'd pass me later when I stopped to wait, and I would overtake them again later. Catching up with people who've had a 5 or 10 minute headstart feels absolutely gratifying. After a few rounds, we could recognise each other. The fatty on a Scott CR-1 variant made me feel queasy, what with the 'wraparound' effect of his posterior on the saddle. But the thin, tall fellow in Liquigas kit on a sweet blue Trek Madone was the one I wanted to see. I've always had a penchant for blue bikes that my high-performance, black and white Cannondale 6 can't seem to satisfy.
"Welcome to Biketanic", I said on the ferry. Neil laughed. Krystyna ruminated about whether the hundreds (or thousands?) of high-end bikes were worth more than the ferry. Hmm...
A tall suspension bridge marked the last stretch into the city. A family friend once took me to Box Hill - a suburb - using this freeway. It was a short climb to the top and I gave it my all. Ok fine, it was a long climb. I didn't take a good look. Nevertheless, I pushed HaRd and broke away from the entire bunch while overtaking the stragglers from the previous pack on the bridge, continuing to pedal on the way down as well. It was a spiral descent with cars 3 feet away, so I only managed 62.7 Km/h. I think this was my maximum speed for this ride.
The marshal at the bottom said the finish line was "less than 3 kilometers away". GPS mapping is unreliable. I kept sprinting anaerobically only to get caught at the lights. I'd sprint off from the bunch and they'd catch up again in 5 minutes at the next set of red lights. 3 Km... 3.5... 4... 4.5... Where the heck was it?? 4.8 Km - I could see the run-in. The path ahead was clear and I gave it all I had left, jumping out of the saddle when the volunteers cheered with their inflatable clappers. Couldn't resist the temptation :P
It was the sweet success of a personal challenge. My group caught up 10 or 15 minutes later. All in all, I averaged 29.3 Km/H over 217.59 Km. Incidentally, this event also marks the point where I've cycled over 7000 Km since I took up cycling in January this year. Pretty cool stuff!
The Master of Ceremony who concluded the event cracked this little line with typical Aussie humour:
Except for the dead guy, these pictures are © Krystyna
It started when I accidentally bumped into Meng, a fellow Melbourne University Cycling Club rider, while I ventured out for an individual training ride. I joined his bunch - a group called the Lewis Holdway Lawyers - and their leader, Peter, roped me into the ATB. They're a really nice bunch of people and I went on a few training rides with them. In fact, the first mountain I ever rode up was done with this group one week before the ATB. It was Kinglake Mountain, which I associate with Mordor because of its charred forests.
The days leading up to the ATB was full of pasta, pasta, and more pasta. If there's one thing I have a problem with in Melbourne, it's the lack of French onion soup and fusilli pasta. I still can't find the soup, but I've found the latter in supermarkets and cooked up a sort of fusilli 'amatriciana'. This is in inverted commas because I've adopted the canned-food-and-microwave approach to cooking it. The pasta I boil and stir fry in a pan together with '5 cheeses' sauce, but the chicken used is from a can of shredded chili and mayonnaise. I found that it goes very well and in my quest to develop what the French call cycling 'souplesse', I think I'll try to master cooking this variety of pasta till it's what an Italian might call 'al dente'. If taken alongside a Spanish Latte, it'll be a "Grand Tour Gourmet"!
Anyway, I was horrified the night before the ride. When I went to pump up the tyres, I found that both were FLAT. The valve stems had ruptured, no doubt due to my recalcitrant pump nozzle. I only had one spare tube but, thankfully, my commuting bike is a Trek 3rd District with 700c tubes and thus inner tubes of the right size. A short transplant surgery later, I was all ready to go. In a way, it was fortunate that I used fresh inner tubes. Krystyna, another Melbourne University student and budding Ironwoman, had blown her tyres en route to our meeting point and several other group members blew theirs as the day wore on. Heck, we passed over-turned bikes and tube replacement maneuvers every 10 to 15 minutes through most of the day.
Except for Meng, who sprinted off early, the rest of us waited for each other. I would usually speed ahead on hilly areas and rolling terrain - no doubt a result of frequent practice on the Kew Boulevard - and wait at the peak or the end of the section. I initially tried to pedal easy and just climb with the rest, but I found myself in a pickle once I changed my rhythm and decided it would be safer to wait at the top rather than roll sideways or backwards.
