Picturesque: 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 1^st 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??

[Not for the likes of me]

En route to Penggarang Jetty