Enjoying Life On 2 Wheels: Sg. Lembing Mtb Challenge

Cycling is an addictive hobby. If you're hooked, no place is too far to go, no mountain too high to cycle, etc. When I first heard of this mountain bike race held in Sg.Lembing, the first thing that came to mind is "Where is Sg. Lembing?". A quick search revealed it is almost 300 km away, about 4 1/2 hours drive from Melaka. I remember driving to Kuantan for our family holiday 2 years back and felt it was a long drive. Looks like another long trip to a place that is just 30 minutes away to Kuantan.

Come Labour day in May, it's another long drive to Kulim, Kedah to take part in their night ride jamboree.

Went for my first mountain bike challenge in Sg. Lembing, Pahang on 20 & 21 March.
My category was the Veteran B, 41 - 15 years age.

I have been to quite a number of mountain bike jamborees and this was a different experience but I gotta to admit that I didn't go for the experience but rather the jersey that is given that attracted my attention.

Didn't take many photos as I forgot to charge the camera battery before going. Got this few photos below from facebook posting by other participants and some taken with the phone camera. Note of thanks to the persons whose photos I used.

What a tranquil town that time forgot. A peaceful and scenic town.
Main street

Don't know the age of the tree but it is definitely very old. Good job by the local municipality in maintaining the trees when they develop the main street.

Something new among the old. A newer and modern lodging place to stay. The contact number if you are interested. Lembing Country View Inn 019-9126369 & 019-9176360

Road signs in English, something rare nowadays in Malaysia.

Our Malacca group stayed at Sg. Lembing Rest House, a coffeeshop cum resthouse. Large bedrooms at the back with domitery style double decker beds.

Food - did some research on food in Sg. Lembing found out that the roast fork and biscuits are good. There are 2 places to buy roast pork but we managed to find 1 that was close to our resthouse. I wish I can repeat the good reviews posted on travel sites but found nothing special about it. The biscuits shop that sold Sg. Lembing speciality, Sungai Lembing coconut biscuit and the tau sar piah with black tau sah fillings, did live up to it's reputation - Good stuff!
Don't forget to try the fried mee that is springy (like spaghetti) and cooked with sweet sour source.

The difference between taking part in a mtb jamboree and race is the level of intensity. You can take your time and plan your ride on a 40 km or more ride. A race of only 16 - 20 km requires fast pick up and a consistent energy to complete the race. The initial 3 laps were torturing as I was panting and gasping for oxygen to refresh the tired muscles. It became easier after that as the body warmed up and you paced the ride to a comfortable cycling level.

We were encouraged to test the track before the race. I remember cycling to the 1st steep downhill area and saying to myself that I must be crazy to cycle down. Then, after flag off, everything is forgotten and you just take the plunge.

Waiting for flag off

The photo below is one of the most challenging area of the race where you need nerves of steel to cycle, no...cycle is not right word...glide down the steep terrain. My category required us to cycle 8 laps which meant 8 times going through the same routes, obstacles and challenges like the one below. On my 7th lap, with much less energy and concentration, I fell off the bike after gliding down this area. Fortunately, it was also my last lap as the champion rider had already completed 8 laps and finished the race. No regrets of finishing 7 out of 8 laps.