The ATB was pretty well-organised. There were water-stops and mechanical assistance booths every 50 Km. The bike shops in-between were also open that Sunday and received customers with enquiries, mechanical issues, and questions about nearby eateries. I bought a spare inner tube, just in case I lost another one to misfortune. It's a pity I lost my nice Uvex sunglasses over a bump... I really liked it. Thankfully, it was a cloudy day and the glare-induced mental fatigue I experienced while cycling in the tropics wasn't a big issue.
I arrived at the first pit-stop 5 or 10 minutes ahead of my group and backtracked to the aforementioned bike shop. Over some energy food, they asked "Where were you?" "I went to buy some stuff?" "What, the groceries?" went one, while Peter (another Peter) said "It's bad enough to go Around the Bay in a Day but you have to do it backwards and forwards". Well, I shrugged and laughed.
At the pit-stops, I saw many old riders sprawled on the sunny grass patches... One only wonders whether these were the guys with the expensive bikes. Cyclists in Melbourne seem to concur of a few things though: (1) Fizik Arione saddles, (2) Mavic wheels from the Aksium and Ksyrium range, and (3) Continental tyres. All 3 are smart long-term investments - I've never heard anything but praise for these products. I've got the wheels and tyres; they're absolutely lovely. I might consider the saddle further down the road.
On the other hand, I marveled at the speed that some young fellas past us on steel bikes with toe-clips! And that was on an incline too. There were times where I'd pass a few riders on the slopes: they'd pass me later when I stopped to wait, and I would overtake them again later. Catching up with people who've had a 5 or 10 minute headstart feels absolutely gratifying. After a few rounds, we could recognise each other. The fatty on a Scott CR-1 variant made me feel queasy, what with the 'wraparound' effect of his posterior on the saddle. But the thin, tall fellow in Liquigas kit on a sweet blue Trek Madone was the one I wanted to see. I've always had a penchant for blue bikes that my high-performance, black and white Cannondale 6 can't seem to satisfy.
"Welcome to Biketanic", I said on the ferry. Neil laughed. Krystyna ruminated about whether the hundreds (or thousands?) of high-end bikes were worth more than the ferry. Hmm...
The marshal at the bottom said the finish line was "less than 3 kilometers away". GPS mapping is unreliable. I kept sprinting anaerobically only to get caught at the lights. I'd sprint off from the bunch and they'd catch up again in 5 minutes at the next set of red lights. 3 Km... 3.5... 4... 4.5... Where the heck was it?? 4.8 Km - I could see the run-in. The path ahead was clear and I gave it all I had left, jumping out of the saddle when the volunteers cheered with their inflatable clappers. Couldn't resist the temptation :P
It was the sweet success of a personal challenge. My group caught up 10 or 15 minutes later. All in all, I averaged 29.3 Km/H over 217.59 Km. Incidentally, this event also marks the point where I've cycled over 7000 Km since I took up cycling in January this year. Pretty cool stuff!
The Master of Ceremony who concluded the event cracked this little line with typical Aussie humour:
"If u only did e 50, do te 80 next year. Ifu only did e 80, do the 100. If you only did the hundred do the 200 [and 10]. If u only did the 200, do the 250. If u only did the 250, do the 250 twice!"I think I'll just do the 250 backwards and forwards as Peter suggested :P
Except for the dead guy, these pictures are © Krystyna
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Kinglake Mountain
I thought it would be another hill, similar to the Dandenongs or Arthurs Seat but today's ride was different. According to Wikipedia, it's elevation is 550m above sea level - mountains are 500m - which means that Kinglake is my first actual cycling trip up a mountain! :D
Today's ride was with the group I'll be following for next Sunday's Around the Bay event - a 210 Km sportive around Melbourne's bay area just South of the CBD. Kinglake is far North of this area, picked by the leader of the Lewis Holdway Lawyers group. I met this bunch by accident. Out for a solo training ride one morning, I bumped into someone from MUcyc who then asked me to come along. It was a fortunate twist of fate - these guys are capable, witty and just nice to be with!
