As I was cycling...

Of Mtb Jamborees and Races

2012-01-31T15:23:00.003+08:00

There is an event that caught my attention and I have been following the progress of it.

Why? It is held in Melaka. So what's the big deal? It's organised by an event company and they are charging a really unreasonable fee of RM90. Then, the unveiling of the track, ....*drum roll*...
it's none other than our 2011 Burung Hantu track. We should be be feeling great that someone is using our trail but re-using the same trail and charging so much registration fee? Something is not right. Come on, don't you have any shame? We know you want to cari makan but not this way. Do your own reccee of the trails and better still, reduce the unreasonable registration fee.
A probe further revealed that although the event date is fixed and the starting venue is at a university, the university administrators have not received any application to use their facilities on that day. Well my fellow riders, think twice if you are thinking of taking part.
By the way, if any groups wants to cycle the Burung Hantu trail daytime on a weekend, do contact the Environment Cycling Club. I am sure they will be more than willing to lead the way.

Lately we have noticed the influx of mtb jamborees and races throughout the country. This is a good sign that shows the cycling community is growing. So much so that even if there are 2 events on the same weekend, both events can almost boast more of 1000 registrations.

The general registration fee of most event is RM50 with some exception where the organisers provide actual cycling jersey for additional RM20 - RM30. I think it is fair considering the number of manpower needed to organise and manned the events. However some clubs have seemed to have tasted the blood, so to speak and want more by charging so much more with little giving back to the participants in the form of goodies.

Last year I heard of 1 club which charged RM50 for their event and many seasoned riders felt shortchanged when the initial 40+km ride was shortened to only 37 km with mainly flats throughout the ride and made worse with a goody bag that contained 1 T-shirt and a packet of maggi mee. Ok, we also heard from new riders who showered praises of a good ride. Is it possible for future events to state "Suitable for new riders" so that we won't waste time traveling all the way and money with hotel stay?

Another thing that came to my attention is a coming event that charges RM80. It is a mtb race but why need to charge so high? There is nothing mentioned in their blog on what will be given for such an unreasonable amount of registration fee. From my understanding, the majority of us who are recreational riders will be subsidizing the prize money that professional riders will easily earn on the race day. Well, since I am not a professional rider or those that cari makan on events that has prize money, I will ride my usual playground and give a RM80 makan treat to my family.

Plentong Ride 13.11.11

2011-11-15T12:24:00.011+08:00

I wrote this article and kept it in draft, waiting for a more relaxed moment to properly edit it but after coming across another cycling blog that wasn't in favour of the event, I thought I better not wait any longer or else the story will be cold. So, I am going to publish it from my point of view.

ECC members at the starting line

Tommy Nelson (left) and me by the trail description

Distributing ride plates to everyone

When I was about 9 or 10 years old, my grandparents had 4 plots of paddy field. Those days we did everything by hand. Paddy saplings were planted by hand and so was the harvesting. The best time was just after harvesting, the fields still filled with water and you could play in the mud. Later during bath time, no matter how you scrub and washed with soap, you have to live with the mud smell for quite some time.

The ride at Plentong brought back memories of my childhood. Why? Because it was a muddy muddy ride. But don’t be mistaken, not that it was not a pleasant ride, in fact it was a fantastic ride!

One of the areas made more rideable by the organisers

I think this is Cyclemotion’s 3^rd time organizing this Epic ride and after last weekend ride, I know what I missed. I heard of Plentong ride from fellow ECC members who went last year and was told it was a gila track or crazy track. Then heard it again from fellow riders from Seremban and Pete from PCC that it has one of the best single tracks around and the lure of the sweet mention of single track is what made me go this year.

Sweet single track haven

Tackling a shape corner after exiting the single track trail

This event is held nearing year end where the monsoon season is starting and the trails are wet, slippery and muddy. There were so many river/stream crossings that I lost count. True to what I heard, the single tracks are awesome and fantastically long. Just as you exit a long single track trail, cross a road or an opening only to go into another long stretch of single track. Did I mention that we’re cycling under the canopy of trees most of the time. It’s a mountain bike heaven in Plentong! If only there weren’t so many stream crossing. The amount of energy used up to carry the bike over a slippery bank takes up every ounce of energy that you are saving for the next phase.

One of the stream crossing. As least this one you can easily push the bike up.

When you have only 1 area to cross and there is a bee line of riders behind you, this is what happens. Everyone starts looking for alternative way to cross.

Helping Mei with the help of Tim, to repair her broken chain

Finally when the single tracks ends and so are the nice cooling shade that the trees provided, we hit the open grounds and it was roasting time. Normally after a 45km mark, I am still in reasonable form but when I am almost approaching the last Check Point, CP5, it was past noon and every bit of energy seems to evaporate as the sun hits you full blast. It took a lot of will power and mental strength to finish the last bit of the trail.

The hardest portion of the ride, cycling under the hot sun

Looks pleasant with all the greenery right? But not when it is the last check point on top of the hill with hot blaring sun burning on the helmet and shoulders

I have been taking part in many jamboree & races throughout Malaysia and Plentong rates the best in my book. Toughest ride still goes to KLMBH Epic Ride in 2010.

My club riders were at the starting point early and we patiently waited at the starting arch only to be pushed back by late comers who conveniently took their place in front of us. Then a large group of riders formed their own starting point by the road beside the official one. The flag off was messy as both groups rushed into a bottle neck.

The organizers should also think of a better PA system. The speakers were placed at the wrong place (when it was working). Additional speakers pointing at the starting point would have been better. We couldn’t hear clearly the announcement and naturally will not pay any attention. Electrical failure that made the PA system stop during flag off stole the thunder that everyone was expecting. A contingency plan of a loud haler would have saved the day and best of all, an air horn will do a better job than any state of the art PA system that doesn’t work.

Other than the teething problems during flag off, the trail design is good. I cannot stop complimenting the single tracks that Plentong has. You guys are so lucky! The Check Point and Refuel stations are efficient and in my opinion, CP3 being the best, as the guys that manned it, brought the meaning of Check Point management to a higher level. They were enthusiastic, cheerful, helpful and welcomed every rider as if you are the Champion. As I was refueling my water bottle and had a banana, 1 guy will spray chain oil that my chains are crying for and one of them even quipped that massage is available. You guys rock!

The next few photos are dedicated to the guys of CP3. Never before a check point deserves so much write up.

The team that manned CP3

They will cheer up any tired riders with their energetic jumps and songs.

Me at the right hand corner getting my bottle refilled and not forgetting, bananas

See how attentive these guys are

Click on this link to see them in action

I wish the organizers would have put in more effort on the river and stream crossing. With so many participants taking part, it would have been helpful to put logs for us to walk across rather than making us go in. Maybe shave the banks to make it easier to go in and out. Last but not least, if all is not possible, put a rope where we can pull ourselves out of the river/stream banks. I heard a rider getting angry for missing the cutoff time as he wanted to finish the ride but was held up at most of the obstacles.

Overall, I would think the organizers did a good job. Minor hiccups are bound to happen and any complains or grouses should be looked into and taken as a lesson for improvement. Whatever it is, PLEASE organize another one next year. I am now a staunch supporter.

Note of thanks to the friends photos that I got from facebook.

