I first started cycling in January 2010. Almost a year and more than 8700 Km later, I'd like to take stock of how far I've come. 2010 is a year of many firsts for me and I'm sure cycling will see me through to my last days.
The Joyriders
I used to think I was fit - but then everyone in Joyriders Singapore seemed to be a stage racer, Ironman, triathlete or plain stupendous on two wheels. The first time I rode the 'newbies' ride, I got dropped. There was no Guardian Angel and the 5.30 bunch often rode at race pace. Soon, I could keep up and met a few kind Angels who showed me the ropes - riding in traffic, the concept of overtraining, and soon I was riding happily with the pack.
Later, I joined the Saturday 6.20 group. I remember feeling exhausted after just 36 Km on the newbies Mandai Loop and joined the East Coast ride with a sense of trepidation. The advertised length was 60 Km, but I found it to be a much easier ride. Speed wise, it was about the same back then, but the 6.20 ride was on rather flat terrain. More riders sat down for drinks after the ride compared to the weekday runs, and that's where I began making friends. At first, it was unnerving. To be thrust into a room full of strangers without knowing a soul is... disorienting. And I was lonely at first. Soon I realised that I have to tought it up, put on a game face, and just introduce myself and find some common topic, typically being the ride. But that's how I started meeting so many new people and learning so much!
By accident, I joined the fast pack on Wednesday, headed to Amoy St Hawker Centre via Keppel Flyover. I stayed with the group as it became faster and faster, eventually catching the attention of Joyce, the founder, who suggested that I fill a vacancy in a group of 4 riders for a team time trial. That's how I met Murli, Martin & Nic - great guys to ride with and have a beer later. It made me realise that cycling was truly international. Murli is from India, Martin from Germany, and Nic from Canada+UK. Our team, the Jetpack Joyriders, didn't place very high on the rankings but we were proud of what we achieved. Nic was on titanium, I was on a humble aluminum Polygon 500, Martin on aluminum as well, and Murli on... a borrowed bike! Still, we beat teams with more riders and carbon bikes, even though we only had one practice session together. I'm happy that we were all off the same level, and extremely pleased that I didn't let them down.
It wasn't my first competitive event. In March, I did the OCBC 40 Km Challenge, although we did feel slightly cheated because it was only 36 Km. It was scary - sharp hairpin turns, pitch black sections, literally thousands of cyclists with vast disparities in ability and speed. I also hired a coach to prepare for this event. Zuyi gave me a training plan, and me a very good bike fit which I followed with religious dedication. Unfortunately, we had to part ways because he was very busy with the national youth squad. Sticking to this plan, I took part in the Cyclone ITT 36 Km. The preparation was severely hampered by incompetent bike mechanics and foiled on the last day when the wrong drink was mixed. I can't say I'm proud of it, but I learnt many important lessons - that you've got to check and double check your preparation yourself.
Somewhere along the line, I joined the Saturday 6.40 ride. It followed the same East Coast route as the 6.20 one, only faster. Once I pulled the 6.20 ride for the whole journey, some riders who recognised me by now - usually Terry - would tell me that it's time to up the ante. I've never been dropped on a 6.40 ride, but it took me some time before I could pull at that pace or come 1st in the Coastal Rd sprints. This ride and the extended one on Wednesday really built me up. While I clocked personal best times on my training rides, I was only able to test my mettle on these slightly competitive group rides.
Coach Bruce and Eugene
I met Eugene when I was looking for a new coach. He became a sort of mentor to me. A former national rider, he updated my bike fit and showed me new places I could go to for training. Sprinting along Punggol, full-out intervals on Olive Rd, pushing myself to new heights. I found myself growing more each week, and eventually joined the Joyriders on a trip to Desaru. We started out at sea level but I soon found myself gazing down into lush valleys. The sun was unbelievably hot, but I knew how to pace myself and ration my fluids. I was the 7th rider to roll in at the finish. My new coach, Bruce, said it was an especially good result given my inexperience and bike. The guys who came in before me rode carbon bikes with experienced legs - but many more were behind me, also with Pinarellos. I felt proud of myself, achieving something I never thought I could do. It was 90 Km in total - the first of many sportives to come.