Meng had cramps, had to lie down while we massaged his wooden legs - they were really hard, and apparently painful. At the mountaintop town...
Meng: "That wasn't fun"
Michelle: "But it sure was funny!"
I concur.
Kinglake was recently devastated by a bushfire, part of which engulfed a small village without warning and left 100 people dead. From the mountain top, the charred trees still litter the landscape but, compliments to nature's resilience, shrubs and vines have begun to colour the ground green again. It was the longest climb I've ever tackled, but not the hardest. Erm... a little fella by the roadside didn't have such a good time on Kinglake...
Warning.
Accident.
The Great Tree, the only one with leaves
The charred remains of Mordor
But there's still a little magic
And Warren's bike matches it all :)
Today's ride was with the group I'll be following for next Sunday's Around the Bay event - a 210 Km sportive around Melbourne's bay area just South of the CBD. Kinglake is far North of this area, picked by the leader of the Lewis Holdway Lawyers group. I met this bunch by accident. Out for a solo training ride one morning, I bumped into someone from MUcyc who then asked me to come along. It was a fortunate twist of fate - these guys are capable, witty and just nice to be with!
Meng had cramps, had to lie down while we massaged his wooden legs - they were really hard, and apparently painful. At the mountaintop town...
Meng: "That wasn't fun"
Michelle: "But it sure was funny!"
I concur.
Kinglake was recently devastated by a bushfire, part of which engulfed a small village without warning and left 100 people dead. From the mountain top, the charred trees still litter the landscape but, compliments to nature's resilience, shrubs and vines have begun to colour the ground green again. It was the longest climb I've ever tackled, but not the hardest. Erm... a little fella by the roadside didn't have such a good time on Kinglake...
Warning.
Accident.
The Great Tree, the only one with leaves
The charred remains of Mordor
But there's still a little magic
And Warren's bike matches it all :)
Friday, September 24, 2010
MUcyc Camp Sorrento 2010
WOW! My first cycling camp! Day after day of long riding... I never thought I'd be able to do it but I did! It felt so grrreat! An achievement, a first, and new friends too hahas! Hmm... let's see, we did the following:
Day 1
North Court @ Melbourne University to Sorrento Beach House
103.75 Km
Following the undulating terrain next to a cliff edge, riding past the great blue sea beneath the bright blue sky
Day 2
Sorrento to Mornington and back
76.72 Km
Flat terrain with occasional light headwinds
Day 3
Arthur's Seat climb and circle back
Total distance of 85.34 Km; the hill was 3 Km with an average gradient of 10%, max. 18% with switchbacks
Return journey followed many long inclines and declines across farming areas
Day 4
They cycled, I rested along with two others :P
Day 5
Sorrento to Carlton (home)
102.7 Km
Flat terrain with some light rolls
Total mileage: 368.51 Km Total energy: 8908 kCal
It's also my first real Aussie BBQ or 'barbie', courtesy of Nic Hamley. He dropped a sausage and put it back on the grill - that "bush spice" gave me the runs for the next few days! There was a lot of crap talking from the likes of Carl Cervelo (his bike) Casanova (his stories) about his adventures in Austin, Texas while Hamley provided tales of ski lodges and footie tackles where one fellow grabbed the 'ball' that wasn't in his hand - WRONG BALL! Hahahas!
I'm especially proud of myself for coming in 3rd on Arthur's Seat hill despite my relative inexperience (6 months) compared to theirs' (at least two years racing). It was 305m above sea level, my first proper hill. Push push push push - and stand up on the switchbacks and bends. The view from the top really made me feel like I'm on top of the world! It was breathtaking - the sea, the trees, the wide expanse of nature dotted with lovely little (and some not-so-little) houses! WOW! Of course, I took many pictures everywhere! I'm sure the Snail Queen back home will be happy to see a JR plant the flag! :D
I've also learnt how to 'spin' up a hill seated. Shift my weight back, hands on the bars near the stem, feet doing what I call the "hamster maneuver" - spinning like mad with as high a cadence as possible. But the descent en route from Arthru's Seat was absolutely thrilling! For the first time, I hit 69.7 Km/H !!! H@LY SH!T It was scary, but it was the sort of scariness that made you want to laugh because it was just that thrilling! One turn too shallow, one rock clipped and you'll be sent flying into the Australian bush - but if you can negotiate these swoopy turns where you can't seem ore than 30-40m ahead, it's a ride like no other! :D
Apologies to Krystyna - We popped into a bookstore and she was looking at a few triathlon magazines. Since she was doing an Ironman soon, I pulled a magazine with that title from the shelf. It turned out to be a men's bodybuilding magazine! :P
I think I really like this club. It would be nice working with these guys, cycling together, and just hanging out for coffee afterwards. Always something to talk about! Always cycling, always cyclists!