PCC Presidential Ride

2011-07-29T15:02:00.006+08:00

I have not been updating this blog mainly because the jamborees that I've attended so far has not much to be said, meaning that there's nothing spectacular about the ride. Take for instance Bukit Merah Gold Jamboree, one can easily spot the commercial aspect of the ride from the trail design. The ride is mainly flat and worse of all is going through flooded areas that ultimately lessens the life of bike components and we know bike components are not cheap stuff.

I am glad I missed the Karnival Mtb 1 Batang Kali which is riddled with problems. Never before a jamboree is cancelled 90 minutes after flag off. You will need to search the cycling blogs to read about it.

Jasin Jamboree is ok with average cross country trails.

Pagoh Mtb Challenge is better in terms of trail as the organisers made sure there is enough hills to provide the challenge.

Every established cycling clubs has their own signature ride.
KOTRT with their Kayuh Lasak, KLMBH with their Epic Ride, my own club with her Burung Hantu night ride and PCC with their Presidential Ride. Once you create a branding for a ride, the high expectation of a good ride will be there. And I am happy to say this year's PCC Presidential Ride lived up to it's name as one of the best rides.

It is a long trail this year, some 67km of sheer mountain biking. From the start, on road cycling is short and it hits dirt trail just around the corner (literally speaking). My group started late so we join the pack almost at the back and the first hill was a massive jam with pushing the bike all the way until the peak. I was joking with my fellow ECC members that this is a pushing bike event and those who cannot push, will cycle.

The hills are long and plenty and after every uphill climb, there is the down hill reward. The single tracks are also plentiful and my heart was singing with joy whenever I maneuver through them.

I fell off the bike before check point 1, same spot as this unfortunate rider. The off road trail is on much higher ground to the tarmac road. I was confident in going through the section but the front wheel skidded as I hit the tarmac and injured my left knee. Not wanting to let the injury get in my way of completing the ride, I continued cycling with the blood flowing and it dried up after some time.

After check point 2, I was cycling with Ah Khiaw, Ah Sin and Ah Woo with me being the last rider. Suddenly at a downhill section, I passed Ah Woo and saw he was holding the bike and in pain. He had fallen off the front handle bar and must have hit his chest and shoulders as he landed. The pain was so unbearable that he couldn't talk. After resting, Ah Woo slowly regain his strength and was able to continue while withstanding the pain in the chest and shoulder. I decided to cycle with him and we both completed the whole 67km trail just after 3pm. A whopping 7 hours in the trails.

As for ride difficulty, I would rate last year's Epic ride as my hardest ride I have even taken part in with also some 7 hours in the woods.

This year's Presidential is special with many inspiring stories. First was Ah Woo who was determined to finish despite his body in pain. Then there is Ah Meng who had mechanical bike problem before check point 1 and push all the way to complete the ride at 2.30pm. Imagine pushing and gliding whenever possible for some 50km off road. And that are stories I know and I am sure there are many more stories that will show the determination of the human spirit when pushed to the limit.

Oh ya, and I finally got to meet Akmal who was beside me at the beginning of the ride.
Akmal, if you're reading this, it was a pleasure meeting you.

Some of ECC members getting a well deserved rest

As I was writing this entry, a message popped up on facebook of an invitation to a cycling jamboree. The thing that caught my attention is the group that is doing it has organised a jamboree a few months back. Now that almost every cycling club wants to organise a jamboree, worst is 1 club doing 2 jamborees in a year. It makes one feel there is commercial gain in organising mountain bike jamboree.

Yong Peng Mtb Jamboree 2011

2011-04-13T11:22:00.006+08:00

I have already written a scribe on Bukit Merah Gold Jamboree and while at it, got an idea for another story but I need to refine it more as the first version was rather crude especially on Bukit Merah ride which was far from satisfaction until last weekend when I attended Yong Peng Mtb Race.
This ride was never in my ride itinerary as I have roughly planned which rides to take part. Fortunately after the last hash ride by Mastanah and during lunch with the ECC members, YC asked if I wanted to join this ride as they are doing the group registration. Without even giving another thought of it, I confirmed my participation and immediately gave RM45.00 to YC.

The trail around Yong Peng town

We left Malacca at an unearthly hour of 5am from the meeting point of Mc D, Ayer Keroh. That meant I had to get up at 4.15am. Hah, the things we're willing to do for the our passion.

We reached Yong Peng rather early as there was not many traffic on the highway during the wee hours of the morning. Found a coffee shop to take our breakfast and when we walked in, we were surprised to see the number of dishes. W0w! At 6.40am, there were more than 15 dishes on the table. Later we figured that Yong Peng is probably a town where many of the locals work in plantations and they need to eat a hearty meal and pack food to bring along into the plantation sites. Once you're in, you won't come out till the it's time to call it a day.

The trail profile

Flag off was sharp 8.30am done by a lady politician and since this was a mountain bike race, we knew what we were in for.
Just like any mountain bike event, if you want to have a clear path to ride especially if there is a hill ahead, you have to be in the front pack. That means it's no longer cycling on road for warm up purposes. On road cycling before hitting dirt road is the best place to overtake and head towards the front so the tip of the day is, train your road cycling besides off road cycling.

Me requesting 2 bananas

The whole distance was 50km and I was surprised my stamina and spirits were excellent despite the lack of sleep. The hills were never ending. Some rideable but most was just to steep, at least for me.

All was going well with a noticeable lead until Km 45 when my chain broke. Not 1 but in 2 places. I had it repaired after it broke the first time in Bukit Merah but looks like it was not able to withstand the strain. Since I didn't have any chain connector, I decided to push my bike on the last 5 km. When I reached checkpoint 4, I was told I was still within the top 100. I ran, pushed, walked and glided whenever I can but the last 4km saw many riders overtaking and I finally crossed the finishing line at 12.30pm with the position of 121.

Although it was disappointing not being able to be in the top 100 but I take comfort that even when I had to walk the last 5km, the position was still impressive knowing that I were reasonable far ahead to give away the position.

Good job to Hard Cycling Team for the ride. The trail marking was clear, checkpoint clearance was fast and refuel stations was efficient.

Well this ride is one of the best rides I have ever taken part in. It serves not only as a challenge but it was one of the most satisfying ride that I completed under all circumstances.

I look forward to their next event

3 layer tanning

2011-01-29T14:15:00.003+08:00

I try to make it a point to cycle to the ride site if it is within 20km radius from my home.
Last Sunday was M2BH organised ride which started at Taman Merdeka, about 10km away.
The ride itself was about 45km and total riding for the day was 65km.

Going was always pleasant with the cool morning breeze. Cycling back is ok if you don't mind the hot sun and perfect for a tanning session. When I got back and took off the cycling jersey, I saw 3 different skin tones. Top is original, middle previous ride and bottom was the current tanning.

Reminded me of the 3 layer drink which is one of my favourite drink.

CFAL - Penang

2010-12-06T18:11:00.003+08:00

Campaign For A Lane 80km Ride - Penang 17 Oct 2010

Last year when I was manning Burung Hantu 2009 registration counter, Terry, a fellow rider from Batu Pahat who registered early when we open the event for registration, came late to collect his stuffs. Throughout the day, riders who came early tried on their Tees and changed the size when it didn't fit. Unfortunately on the event day, Terry came late to collect his goody bag, ride plate and T-shirt and all that was left of XXL. Way too big for someone who is size L. Terry was annoyed especially when he registered early. Felt bad for him but there was no choice.

I know how he felt coz it happened to me recently.