Bruce, affectionately hailed as Coach, taught me so much. He's the former president of NZ's umbrella cycling association and it's thanks to his dedication and guidance that I stand where I am today. He taught me the most valuable skill in cycling - how to spin a high cadence. It made everything so easy - climbing, sprinting, resting in the draft, or just steady riding. It's amazing how such a simple technique can make you that much better. He met me every week, showed me how to climb, sprint, spin, taught me that cycling was ultimately a matter of heart. He's right: even with all the aerodynamic wheels, bikes and equipment that some cyclists sport, training and dedication still wins the day. It's not about the bike, it's about the cyclist. On an aluminum Polygon and a disciplined training regime, I was still faster than carbon fiber cyclists who didn't train as much. The TTT, Desaru, and every event since then, I make it a point to remember that "Coach Bruce said that I should... spin/relax shoulders/bend elbows/drink/spin some more". Thanks Coach! You're the greatest!
Alvan
On one ride, I met my good friend Alvan. Like me, he was out of JC and new to cycling. We rode and trained together, talked bikes and literature (we both did E.Lit for our 'A' Levels), even raced together. The first race we entered was the Dermalogica TRI-Bike 40 Km ride. Unfortunately, we got separated somewhere along the line. I came in 17th out of 72, my best placing yet. I was 51st out of 441 in the OCBC (yes, there were that many in just my age category). I was happy with myself, proud that I bypassed many on time-trial bikes. Some other cyclists were also riding MY bike - the same model with carbon deep-dish wheels - yet I easily sauntered past them or, as I like to think of it, 'tralala-ed' by. Everything had gone right in this race. I was happy to fly to Melbourne for further studies with this result, but Alvan sweet-talked me into joining the nationals...
I was willing to pull for Alvan. I already had what I was looking for. Coach was there, by the sidelines waiting for his category to start. Some nut decided that a 2-lane crit course with 2 very sharp hairpins would be a good place to hold a race, and there was a crash in EVERY category. The bloke in front of me jam-braked on a straight stretch for no reason. I went down, Alvan behind me, and another 5 or 6 riders. I got up, checked my bike and tried to ride off, but it wouldn't budge. I knew it was over. Looking around, I finally saw Alvan. He was pale as a ghost, said he felt faint. I got the paramedic to check him - broken collar bone, 3 pieces - but the organisers wouldn't let them take him to the hospital! Damn cyclone bastards. That was also the end of our 1st bikes. His argon had a crack, as did Cumulus, my Polygon 500. My wheels, saddle and groupset were also finished. Thankfully, the guys at Entro Cycles were nice enough to bring my bike to their workshop along with Alvan's while his cousin drove us to the hospital. I recovered from a hairline fracture on my thumb without interrupting my training. Sadly, Alvan is still recovering 6 months down the road. I still talk bikes with him, bought him a book on boutique bikes for his birthday and shipped it from Australia. I really hope he recovers - he's a great guy, really nice, and I know he can be a very strong cyclist!
Melbourne
University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Shivering on a bike isn't fun - I wasn't prepared for winter riding. No matter what I put on - from jackets to fleeced gloves and booties, nothing seemed to work. My hands and feet were numb from the cold after every ride while my torso felt too hot. I soon learnt that a wind vest, arm/leg warmers, booties and a neck scarf would do the trick. The headwinds were another shock - 36 Km/H to 19 in 10 seconds, blown across the road, pushing a single-digit speed that jeopardised one's equilibrium. I was wrong - there is no such thing as a headwind in Singapore, only light breezes.
You can't understand my Singaporean accent; I can't get your Aussie lingo. But we can still talk bikes! That's my first foray into the Melbourne University Cycling Club. But I knew from my time with the Joyriders that you have to stick around to make friends. It took awhile, but I met many great guys and gals. Even went for a cycling camp with them, it was great! 368.51 Km over 5 days. I saw what stronger cyclists ate: couscous, spaghetti, tuna, vegan stuff, oats. So that's a training diet! The oats worked prfectly for me. I loved the taste, texture, and how it fills you up so well for so long. It became my daily breakfast, training or not. But I didn't tell them that I snuck out for a chocolate cake one night! :PP
I trained along Beach Rd, did laps on hilly Kew Boulevard, learnt more about climbing and riding into the wind. Sure I didn't train as much - I had to study after all - but these hills and winds made me work at a higher intensity and continued to provide the physiological overload necessary for improvement. It's nice cycling in Melbourne - you don't really sweat. You can go faster, farther, and still finish feeling fresher that you were at the start. No greasy limbs with black road grime sticking to it.