Ous!
Day 1
North Court @ Melbourne University to Sorrento Beach House
103.75 Km
Following the undulating terrain next to a cliff edge, riding past the great blue sea beneath the bright blue sky
Day 2
Sorrento to Mornington and back
76.72 Km
Flat terrain with occasional light headwinds
Day 3
Arthur's Seat climb and circle back
Total distance of 85.34 Km; the hill was 3 Km with an average gradient of 10%, max. 18% with switchbacks
Return journey followed many long inclines and declines across farming areas
Day 4
They cycled, I rested along with two others :P
Day 5
Sorrento to Carlton (home)
102.7 Km
Flat terrain with some light rolls
Total mileage: 368.51 Km Total energy: 8908 kCal
It's also my first real Aussie BBQ or 'barbie', courtesy of Nic Hamley. He dropped a sausage and put it back on the grill - that "bush spice" gave me the runs for the next few days! There was a lot of crap talking from the likes of Carl Cervelo (his bike) Casanova (his stories) about his adventures in Austin, Texas while Hamley provided tales of ski lodges and footie tackles where one fellow grabbed the 'ball' that wasn't in his hand - WRONG BALL! Hahahas!
I'm especially proud of myself for coming in 3rd on Arthur's Seat hill despite my relative inexperience (6 months) compared to theirs' (at least two years racing). It was 305m above sea level, my first proper hill. Push push push push - and stand up on the switchbacks and bends. The view from the top really made me feel like I'm on top of the world! It was breathtaking - the sea, the trees, the wide expanse of nature dotted with lovely little (and some not-so-little) houses! WOW! Of course, I took many pictures everywhere! I'm sure the Snail Queen back home will be happy to see a JR plant the flag! :D
I've also learnt how to 'spin' up a hill seated. Shift my weight back, hands on the bars near the stem, feet doing what I call the "hamster maneuver" - spinning like mad with as high a cadence as possible. But the descent en route from Arthru's Seat was absolutely thrilling! For the first time, I hit 69.7 Km/H !!! H@LY SH!T It was scary, but it was the sort of scariness that made you want to laugh because it was just that thrilling! One turn too shallow, one rock clipped and you'll be sent flying into the Australian bush - but if you can negotiate these swoopy turns where you can't seem ore than 30-40m ahead, it's a ride like no other! :D
Apologies to Krystyna - We popped into a bookstore and she was looking at a few triathlon magazines. Since she was doing an Ironman soon, I pulled a magazine with that title from the shelf. It turned out to be a men's bodybuilding magazine! :P
I think I really like this club. It would be nice working with these guys, cycling together, and just hanging out for coffee afterwards. Always something to talk about! Always cycling, always cyclists!
Ous!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
E-Ndure in the Bike Shop
E-Ndure rider walks into LBS...
Rider: "My bike broke down."
LBS: "The Harley showroom is down the road."
Alternate ending...
"I've got two Duracells. Will that do for your bunny hop?"
Melbourne
Have bike, will travel. For August, my Dandenongs brekkie lunch (bacon, scrambled eggs & smoked salmon), a cute little pooch I saw at the top of the hill, two funky license plates, and my new bunch ride with the Melbourne University Cycling Club :)
Friday, July 9, 2010
Special Mention
Cycling has given me a new life
But if it wasn't for you, dear ms. cricket
I wouldn't even be alive.