In October we went to Penang for G Club's "Campaign for a lane" ride. We reached Penang late evening and went to G Hotel about 8pm to collect our goody bag. I registered for XL sized jersey and all they had was M and XXL. XXL was like me using something loose when I go to sleep and M was like me about to burst when transforming into incredible hulk. No point me taking XXL and not using it at all. What to do, take M as I can always pass it to my daughter. The people in G Club tried to console me by saying it looked good on me wearing tight jersey. Come on G Club, I will look like someone silly who bought a jersey that was way too small! An XL sized man using M size jersey. Jeez!

I know what I am saying also applies to our local club. Don't put jersey size on the forms if you are not going to honour the request.

Europe's Hardest Mtb Race

2010-11-16T10:11:00.005+08:00

It's been some time since I last updated this blog.

Events that have passed since then:

1. Penang "Campaign for a lane" round island 80 km ride - took part and completed the ride. It was my longest distance ride...for now. Might be looking at another ride year end Malakoff Interstate Fellowship Ride. It is a 2 day event where the 1st day ride distance is 67km and 2nd day ride will be a whopping 171km.

2. ECC's Burung Hantu night mountain bike jamboree - part of the committee and Check Point 3 leader.

Today's entry is about an article which I came across when we were on a Sunday family day out at Mahkota Parade. Popped into MPH with my youngest daughter, Sam, to visit her "library" and browsed the magazine section while she read her kiddy books.

Usually it is always the car magazine that is good for short thrill and to add to the wish list. The wish list is not necessary for the wish to own the car but also to wish that one day car prices in Malaysia will come down to a realistic price where most citizens will have the opportunity to have wider choices of car ownership. (..Sigh..) Unfortunately, we may never see that day unless something drastic changes the political scenario.

Anyway, I picked up a different magazine this time out of curiousity and looked what it had to offer in the Men's Fitness.
First few pages, boring, when you only have 6 in 1 muscle pack stomach.
Then came something interesting - Europe's Hardest Mountain Bike Race.
Wow! This is interesting. The photos make you feel like taking part especially on the long single track going down. The race is some 80+ km but they also cater for recreational riders which is 58km of pure XC trail route. Visit their website and I hope you get the same excitement when you see the trail in 3D. Even Sam who is only 8 years old wants to ride with me when we watched it together.

http://www.sellarondahero.com/

24/11/10 - Updated news
Thanks to LeeCS for the link to some nice mtb photos.

If you are curious where Sella Ronda Dolomites is located, just go to Google Maps and copy the name, paste and search. It's somewhere in the upper region of Italy. For more photos of this beautiful place, please go to this link http://www.roberts-1.com/t/b05/it/k/a/index.htm

Burung Hantu trail

2010-10-06T14:47:00.005+08:00

Last Sunday (3/10/10) I brought Roy and Chan to ride the 2010 Burung Hantu trail. Chan has riden part of it when we had gotong royong trail clearing last month and Roy has not had the chance to try it out and was curious since he has registered for the night ride.

Pampering my IBIS with a snow wash treat (compliments from Chan)

This will be ECC's 2nd time in organising Burung Hantu Night Ride, the first being a day ride which was called "The Sahara Ride" and lived up to its name. After the hot and successful Sahara Ride, the club decided to do something it is very familiar with, Night Cycling. After overcoming many obstacles in organsing last year's night mountain bike jamboree and later fueled with the positive comments from participants after the event, ECC is proud to bring back the much awaited yearly affair - 2010 Burung Hantu Ride

I have ridden the complete trail a few times and would like to share some trail description (for those who are taking part and anxious of what to expect)

The trail is basically cross country. Those of you who came last year might remember the steep climb after Check Point 1 (beside the water pump station). Well, good news... Overall, there are no big hills this year, only occasional short climbs which is ridable if you prepare yourself mentally and get the gears change in preparation of the short burst.

The hardest climb which is also the easiest is actually the beginning after flag off. You will be cycling into UTEM which is located on a high area. The ride might be slow to some but since it is the beginning, you'll have plenty of energy for it. Just some 20 meters after UTEM's main entrance, is where the fun starts with a fast downhill. Be careful at this point because there will be many riders all around you.

The distance from starting to Check Point 1 is the furthest among all the check points (18 km). After that, it is spaced out quite evenly.

Danger area. Just after you get your CP3 sticker, there is a uphill climb and then it goes downhill for about 150 meters. Safety marshal will be present to caution all riders at the peak. It is straight and goes down fast. The danger is the cemented path that has broken off the the edges so you only ride on the middle or where you can visually see the path. This is probably the most injury inflicted stretch if you fall down. Go slow if you are not confident. Then right at the bottom of the downhill trail is a hard left turn. Once again, please be careful at this stretch. By the way, I am manning CP3, don't be shy to greet me!

Everyone should be able to complete the whole 45km trail if they follow this simple cycling technic.

Cycle at your own comfortable speed but cycle consistently without taking too much breaks and rest. Our fast ECC riders take about 2.5 hours, I take about 3 - 3.5 hours and if you ride at a slow speed of about 10km per hour (but I know you can do better), it should not take you more than 4 - 4.5 hours. Plus you won't be as tired since you are cycling at night. Check points are for you to get the stickers, refuel energy with bananas and water but not to rest, sleep, eat nasi lemak that you brought along, chit chat (which you can do while cycling) and or give excuse to light up the cigarette to chase the mosquitos away.

A previous entry that might be useful
http://cyclingben.blogspot.com/2009/09/night-ride-tips.html

If you are still thinking of giving up midway, I highly recommend that you stay on to cycle till the end because the best part of the whole trail is kept towards the end where you will cycle on single tracks which cuts through a jungle. Guaranteed highlight of the night!

If you are still thinking of joining the ride, can still do so by submitting the form and registration of RM60.00. Forms are available here http://burunghantu2010.blogspot.com/

Last count of paid registered participants - >1300.
Should be an interesting event with so many riders cycling with lights off road. Don't miss it or else it is another year to wait.

Till then, happy trails

Early bicycle adventure

2010-09-07T17:08:00.005+08:00

This entry is written after I read Akmal's blog of him bringing his son on a child bicycle seat and going for rides. I am inspired to write on our own adventure.

If my memory is correct, my parents bought a Raleigh bicycle for me when I was 11 years old. A year after that, I started to cycle to school. The passion was already there then, even with a bike with only single speed, it gave me the wheels of freedom to explore places around the kampung area.

From bicycle I upgraded to another 2 wheel vehicle, this time with engine when I was 17 in Form 5 - a Honda cub C90. That open another chapter of exploration when you don't need pedal power to go places. The Raleigh bicycle was retired until it rusted.

Fast forward a few years later after getting married, I had the first glimpse of a mountain bike when we visited my relatives in Banting and they had a Sanyo brand bicycle. It had fatter tyres with deep grooves. The fork was rigid but that didn't matter at that time and best of all, it came with gears! Wow! It was an awesome feeling riding the bike around the housing estate and having the first taste of off road cycling when I cycled into the oil palm estate. I was hooked!

I bought 2 Lerun mountain bikes later for my wife and I. Both bikes are still with us (sentimental value). A few years after my son Justin was born, I fitted a bamboo child seat so that I can take him along when I go cycling in the evenings. Boy, did both of us look forward to those rides.

Photo taken when Justin about about 3-4 years old

It was about the same time as the photo above when Justin and I were cycling on road one evening and a minor accident stopped all the fun.