Commuting
That's also the reason why I decided to commute by bike. I initially bought a sweet blue SE Draft Lite singlespeed, named the Tardis - it rode fantastically. I understand why people swear by steel - it's comfort, it's smoothness, and how it rides itself once up to speed. But its components were horrible. The Alex Rims wheels were out of true after just two months, the single-pivot brakes were always rubbing and underpowered, and the saddle rail snapped after one hard bump one night - nearly sent me headfirst into a car. I knew I had to change my ride, something more reliable, something made by a manufacturer with class. I was quite sad though, I really loved this bike and took very good care of it.
Nic recommended Bike Life, his local LBS. I found that the Surly singlespeed everyone talked about was too expensive. But the boss showed me a catalogue of the Trek District range. There was a white bike with tasteful gold accents, just like my 1st Helios 500. It was the last Trek 3rd District in Australia, and it so happened to be in my size. The original market price at the beginning of the year was $1200 AUD, but the distributor wanted to clear stock asap and offered it at $600. After selling the Tardis at it's cost price of $300, I effectively bought the $1200 Trek at a mere $300. That's the biggest deal I've EVER landed! :D
The Trek was stiff, allowed me to go lower, came with a single gear ratio that seemed to be able to do anything from sprinting to climbing, and a carbon fibre fork that one only finds on high-end racing steeds. The brakes were even dual pivot brakes and matching deep-dish Bontrager wheels! The aluminum frame and wheels may not have the smoothness of steel, but it was much stiffer and inspired confidence for even the sharpest corners - and yes, I did test it out. Track stands at lights were easy too!
I live 10 minutes from everywhere that's anywhere in Melbourne. Lygon Street, University, Woolworths, Swanston Street, Elizabeth Street - anywhere I could possibly want to go to for daily affairs. The cost of a daily tram ticket is $10.80, and international students don't get concession rates. A bike is simply the cheaper solution and, given the somewhat fickle tram timings, the most practical as well. The trip to school also provides a good wake-me-up.
Incidentally, I began to see many interesting car plates while cycling around. I've started a collection of them together with a friend. Here's one fine example:
Around the Bay
Around the Bay in a Day (ATB) is Victoria's premier annual cycling event. This year's edition drew a record of 16,500 participants. I never intended to join the ride because the guys in the club weren't keen, but I found a group who would by chance.
I was cycling to Beach Road, the local cycling hotspot, for my own steady training ride when I bumped into Meng. He asked if I wanted to join his group from the Lewis Holdway legal firm for their ATB training ride and I agreed. Soon we were riding regularly and Krystyna, an exchange student from Canada and fellow MUcyc member. This was a great bunch of guys (and 2 ladies). Sure, they weren't racers but they were warm and friendly. We waited for each other and Meng had a very funny cramp on one trip. It was up Kinglake Mountain via the Kangaroo Grounds. "I'm a sprinter" he says - fair enough. The cramp was hilarious. He said "that wasn't fun", to which Michelle replied "but it sure was funny!" with an evil grin! Hahas, yes it was funny!
The ATB itself was fine. I could’ve gone faster but thought it would be nice to wait for everybody. The trip was 210 Km in length, which was surprisingly easy since I hardly sweat in Melbourne’s cool spring weather! It was an interesting experience. Firstly, we were bound to see a punctured tyre every 500m, making me very relieved to have chosen Continental’s famed Gatorskin tyres. The most common sight were these tyres paired with Mavic’s famously durable Aksium and Ksyrium wheelsets. Secondly, I came to recognize some cyclists by sight. They would pass me when I waited for friends, after which I would pass them. A few cycles (pun intended) of these hi-bye encounters and we eventually recognized each other by sight. It was slightly hilarious, but very gratifying each time I caught up to them after a 10-minute gap.
Once we finished the loop around Philip Bay and returned to the city, I decided to make a break for the finish. The marshal said we had 3 Km to go, but it was more like 5. I crossed the finish line with a sprint, egged on by young volunteers with clapper sticks. I had a kebab immediately after to refuel my cold, hungry self. The protein for ‘recovery’ was an excuse I used to justify the mayo that came with the roll. The next day, I managed to sleep without pills. One last picture to celebrate our trip.
Kinglake Mountain
The first time I cycled up a full mountain happened during one of the ATB training rides. I didn’t know it was a mountain until I read up on it later on. Previous encounters with sustained elevations were mere hills, such as the Dandenongs, Arthur’s Seat, and perhaps Kew Boulevard. The road to Kinglake consisted of many ups and downs with the elevation gradually increasing till we reached the foot of the mountain itself – where it was up all the way. The place was ravaged by a bush fire some years back and the scarred, black tree trunks that littered the landscape was reminiscent of Mordor a la Lord of the Rings. No kidding.