Precious Dear,
Thank You <3
Thank You <3
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Dermalogica TRI-Bike 2010
In front of hangar 3...
My training buddy...
A fellow Joyrider who was kind enough to gift me a lift there...
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
[A Novice's] Breakthrough
I spent the night with S**** Y* at Clarke Quay, drinking (very slowly because she sipped timidly) and savouring cakes for supper. We talked till the night past into dawn, and after sending her home I had two hours before my ride started.
Despite not sleeping a wink, I was up and about. My uncharacteristically early arrival at Longhouse allowed me to catch up with Scott, Gregory, and a new guy whose name I can't recall.
TO the point: while reading "We Might As Well Win" by Johan Bruyneel - Lance Armstrong's team manager - I came across a two phrases that greatly improved my game today. Firstly, Johan mentioned that "winners make dents", be it in other's egos or otherwise. Secondly, he wrote "was that rider's knee always wobbling?" and inferred his skills and physical state from that.
The second was especially telling. I began to watch other riders as we rolled off this Wednesday. Some were mashing large gears up the hill, an unsustainable practice at this level of the sport, while others were heaving their shoulders into each pedal stroke. Both these suggested significant physical exertion on their part and I stopped drafting them. It paid dividends once things got cranked up a notch (pun intended) - they were left behind, and if I had followed them I would've undoubtedly been boxed in.
We trailed Cycleworx till Mandai Shell. For once, I departed from conventional wisdom and stayed on their wheel. Again, this paid off. When they dropped down to the bars with a telltale 'clank' of the sprockets, I followed suit in preparation for a breakaway. Using their draft as a slingshot, I hit 60.8 Km/H and only slowed down for the customary club regroup. After that, I pulled a little while and dropped back because I couldn't sustain it. I wasn't ashamed to admit I wasn't as strong as the other riders. Discretion is the better part of valor, and this also worked to my advantage.
Next I began to watch who pedaled in a high cadence up the hills and who charged up. It was fun spinning behind someone surging up hill after hill - the draft was delectable. Then he began to tire and I realised it was time to hop over to someone else. Before the pack caught up, I began turning my head around to look for a spot. They had formed a paceline and the rolling terrain had created a gap - I took it.
By the time we reached Keppel Highway I knew who was in and who was barely hanging on. Another paceline formed led by someone with a smooth cadence and steady speed. One of the riders in front began to lapse. I attacked and usurped his place, to which he later noted somewhat unhappily at the coffee shop. "Someone flew by; I think it was you!" complemented with an accusatory finger. I smile sheepishly. Winners make dents. Towards the end, someone else made an attack out of the saddle. I latched on by increasing my cadence - it was so sudden that I couldn't change my gears in time. No one followed, and once his head dropped in apparent fatigue I sprinted forward. The first down the ramp off the highway.
By some strange chance the regular riders had all taken leave that day. We sat down for the customary fruit juice and sugarcane - the auntie knew what we each wanted by now - and talked about gadgets and iPhones. We proceeded to Hong Lim hawker centre from Amoy for a good breakfast of Bak Kut Teh with rice and tea. They said it put back everything we burnt, I said it was a recovery meal. That helped everyone smile a little. It was Martin, a Brit who spent the last 15 years in Asia, who showed Joyce, Scott, and myself how a proper tea sharing session proceeded. Apparently, the first brew in that little pot is poured into the cups but not drunk. It is the 2nd thru 4th brew that was taken and relished. It was very agreeable after the meal. I was hitherto ignorant that the tea was an integral part of the meal - they don't do that in Balestier! - and it amused us that the Brit was showing us how to eat in our own backyard! Even the soup store was patronised upon his recommendation!
A hearty breakfast, a jolly chat. I dare say my day has started right at no less than 60.8 Km/H!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Desaru 2010
Joyriders Desaru Expedition 2010
‘Masochistic Cycling’ through a Rookie’s Eyes
I could’ve sworn there was a conspiracy that day. There was a head wind wherever we went, terrain as hilly as an ECG graph (which probably does the same to our heart rates!) and the sun beaming a sadistic smile! At the Desaru Golf Course, I wondered, “Who would be crazy enough to tee off in this blistering weather?” Then I realized we had close to 50 cyclists tackling 110 Km of rolling terrain under these conditions!