I was happily cycling with him in front chatting away being curious at everything when suddenly I felt being pushed off the road by some strange force. We both fell with me incurring most of the injuries as I tried to shield him from the tarmac road. Justin was crying and I was in a daze. In front of me was a motorcyclist who was in the drain and a small lorry stopped further ahead after some passerby shouted at the driver to stop.

The story unfolded as we regained our composure.
The lorry overtook the motorcyclist but he drove too close and something on the lorry's body hooked on the motorcyclist and dragged him off the road. As the motorcyclist was dragged, he got lose but was heading towards the drain and as he passed us, he in turn, pushed us off the road and made us fall.
We ended sideways in the carpark of a restaurant and the motorcyclist was in the drain ahead.

Luckily there was no serious injuries on us including the motorcyclist who survived the accident with cuts and bruises. My Lerun bike which was accident free before was now full of noises as I slowly made my way back home. I never got any compensation from the driver although I contacted him once but that 1 bad incident made me stop our regular evening rides.

Pets, pets and more pets

2010-08-10T20:17:00.008+08:00

When you cycle off road, you sometimes come across exotic creatures that cross your path. Wild boars is a common sight for most riders. I am sure many of you must have had experience these animals either running across your path or even running along you as they try to escape.

When we were cycling on one of the Wednesday night rides, Ah Chye who was leading the ride along a river path, stopped abruptly as this baby python was in his path. The baby python instead of slithering away, climbed up his bike!. It was more curious of us than we were of it.

One of the good things you learn while watching TV programes on snake is to recognise what snake is venomous and what snake is not. By the beautiful colour markings on it's body, I knew it was a python.

They knew I was into this kind of pets and I immediately decided to keep it.

One of it's kind custom made Jagwire snake skin motif cable

It took only about a week before it allowed me to handle it. My girls are now expert snake handlers!

Speaking of python, a day before we went for Batu Pahat's Berani Ride on 18/7, the local bike shop had an unexpected guest which turned out to be a baby python, almost the same like mine.
The shop staffs kept it for awhile before releasing it as no one wanted to keep it.

I don't intend to keep it long as I did more research on it and found it is a reticulated python which just happens to be one of the largest python species around. Not good when it grows to more than 15 feet long. But it would make a nice belt though!

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Some 2 months ago when our group cycled to Tampin hill, a scorpion happen to crawl across my path, not the first time though but I decided to catch this one instead.

It adapted itself rather quick and was eating crickets after a couple of days. Scorpio was feed regularly and was getting kinda of fat. I read some articles on rearing scorpion that they tend to become fat and lazy if there is no exercise. We also don't know if it was a male or female.

Last Thursday when I went to check on it, I noticed some white stuffs on the back. The scorpion is dark green, almost black. At first glance I thought it was dead or maybe had some kind of fungal infection.

Then upon closer inspection, I realised it was baby scorpions! Our scorpion is a female and a proud mama of ....the last count was 10 scorplings.
If you are interested to rear this exotic pet, do let me know coz I intend to sell the scorplings when they are bigger.

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I also have these cute miniature pinschers for sale. Selling only the black and tan ones and they are all female. If you are looking for a good house pet with incredible hearing and alertness, these miniature pinscher breed is one of the best pedigree dogs to rear. They are small (eat less), short fur (does not dirty the house) and easy to train (intelligent). By the way, female dogs make better house dogs than male.

Please contact me if you are interested to get one. Almost giveaway price as I only want them to have a good home.

I am now hoping to come across a tarantula as I am cycling.

Tampin hill revisited

2010-05-31T00:51:00.000+08:00

Tampin hill revisited on 30/5/2010.

A bigger group this time cycling up Tampin hill, come to think of it, a hill within the mountains.
Only 4.1km from base to the peak but guaranteed to make you sweat and work every leg muscle you have. As usual, the downhill is always a welcome after the hard work.

KLMBH Epic Ride

2010-05-25T13:30:00.000+08:00

It gives me great pleasure to inform everyone of KLMBH's Epic Ride that will be held on 27th June. This will be my 3rd Epic ride with 2nd being the most memorable as it left me with a permanent souvenir. Click on the poster to go their forum group for more details.

For those who have not attended an Epic ride, I would strongly encourage you to go or else they wouldn't call it an Epic Ride.

As for me, I am going to start promoting the event among the Malacca riders to get a group to go.

Tampin Mtb Race

2010-05-16T19:29:00.012+08:00

A group of us from ECC Malacca/M2BH went to Tampin Mtb Challenge on 16/5/2010.

I am the one at the back with the orange bandanna sticking out right under the letter M

This will be my 2nd participation in a mountain bike race, the first one being the Sg. Lembing Mtb Challenge held 19/20 March this year. I have been avoiding, or rather preferred mtb jamboree compared to race as jamboree is a much more relaxed ride. I remembered attending my first jamboree, KOTRT's "One Hill Ride" way back in 2002 and it took about 5 hours to finish the ride (can't remember the distance).

Max Ng and I just after the race

Many many jamborees followed after that and I still took a long time to finish the ride. I realised the reason for taking hours to finish the ride was because I took a relaxed ride, too relaxed in fact. Stopped many times to recover and to take photos for this blog. Hey, I gotta stop being a tourist and be a mountain biker.
After joining ECC and being with riders that want to push themselves to the limit rubbed on to me. Got tips from my friends on how to come out earlier and now like to challenge myself to see my rankings and have fun at the same time comparing with my fellow members.

My position has improved tremendously since then. I now target to be in the top 100 with most of my fellow ECC members in coming mtb events. One thing for sure, I am enjoying the pressure and difference in racing than in jamborees. Next race - Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge in August.

As for this race, I came out 18 out of 30 plus participants in my category.

The hill that fried our brains

My category was the Junior Veteran which the organizers group the 31 - 45 year old participants together. Not good grouping as the age difference is too wide. They probably had limited budget and resources for this race. We rode 4 laps of 3.7km per lap.

The race started with a short stretch of flats and then came the mother hill. Few managed to ride up but for most of us, we took the word MTB literally - Mari Tolak Basikal. It was pushing up for about 1.5km and then the fun begins from the peak. Downhill with some peddling for most of the way back to the starting point.

Each time we reached the hill, it got hotter and hotter with the noon sun right above our heads. Repeat that 4 times. It was the sun that drained our energy than the hill itself.

Good thing was the downhill that provided some rewards after the pushing. Looking from the above photo, you get the idea how nice is the downhill from the zig zag route.

Ah Chai who came in 3rd in the same category as me. Good job!

Sze Wee, a new young rider came in 5th the junior category

Last but not least, thanks to our ECC members that provided support in terms of safety, photo, encouragement and feeding. It was a joy to ride with all of you.

Note of thanks also goes to the friends in facebook for the photos used.

Road trip to Kampar

2010-05-11T13:14:00.007+08:00

My wife and I recently went to Kampar with our son Justin and his class mate, Alex to see the place that both of them will be staying and studying for the next 1 year. Both of them signed up to study at TAR College.

We hooked up our 2 old bikes, one of which was a Lerun mountain bike which had a rigid fork bought almost 20 years ago, on the roof rack of our car. The other was a chap ayam "Giant" that Justin used to cycle to school.