The ease of the 1st ride was deceptive. I did it again with Cam and while I was slightly ahead on the climbs, I reminded myself that he was on an aluminum, Tiagra-standard bike while I was on a carbon fibre, Ultegra-class steed. Guess what? I cramped on the return trip! It was the first time I have EVER cramped on the bike! It took 15 minutes and a packet of chips to resolve it. I believe I pushed too hard in spite of the fact that I haven’t been training during the exam season and tried to keep a certain speed anyway. This conceit or hubris cost me. That cramp was the most embarrassing thing that has ever occurred while riding – retribution for laughing at Meng I suppose – and I’ve learnt my lesson. Conquering a mountain the first time doesn’t make it any flatter or give you superpowers. One still needs to ride smart at a sustainable pace.
Back to Singapore – Joyriders & C3 6.4
Many things have changed over the half-year I was gone. All the Joyrider rides have become faster – and more unruly. Many display utter contempt and disregard for traffic rules and treat each ride like a race. The attacks, spreading the pack over 3 or 4 lanes, forcing motorists to give way while rationalizing that “if they give way we better go” were horribly unacceptable. It was not the conduct of gentlemen, only hooligans. On one ride, they cut across a pedestrian’s path while he was legitimately crossing, forcing him to jump back in shock. That was enough. T said it when he called for a stop at the next traffic lights with his trademark “Good Citizenship Award” line for those who did. “We have K, we have B”. And that was how we started.
C3 6.4 was mooted over some prata after a ride one day. We decided that the JR Saturday 6.40 ride was no longer conducive for our training goals and formed our own little group, initially named Saferiders. I know it sucks, that’s why I suggested C3 6.4, which stands for Casuarina Curry Cyclists, 6.40 AM. It so happened that our rendezvous was at Casuarina Curry Carpark, giving the C3 additional meaning.
Those who ride with us are typically seasoned JR riders who have also found the unruly behaviour to be a turnoff. In terms of absolute or modal speed, our speedometers register the same speed but the overall average is slower because we stop at each traffic light, and consequently take time to decelerate and accelerate back to speed again. Our ethos revolves around safe cycling, respecting pack discipline and traffic rules. We make it explicit on our Facebook page and warn riders who do not behave considerately. So far, this has made our rides consistent and reassuring. Everyone takes turns to pull at a high pace. Membership is usually by word of mouth or invitation because we want to attract safe cyclists who are of a certain athletic standard – the pace isn’t realistically suited for beginners.
On one of our rides, a number of the JR 6.40 folks decided to leave their pack and join us instead, brining our normal number of 15 to 40 in an instant. It was heartening to see that others felt the same way. Of course, we are still Joyriders and proud to be so. It’s just that we ride on our own now too. The founding 5 have set up a Facebook page to coordinate our activities. I’m sort of the general secretary, handling the administrative aspect of things. All 5 founding members are tacitly expected to pull the pack at some point or other so it’s fortunate that we have so many strong riders joining us to share the load.
Apparently, our name has spread a little. At a Joyriders post-ride coffee-shop drinks session, people were asking if anyone knew about some 6.40 group that started from Casuarina Curry carpark. While not many members have Facebook (yes, I know it’s surprising), our turnout often exceeds the number shown on facebook because people just rock up expecting the ride to happen. It shows that we’ve become a regular part of their cycling life, and it’s something I’m secretly pleased with. Cycling and cyclists have reinvigorated my life so much. I’m glad that I can play a part in making their’s better too. Regardless of race, nationality, religion or any other arbitrary social divisor, we are all cyclists at heart and become good friends through that. I guess I’ve moved from being a passive member of a club to someone who can make a difference. I hope I can live up to that.
2011
Come 2011, I’ll be attempting the Degani 3 Peaks Challenge in the Victorian alpine region. I hope my friends will be joining me too. It’s a goal I want to achieve, and it would be a great feather in my cap to have done something so grand at my level of experience. Train hard, train smart, train with heart. And a heart rate monitor of course. OUS! The Karate spirit is still useful.
Maybe I’ll try a beginner’s criterium or road race as well and really dig in to all the cycling Melbourne has to offer. As a fellow Joyrider remarked when I came back as fitter than I was before, “he’s made in Australia now”.