Many of us tried to draft the 1st pack, going in excess of 40 Km/H – bad idea! The likes of ‘newbie’ Flo and Dr. EPO Siong were something else altogether. Then again, Flo is a mountain-biker-turned-roadie a la CADEL EVANS while Dr. Siong is ostensibly on EPO (the performance-enhancing drug erythropoietin). BAD DOCTOR! :P
But if you thought their cycling was crazy, think again! While most of us were huffing and puffing, budding videographer ShyGuy Scott was casually riding up and down the group snapping pictures of everyone! If you noticed, this superlative only had one chainring on his bike – THE BIG ONE! Off the grapevine, word has it that Peter Woo drafted a car! He had a slight scrape from his adventure when the car braked but my boat-mates wondered if he was focusing on something else – perhaps a pretty young lass. That seems more plausible than drafting a car don’t you think? Or perhaps he was doing both!
On another note, I’m sure we were happy to reach the golf course after the first half. Water, delectable ice kacang and cans of 100 Plus made our hundred-plus kilometer route less daunting right? That is until someone said, as we retrieved our bikes, “we’ll be taking the same route back”. “Same route ah? Heh hEh heH…” and soon the rest of us started laughing in that happily exhausted manner. A swig of water later, we were once again proving that the golfers were of sounder mind. Thankfully, Douglas gave us a Grand, exotic seafood lunch to dash towards (what was in that curry dish?)! Now we know who should plan the next JR post-race meal! (*Hint hint!*)
All in all, I daresay we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly on this trip. The arduous route and elemental, wind-sun conspiracy only served to enhance the sweetness of our victory. Take a look at your hands and legs – your victory stripes are branded where your shorts, sleeves and watchbands end. Well done to all Desaru Veterans!
Now, who’s up for Genting??
En route to Penggarang Jetty
Our bumboat - captain standing
*Please do not sink...*
Stacked @ Desaru Golf Course
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Skies
Taken somewhere along Kranji reservoir and the surrounding area. I had to brighten the photos digitally because, well, let's just say the iPhone is my only practical camera when cycling :)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Roads & Places
The West route, once more, focusing on the roads and their adornments. I never seem to tire of greenery even if I've passed it many times before. The lushness, silence and tranquility take me away from the hustling metropolitan atmosphere that we've all become accustomed to.
It's always an exciting experience :)
Inspiration
Across the mirrored sky
To see a perfect, little beauty.
The house is dreadful enough, but what would these plants look like in their nocturnal shadows? A branch, or an arm? Was that the reflection on the fern? Or is someone, or something, watching you?
Alluring Mystery
Far from the city
To me, the sky is a visual symbol of promise and potential. That's why I always remind myself to look up at it, and why I love to see it unhindered by urban features. The one urban feature that has some magic to it are the roads. Where will they lead? What is en route? The lush foliage, the sky from a different perspective, or perhaps a quaint row of shops and houses?
In Singapore, there is a dearth of local folklore that hasn't been summarily dismissed as old 'grandmother stories'. However, the taxi drivers have a rumor that a few of them take quite seriously. Some drivers will avoid Mt Pleasant Rd after 9 pm, 9.30 or 10 - depending on who you ask - because rumor has it that ghosts will appear in the rear passenger seat. The manner of ghost depends on who you ask, but it's often a 'pontianak' or female Malay ghost, typically in white. You can see why below.
Even some who aren't particularly religious will err on the side of caution. The road is highly forested with old colonial mansions in tudor black-and-white architecture, some still occupied, dotting its length. The shrubbery is overgrown, the houses are often quiet, and moss creeps up the gates and fences. It feels like an eerie cemetery in the daytime. Imagine how it must feel at night: darkly lit, the queer orange glow of the occasional streetlamp, and the sheer isolation of that hardly-used route. It's no wonder ghosts stories emerge. Of course, it doesn't help that the old police academy sits at its entrance. Are these apparitions the lost souls of conscripted cadets, disgruntled with their premature deaths?
Cycling is always an adventure waiting to happen! :)
~ RIDE ON ~
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