We managed to reach Kampar safely with wet rainy weather almost all the way. As I was taking a slow turn around the corner in Taman Bandar Baru, Justin's bike just fell off from the Thule 561. The incident gave us a fright! The bike was fastened on the fork with the front wheel taken off and somehow due to the weight of the bike and probably the action of warbling left and right along the highway caused it to loosen. Thank God it did not happen along the highway at the speed of 110km per hour. We really think God was giving a helping hand throughout the journey as everything went well and the next day after we got back to Melaka, the car radiator heated up. Some leakage somewhere that drained the water from the radiator.

The view from Justin's rented room, the Grand Kampar Hotel

Noticed anything wrong with the photo? We went for toilet break along the way and when I looked up from the toilet cubicle, there it was, staring back at me. What an angle to put a camera.

M2BH April FRB

2010-05-11T12:59:00.002+08:00

M2BH's hash ride in April was held in Lubok Cina. A virgin area for hashing and thanks to Doha who moved to Kg Sungai Siput and found this fabulous trail.

Doha (right) congratulating April's FRB Award that went to Helmi (left) from the Armed Forces.
Helmi was using a iron welded mtb bike which weighed almost 20kg yet he easily cycled over hills and obstacles along the 27km ride. Good job Helmi!

Abdul Wahid going over a narrow patch

Raymond in high spirits and completed the ride

One of the challenging hill all of us had to go through

Almost there!

ECC Burung Hantu Ride 2010

2010-04-27T15:52:00.005+08:00

For those who are waiting for ECC's Burung Hantu 2010 Night Ride, mark your calendar for the night ride of the year, made even better with mixture of new and some old trails that all of you who attended last year cried with joy when you cycled the single tracks.

Don't worry, we won't be playing Black Eyed Pea's "I've Got A Feeling" anymore

30th October 2010 (Saturday)

Details will be published in ECC's blog

Plan A or Plan B?

2010-04-22T10:11:00.005+08:00

A group of 6 of us from Malacca have registered for Kulim's Night Ride Jamboree to held on 1st May (Saturday). Hotel arrangements have been made. Should be a done deal right? Just that I forgot one thing.

I am a council member of the place I stay. This Saturday, 24th April is our AGM. Shouldn't have any conflict with our plans to Kulim. Unfortunately I didn't see a technical glitch that comes with AGMs. If this Saturday's AGM does not have quorum (which means there are not enough members attending), then it is automatically postponed to the following Saturday, same time and same place. Arrrgggg... that means it falls on 1st May!

Anyway, I have plan B in place.
I have also registered for Jasin Mtb Jamboree that will held on 2nd May (Sunday).
If Plan A fails, backup plan B will spring to place.

News Update: 26/4/10
Looks like it's Plan B for this weekend.

We were short of only 1 registered owner or proxy to make the quorum. We didn't want to carry on even though we were so close to getting the quorum because just outside of the meeting room was a bunch of inconsiderate owners who had the proxy and qualified to register but just wanted to frustrate everyone by making them, most are Singaporeans, come again next Saturday. Carrying on would give these nimcampoops reason to declare the AGM null and void.

Anyway, what they did was just to ignite the feeling of anger amongst those who had made the time and journey and vowed that they will be back next weekend even if they had to crawl from Singapore. Yes!! that's the spirit.

Plan B it is. Jasin Mtb Jamboree here I come.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anyone sleeps on their arm and wakes up like your arm feels a ton? I do, at times.

Saw this pillow that will provide all the comfort and sleep that you need for Arm Sleepers.
This is the link http://gizmodo.com/5521016/arm+friendly-pillow

The making of Giant Carbon Fiber bicyles

2010-04-19T22:06:00.002+08:00

I have always been curious about how they build carbon fiber bicycles.

Do you have a frame that acts as a mould underneath the carbon fibre? If yes, then how to take out the mould once the carbon fibre sets?

Is it wrapped around layer by layer as what they do with fiber glass?

One of Taiwan's biggest bicycle manufacturer, GIANT open it's factory door to reveal how they make carbon fiber bike frames.

Check this link out.
http://www.bicycling.com/mb/slide/home/1,8155,s1-2-261-0,00.html

Photo of the day

2010-03-30T18:50:00.002+08:00

We have some extra riders who are fans of "The Mike Goh Fan Club"

Sg. Lembing Mtb Challenge

2010-03-25T13:27:00.009+08:00

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.

A satisfied customer

Just trashed a very expensive bike

A sight for sore eyes. The finishing line.

Quotable Quotes

2010-02-21T22:10:00.006+08:00

When you cycle with friends, you can get gems with the quotes that they make.
Will start with a few and reveal more as I hear them.

"It's not that I cannot cycle up, the terrain is not suitable"

On cycling up a steep terrain
"The back wheel is spinning because the legs are too powerful"
- Sifu Heng LH

"My bicycle won't move, so I had to push it up"
- Sifu Kalvin

If you have any cycling quotes or heard of any good ones, please share it by clicking on the comments button

January Hash Ride 2010

2010-01-31T18:15:00.005+08:00

What a good ride it was! Made even better with a huge turnout of 51 guests and 20 members. Hare Cedric "The Swiss Connection" Bourquenee did a fine job of setting 31 km of nice cross country trail with a few hills thrown in to get the sweat glands working! He was kind enough to cut 7 km of the original plan to cater for the newbies.

Loi and Fairuz on the tandem bike going to the hash site

What is up in the sky? The paratroopers doing sky diving.

The huge turnout

Cedric doing the hearing

When we arrived at the start venue, I realised I only had the pair of slipper on and had left my cycling shoes at home. Luckily my wife was kind enough to bring them over and I started about 10 minutes late after flag off. It wasn't long before I caught up with some riders that were helping each other cross a ditch

Just a couple of kilometers ahead and we saw the front riders closing the loop and we decided to do a short cut and join them. That chicken trail cut short the distance of about 7 km. Just ahead was Cedric waiting with supply of fresh water, isotonic drinks and bananas. A sight for sore eyes.

Rudy in a Mac Gyver moment using what is available to tie the sole of his shoe

Got it!

After the water break, it was fast riding all the way to complete the 2nd part of the hash. Overall it was a good ride with varied terrain.

Thanks to guests from around Malacca, Mastana (Masjid Tanah), Batu Pahat's Nature Bikers Club and others that we may have left out, that made this hash ride successful and "meriah". Not to leave out the support of our own members, new and old.

The 1st recipient of the FRB Trophy goes to Sim Seng Chai. Congratulations on being January's Fast Riding Bastard!Sim Seng Chai

We now look forward to February's Hash Ride in Jasin which we heard will be another good ride as the Jasin Mtb group is giving us preliminary test ride of their coming Jamboree Ride.

Plus Mastanah Mtb group has volunteered to do the hash ride for March in the area of Masjid Tanah.

A very good start for 2010. Come and join us at the next ride on 28th February (Sunday). Location will be announced later.

Till then, Ride Safe!

On! On!

Advert

2010-01-12T21:56:00.004+08:00

This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed.

It was reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal:

SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant.

I am a very good looking girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire.

Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me.

Call (404) 875-5555 and ask for Daisy, I'll be waiting...

Over 15,000 men found themselves talking

to the Atlanta Humane Society about an

8-week old black Labrador Retriever.

Men are so thoughtful and caring.

Avatar

2010-01-03T15:54:00.005+08:00

I recently went to watch the movie Avatar with my 2 older children.

I did not read much about it, but the very large outdoor poster hung at Mahkota Parade that looked so interesting that made me complied to watch it.

