Nite ride with CM (Part 1)

Last night ride was special to me. Not because we got to ride with the Chief Minister of Melaka but because I got to meet my first cyclingben fan.

A couple of days ago I got a sms from Pei Wen that she enjoyed reading my blog. Wow, imagine getting a response for something I think only a handful of local riders read. Well, that sms made my day and the sun seemed to shine brighter which is a relief during the rainy season.

Juin Wee, Mei, Pei Wen, Lee Ling (Pei Wen's sis) and me
The hotest bicycle at the moment in Malacca. "Harley Davidson" self powered bike
Keong fitting the helmet on CM

CM in our ECC jersey and all ready to go
Cycling past Kampung Hulu riverside
A Kodak moment in front of Taming Sari Observation Tower, Dataran Pahlawan
The newest pride and joy of Melaka, Menara Taming Sari

Yes!! Melaka Boleh!

Candid photo of a tourist couple on the trishaw as we cycled passed them
Somewhere along Melaka Raya area

Ah Chye leading the pack
Thumbs up from the committee members on a fun and good ride

More photos and stories when I come back next week. Where will I be? Exploring the city hustle and bustle of Bangkok with Grace.

Till then, take care to all my readers.

Part 2 reading is available on ECC's blog.

Coming Event

News Flash!!

This Friday night ride will be special as we have a VIP riding with us. Melaka's Chief Minister will be joining in the ride as we cycle into history to launch the:
The ride will start from Spice Garden at 8.30pm (be there by 8.00pm). Anyone coming from outstation and don't know where it is, the GPS coordinates are N2 12.467 E102 15.110. It will be a short ride going along the Malacca River and passing by some historical sites. We will then stop at a cafe along Clock Tower area to do the launching and light refreshment will be served. Ride will continue after that.

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ECC committee members tried the ECC Sahara Ride trail last Sunday. My verdict, it's tough! So tough that we only managed about 20km of the 50km trail. More info and trail photos available at ECC blog.

A photo taken last Sunday of Firdaus as we took a Kit Kat moment on a hill top.

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What the hell happened to this T-Bolt?

The answer on one of my favorite MTB sites, Fawaki Tribe.

Ride trails around Malacca

Ever since I bought myself a new toy in the form of a E-Trex Vista HCx Garmin GPS unit, I have busy tracking ride sites around Malacca with the purpose of sharing with other riders and to act as a guide on days we have no ride leader.

I must admit this is one of the most beneficial "toy" that has come in handy in times of need. There was this time when I explored the estates in Bertam Ulu on my own and had a tire puncture half way. It happened that I went in without the essential spares like tires and pumps. How to phone for assistance when you can't even descripe where you are? I had started tracking when I went in and was able to make my way out pushing the bike with the help of the trusted GPS unit.

I will be adding more trails from time to time so do come back and check on this posting.

Pulau Gadong track.
Ride description.
Our rides usually starts from town especially Keong's shop, Sin Bee Hin so it always ends there as our cars are parked there.

The trail starts by going through Kampung Chetti (a small community of Indians traders with rich cultural background). You then exit pass through housing estates and some trunk roads and back into Malay kampong area. The home trail is through a major trunk road so be careful when you ride back to your car.
Total distance is approximately 32 km.

Click here to download the GPS file.

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GAPAM Track

This is the 2nd trail route in Malacca which we rode last night (20 Sept 2008).

It starts at MITC carpark beside Subaidah Nasi Kandar outlet. The trail starts with riding on Ayer Keroh road heading towards the toll. We turn right towards Hotel Puteri and ride past the hotel into the darkness of rubber estate plantation. This is where the thrill begins. 50% off road, 50% on road.

Take caution when riding on the major road and even more caution when riding off road. Have fun!

GPS trail route is available for download here

KLMBH Epic Hash Ride 29/6/08

Shiok Ride. If it didn’t rain and the trail was dry, it would be double Shiok!

6 of us took part in KLMBH Epic Hash Ride that was held on 29th June 2008.
The ride site was at Ulu Rening. If you don’t know where that is, it’s somewhere near Ulu Yam or somewhere near Batang Kali or somewhere south of Kuala Kubu Baru or the most recognizable area, somewhere northwest of Genting Highland.

Our bikes neatly fasten on Mike's car and ready to go
Had an early breakfast at a kampong located on the way to the ride site and by 8.30 am we were at the ride site. It’s a good thing the guys at KLMBH got a, “apparently” abandon football field that was able to accommodate so many cars.

Ah Ping "ICE" and Ah Yong

I introduced myself to Scott and Brian, who are 2 of the 3 guys responsible for the Epic ride. Scott told me that he’s glad we made it there but we might regret coming. “Oh oh”, looks like it going to be a tough ride from the looks of it. When you look around the area, you’ll see mountains after mountains surrounding us.

Mos getting all psych up for the ride
Ever strong Mike with his power stick.
I take my hat off to the 3 hares for an excellent job of getting the 2 loops that make up the total distance of about 45km.

Group photo of the Malacca riders

Briefing time
Scott giving hash instructions
The first loop was like the teeth of a saw. It goes up, then down, then up again, x 100 times. It sounds bad but I would rate the trail good as most parts were rideable. It was refreshing to pass water streams that provided some recovery time as we clean our bikes, no thanks to yesterday’s wet day that made some part of the trail muddy.

Munir waiting for his turn to negotiate a narrow path
One the unrideable spot
We passed through an orang asli village and it was really nice to see the people especially the cute children cheering us.

Washing the mud of the brakes and tires before continuing the ride

I had initially planned to ride both loops but when I finished the first loop, it was already 1pm and most of my group members had already cleaned their bikes. So with the thought of driving back to Malacca and lunch signals emitting from the stomach, I decided to also call it a day.

Thank you to Scott TDF Roberts, Brian Wearing & Ying How and the people at KLMBH for organizing a Shiok ride.

Waldmeister bicycles

Want something more exotic than the carbon fibre frame? Try solid wood frames from Waldmeister.


Mind you, these bicycles are not one of the "China mari punya" bikes with lousy components.


The Waldmeister single-speed bike boasts a "handcrafted wood frame", a carbon fork and components from Chris King, Xentis, Schwalbe, Rohloff, Truvativ, Brookes and Crank Brothers.