And then to find out it was in 3D made it even more interesting. Never mind the high ticket price of RM17.00 per person. It's not often we get to watch movies in 3D, let alone in Melaka.

What I want to say is that when it ended, I told my children it was the best movie I had ever watched in a long time.

Don't take my word for it. Go for it. The solid story line, the realistic computer generated images, the haunting soundtracks and best of all, the feel good feeling after the movie ended makes this movie one of my all time best.

Once again, watch it in 3D before it ends it's runs. Nothing beats watching a movie on the big screen.

Happy New Year 2010

2009-12-31T19:20:00.002+08:00

Incredible Weight Loss story

2009-12-08T23:26:00.003+08:00

I love a good story especially when it comes the determination of the human spirit.

Read this incredible story here by a cyclist who lost 331 pounds.

Cycling Malaysia

2009-11-17T17:40:00.004+08:00

We recently saw 2 local bicycle magazines launching their 1st issue. One was Cycling Asia and the other, Cycling Malaysia.

I borrowed Cycling Malaysia from Loi and was surprise with the articles inside. There was an article by Herbert Lye on Cycling101 (the basics), tips on cycling uphill, cycling in FRIM (Malaysia Rubber Institute) and the thing I wanted to bring to your attention, a write up by KLMBH (KL Mountain Bike Hash) on hashing. Well written with enough information to get you joining a local bike hash club in their regular hash rides.Get the magazine and read all about it.

By the way, if any Cycling Malaysia or Cycling Asia people are reading this blog, care to send complimentary mags to me?

That also brings us to M2BH November's Hash Ride that will be held on 22nd November.
Please click on the banner below to get detail on directions.

15th ACC MTB Championship 2009 -XC Race 08th Nov 2009

2009-11-11T12:19:00.015+08:00

I received a phone call from Danny on Saturday asking if I can help out as a marshal the next day in the Asean XC Championship. I was initially hesitant because I had already planned to follow Ah Heng and gang to ride the whole Burung Hantu trail on early Sunday morning which until today I have not had the chance. But I decided to help out because it is not often you get an international event held in Malacca and it would be a nice experience.

8am - Hutan Rekreasi, Ayer Keroh. Marshal briefing.
It was a good thing 10 ECC members volunteered as we discovered later, the international cycling body had plans to cancel the event if there were not enough marshals. I wonder what had gone wrong with the local organisers. Anyway, ECC members are a bunch of guys with nothing much to do on Sunday except cycling, so volunteering at a last minute was an easy decision.

Beatrice A. Lajawa from UCI body doing the briefing.

Testing the podium before the actual winners use it.

The event started at 10am with the junior men category being flagged off followed by the junior women category 2 minutes later.

The Elite Women category was at 12pm and the highlight of the day, the Elite Men category was at 2.30pm.

The Elite Women category winner from China. She deserve every glory of a winner from her consistent strong peddling.

Junior Women category. This is the spot where Wahid and I were doing the marshal work. It had a short uphill ride which then had a sharp left turn. It was a good spot as it slowed down the riders to enable me to jot down the ride plate numbers and Wahid to blow the whistle to inform the next marshal of coming riders.

There was a short break in between the junior and elite races and I took the opportunity to check out the action at the starting area.

The Indonesian Mountain Bike team

Korean rider getting his muscle warmed up before the race

Iranian team doing some last minute bike tuning.

This Specialized design looked familiar. It reminded me of Chan SM's Superbow Corratec bike.

More bikes being prepped up for the race

Finally, the Elite Men category came on. When they reached my area, it was a rush. All the good riders coming in together with some carrying the bike and overtaking. It was a frantic moment for me trying to jot down the numbers and at the same time hoping not to miss out any riders. Luckily Wahid helped out by reading out the numbers.

Kazakhstan rider that came out

That's me on the right corner. Thanks Wahid for the photo.

Nice display

I always had the impression Polygon makes lower end mtb bikes, this photo proved me wrong with the Indonesian team using it.

Overall, it was a good experience playing a small role in an international event. Thank you Danny for thinking of me for the marshal job. Though it was a whole day affair, it was worth every minute of it.

We were asked if ECC members can volunteer in next year's SUKMA games mountain bike event held in Malacca and I am sure there will be no problem. We will always be happy to assist.

More photos of the event here:

Abdul Wahid's photos 1

Abdul Wahid's photos 2

Kalvin Chong's professionally taken photos

XC Race results: in case you're wondering...
Men's Elite: Yamamoto Kohei (Japan) 1:45:59, 2nd Chan Chung Hing (Hong Kong) 1:46:11, 3rd Kirill Kazantsev (Kazakhstan) 1:48:00

Women's Elite: 1st Cheng Yuan Ren (China) 1:41:42, 2nd Rie Katayama (Japan) 1:44:58, 3rd Liu Ying (China) 1:51:07

Men's Junior: 1st Supachiwakun Natawat (Thailand) 1:06:17, Luk Chun Chung (Hong Kong) 1:08:39, Jerry Joeffrey Jemie (Malaysia) 1:09:02

Women's Junior: 1st Siriluck Warapiang (Thailand)1:01:38, 2nd Dinh Thi Nhu Quynh (Vietnam) 1:03:31, Yoo Da-Jeong (Korea) 1:05:24

ECC's Burung Hantu Ride

2009-10-27T07:42:00.014+08:00

24th October 2009 - That will be a date to remember in the mountain bike cycling community, Malaysia's 1st night mtb jamboree.

What a night it was. Almost 800 riders registered from all over Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, helped by the promotions of various personal blogs and cycling websites. Thanks guys!

There were many things that came to mind at the initial planning. Big group cycling at night, the problems that might come, the trail marking, etc. We are lucky to have the support of the local riders and everyone chipped in the brain storming sessions and came out with what you saw during the ride. The "brilliant" idea of using LED lights enclosed in long plastic bag that illuminated the entire length and also protects it from rain. The motorcross group that made sure everyone is safe. Our members who trimmed the grass, marked the trail and endured the mosquito bites while waiting at the various check points and many others who did what they did best, ensuring the event went well.

Rain, one of the biggest worry. We had plan A and plan B ready in case it rained but thank God, the weather was superb and the riders got to ride the full trail.

I was in charge of registration and am grateful to the patience of the riders when we open shop. After sorting out the teething problems, everything went smoothly with so many riders getting the ride plates, goody bags and T-shirt.

As evening arrived, the riders started to come in for check in and the field in Dataran Sejarah started to fill up with lights.

The mayor of Melaka was invited to say a few words and did the flag off. We managed to get some financial assistance from the state government but after the mayor saw the big turnout, he was impressed and assured us of better support in the next mountain bike event.

I was standing on stage when the flag off was done. It was a sight to behold. So different from the many rides that I have attended. You can feel the excited feeling radiated from so many people.

On behalf of the The Environment Cycling Club, Thank You to all that came from near and far. Thank You for the kind comments in ECC's blog. Thank You to the media that came to share the news to the non cycling world. Thank you to Cycling Asia for the coverage.

We are humbled with the request to do again such a ride and I am sure ECC members will look forward organising another one.

Till then, ride safe.

ECC's photo album

More photos available for viewing at these FB links
Loi Wen Chong's Photos - Album 1

Loi Wen Chong's Photos - Album 2

Loi Wen Chong's Photos - Album 3

Loi Wen Chong's Photos - Album 4

Loi Wen Chong's Photos - Album 5

Cycling Malaysia's photos

Mohd Haris Khalim's Photos

Abdul Wahid's Photos

Bernard's Photos

Azman Mohamed's Photos

Alyas Ling's Photos

Aruff Jasmi's Photos

Abdul Razak Abdul Kadir's Photos

Haitsan Fuji's photos

My own photos

NomadAdventure's Gopeng Peanut Search

2009-10-08T13:11:00.006+08:00

GPS (Gopeng Peanut Search)

The hunt for peanuts is ON!

Nomad Adventure is proud to announce their next event – GPS (Gopeng Peanut Search)

GPS is designed as a fun & exciting event for mountain bikers & outdoor enthusiasts. It is not a race in the traditional sense, rather a navigational challenge done on mountain bikes over 5 hours.

Checkpoints are spread out over surroundings of Gopeng. Variety of routes is on offer, taking riders on a journey to discover hidden gems around the area. Suitable for technical riders who yearn for some new challenge, and also newbies who want a more laidback ride to a famous makan stop.

Date: 15th November 2009

Please click on the logo to get details on this interesting event.

Night Ride Tips

2009-09-30T16:48:00.011+08:00

I would to share my little (3-4 years) of night riding experience since ECC's Burung Hantu Night Mtb ride is coming soon.

Rear red blinking lights
A must for you to be visible to the cars coming from the back. More lights means more visibility but that is only if you are riding solo or with a friend. I am a supporter of a green environment, so if you have a big group of riders cycling together, you don't have to on all the lights. Just 1 rear red blinking light will do.

Front lights
This is the most important if you are going off road riding.

As pictured below, I have 1 white blinking light on all the time to warn oncoming cars of my presence and another strong bike torch light whenever I hit the dark areas. For me, dark areas means really bad visibility like cycling into the oil palm or rubber estate. If you are on a kampung road, there is usually the street light that is bright enough for you to see the road and I always try to conserve battery life.

Most of the time when I ride in a group, the lights emitted by the other riders is good enough for me to go without switching on mine.

Whenever you need to stop when there is a regroup or traffic jam ahead, remember to switch off the front torch light. This will help prolong the battery life.

If you are planning to ride fast and furious on the off road track, it is better to have 2 strong torch lights beside the blinking lights.

Point 1 nearer towards the front tires (approx. 3 feet) and the other about 8 feet ahead. This will help you see what is coming ahead.

There is always the element of surprise when doing off road night riding. Be alert of your surrounding, the shout of warning of riders ahead of you on dangers such as holes, bumbs and animals. Front riders usually come across birds such as Night Jars, owls, snakes and even wild boars on the tracks.

Batteries
Please try to use rechargeable batteries. Most will give you your monies worth in the long run and you'll be doing your bit for the environment.

Most front bike lights use AAA batteries. If you are using the usual alkaline batteries for the front lights and the strength is not enough to brighten the path ahead, don't throw them away. They will still be good enough to power the rear red blinking lights that uses the same battery size. Maximize the batteries before discarding them.

Hope these tips help in making your night ride pleasant and safe.

Additional points shared by Winston at Midnite Cowboys FB group

- if biking offroad in a group, please switch your back blinking lights to still lights. if not , your buddies behind you will suffer.
- always carry spare batteries and handphones with you
I had this unpleasant experience of the torch light giving up on me when I was leading a ride in the rubber estate! I got the 2nd rider to ride beside me so that I can see where we are heading.
- gauge your fitness and skills, be truthful to your buddies and yourself. you dont want to burden your buddies in the middle of nowhere, even more so while in darkness.
- NEVER ride alone.

Additional points shared by SN
If I may add to your list of lights. While its good to have a set of powerful lights on the handlebar, a helmet light is just as important. If you can, get a powerful light to be mounted on the helmet. The helmet light points wherever you are looking, whereas the handlebar light points only where the bike is going.

When you reach a switchback turn, you will want to look ahead around the turn, which is when the helmet light helps. The handlebar light will only shine straight ahead before you reach the turn, leaving you blind otherwise as to what lies around the turn.

Given a choice, I would suggest having 1 powerful helmet light over 2-3 handlebar lights... Best combo of course, is still both handlebar + helmet lights!

******************************

So far all our night riding in Melaka are always done in a group and it is always "Follow the the leader". After reading SN's comment, I am going to dedicate 1 helmet with a torch light mounted on it and another for the usual day rides. Thanks SN, for the tips.

Sept Hari Raya Hash Ride

2009-09-26T02:10:00.003+08:00

This Sunday's (27/9) event, 48 km of beautiful XC trails. Plus, delicious makan after the ride. It is the Hari Raya Hash Ride. Open to all with guest fee of RM10.00 only.

Selamat Hari Raya

2009-09-17T13:49:00.001+08:00

To all my Muslim friends who are celebrating this happy occasion,
Selamat Hari Raya!

Upscale Supermarket

2009-09-14T16:20:00.001+08:00

Thanks to my friend, Jimmy Tay for this humorous joke. Enjoy.

A new supermarket opened near my house.
It has an automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh. Just before it
goes on, you hear the sound of distant thunder and the smell of fresh rain.
When you pass the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and you experience the
scent of freshly mowed hay.
In the meat department there is the aroma of charcoal grilled steaks with
onions.
The sound of a breeze in the trees and water in a babbling brook welcomes
you to the fish display.
When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle and the air
filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying.
The bread department features the tantalizing smell of fresh baked bread &
chocolate chip cookies.

I don't buy toilet paper there anymore.

Story with happy ending

2009-09-10T13:16:00.009+08:00

It is so surreal writing about my stolen bikes. When they got lost, I gave up hope on retrieving them but thanks to my condo management staffs especially the manager, Mr. Gunabalan, helped towards the recovery of both bikes.

Let me share the story.

Saturday (22/8) around 12.00 noon, my wife, who was at home, called me and said about a former night guard with information about my bicycle. I quickly took my motorbike and rushed home. Upon reaching my unit, I saw our current night guard, Jamal and he introduced Saiful, a former night guard. Jamal said Saiful came to the guard house for chitchat on Friday and Jamal mentioned to him about stolen bicycles from the condo. Jamal then showed him the picture of the bicycle that has been put up on the notice board offering reward of RM100.00 for information to the recovery of the bicycles. (Jamal did most of the talking and telling the story). When Saiful saw the photo, he said he bought a bicycle that looked like that about 2 weeks ago.

I asked Saiful if he remembered the seller and he replied he doesn't know who that person was but can recognise if he ever saw the seller again. Saiful said he bought it for RM500.00. Jamal told Saiful to get his wife to bring the bike to Selat for confirmation. Saiful then left leaving Jamal to continue talking to me. Jamal said Saiful was at a warong when he heard about someone selling a bicycle and since he needed some sort of transport as he didn't have any, the bicycle seemed handy. The negotiation started with the seller saying he knows the value of the bicycle is RM2000.00 and is offering RM1000.00. Saiful offered RM300.00 and they settled at RM500.00.

About 20 minutes later, Saiful and his wife came pushing the bike. A quick check on the bike revealed is was my bike minus the reflective stickers, the saddle bag and metal stand. At that moment, I was happy just to get my hands back on the bike and feeling compassionate for Saiful who told me he bought it for RM500.00, I paid Saiful RM500.00. I asked Saiful if he had any information on the other bike, a Schwinn model size 14.5" (suitable for smaller size people) but he said no.

I conveyed my thanks to Jamal and told him I will settle with him later about the reward money. Jamal asked if I had the picture of the Schwinn bicycle and he will help keep a lookout.

- End
A few days later I started to rethink of the event and some things did not make sense.

For instance, how does a guard who earns RM400.00 (basic) buy a RM500.00 bicycle when he is not a mountain bike rider or enthusiast. And if Saiful needed some form of transport, why buy a RM500.00 bicycle when you can easily get a RM150.00+ China made bicycle.

Footprints.
The last time I used the unit was on Sunday 9th August in the evening. I know it rained early in the morning because I sent my children to school on Monday morning and found the grounds wet. I did not open the unit as I did not cycle the whole of Monday. On Tuesday morning after sending my children to school, I decided to move my things out and that was when I found the bikes missing. There was footprint marks on the floor coming from the glass balcony entrance and exiting on the main door (I found it unlock). Boot size 10.

A friend gave his view that a thief will not use boots to commit a crime especially when you have to climb over the balcony. A slipper or rubber shoe would be better. This points to someone on duty or was still in uniform when the crime was committed.
I know many of you will say that I shouldn't have paid any money. Yes, I went through that flaming session when I shared this story with the local riders and friends. What can I say? I am a sucker if you put on a puppy face and tell a sad story.

This transaction was almost 3 weeks ago and the initial hope of recovering the 2nd bike was slowly diminishing as time passed.

My condo manager had spoken to Jamal after I got my Specialized and put it to him that he is to do whatever it takes to recover the 2nd bike. A mind game was set on Jamal and it paid off today.

At 8.30 am today (10/9), one of the day guard came to my unit and said there is a bicycle outside the fence that looked like my bike as he was patrolling the area. I followed him and saw the sight below.

It was an unbelievable sight. My 2nd bike lying at the shrubs waiting to be claimed. I was happy yet wanted to laugh. It just suddenly appeared from nowhere.

Strangely, the front tires and tubes were out of the rim. Did the thief go on a mtb ride before abandoning it there?

Anyway, I am happy to recover both bikes and thanks to all who helped, shared ideas and well wishes.

To the thief, my hope for your "blessings" still stands.

Tribute to an old friend called Specialized

2009-08-12T13:39:00.015+08:00

When you have a outdoor hobby like mountain biking, living in a condo with a family with only 987 square feet to move around, it is almost impossible to store the bike with all the accessories.

Unfortunately for me, that is my scenario. Fortunately for me, there is an empty unit in front of my unit that was vacant since the condo was built and is now under bank receivership. Why, fortunately, well, that is where I kept my bicycles. Did I mention "kept" and "bicycles"? We'll start with bicycles.

When my wife and I just got married in 1989, we bought 2 Lerun bicycles to cycle around in the evenings which we are still keeping. When the kids came, we bought 2 children bicycles of different sizes. Then there was another bicycle that was left behind by a tenant that I refurbish to make it ride able.

I got involved with mountain biking in the year 2000 when I took part in the Malacca Mountain Bike Hash and bought my first "high end" Specialized. Cost me RM1,700.00 and I thought it was a bomb. Never thought bicycles cost more than 1K at that time and since then, have upgraded the rims to Mavic, the gears to XT, fork to lockable Rox Shox, pedals to Shimano clipless, crank to Truvative and most recently, change the seat to Fizik.

I bought another bike, this time a full suspension IBIS Mojo SL last year and alternate the usage of both bikes. Bike components are not cheap and I have installed almost all the top range components for the IBIS and would like to minimize the usage and prolong it as much as I can thus will use more of the Specialized. Specialized will see action on every Wednesday and Friday night rides and IBIS will spring to action on weekends and mtb jamborees (ECC members call it the Jamboree bike).

6 bikes of different sizes in the store room.

Penang Kayuh Lasak 2005

This schedule was working out well until yesterday.

The management office had informed us that there were queries on the vacant unit that will be up for auction so I thought we better start clearing our stuffs. Yesterday morning after sending the children to school, I went to the unit and found it unlock. Hemmm..... maybe I forgot to lock it on Sunday after washing the bike that came straight after a hash ride.

I noticed something different, where were was my Specialized? For a moment I thought I might have brought it back to the office. Then I realised my daughter's Schwin is not where it should be. The only bikes left behind are the Lerun and children's bikes.

Then it hit me that someone has stolen the Specialized and Schwinn bikes.

Thank God I decided to keep the IBIS in my own unit after washing it.

On the way to Sagil, Johor for the Gunung Ledang ride

After 9 years of confidently keeping my precious in this vacant unit, never did I imagine losing it this way. A most likely suspect would be someone staying in the same property that has been eyeing my movements whenever I ride the bike out and when and where I keep them. Or else how would the thieve know exactly which unit to break into?

I have since informed the management but I know it is a long shot of getting it back.

Today's posting will be on the mountain bike that has gone many places and brought good memories of rides around Malaysia.

May the thief receive the same "blessings" he gave me in 10 folds.

Here's to my Specialized Rockhopper.

2006 Damai Laut holiday with the family

2008 The Malacca Water Wheel

2007 KLMBH Epic Ride

The safest place, my work room

Gunung Ledang ride with Lee CH

By the Malacca river

2008 Boat ride to Pulau Besar

The cockpit when fully loaded

~ Farewell old friend ~

Happy Hunting Ground

2009-08-06T17:37:00.005+08:00

There is a saying that when a native American (in TV language, Red Indians), dies, he goes to the Happy Hunting Ground or Heaven to most of us.

I looked up Wikipedia and it has an interesting quote and explanation for this caption.

The Happy Hunting Ground was the name given to the concept of the afterlife by several of the great plains Native American tribes, as well as the Iroquois, Cherokee and Algonquians. It is an afterlife conceived of as a paradise in which hunting is plentiful and game unlimited.

"I will follow the white man's trail. I will make him my friend, but I will not bend my back to his burdens. I will be cunning as a coyote. I will ask him to help me understand his ways, then I will prepare the way for my children. Maybe they will outrun the white man in his own shoes.

There are but two ways for us. One leads to hunger and death, the other leads to where the poor white man lives. Beyond is the happy hunting ground where the white man cannot go."

Many Horses - Oglala Sioux

That made me think. When a mountain biker passes on, can we say "He has gone to Whistler Mountain Bike Park"?

Riding Essentials

2009-07-31T22:57:00.005+08:00

The original messages are quoted from PCC's facebook group discussion board.

The following list contains items that you should have in your bag this coming presidential, or any other jamboree.

1) Spare Tube – There is nothing worse than being on the side of the trail with a flat tire and no spare tube. It is unfair for other fellow riders to spare you their spares.

2) Tire Levers – Changing out a flat is much easier with the aid of some good tire levers.

3) Mini-Pump – While other riders will have, it is better to carry your own.

4) Magic Link - A MagicLink is a single connecting link that connect one end to the other. This item could possibly be one of the most important things to carry while riding. If you break a chain on the trail, this is going to be your best friend. It allows you to remove the bad link with your multi-tool and then reconnect the chain without having to press in the pins.

5) Nutrition – Powerbars and gels. Oral salts are a good substitute for electrolytes. Mix this in water. Cramps develop from either too little salt or too much salt in the body.

6) Multi-Tool - This “do-it-all” tool has almost everything you need for a trail side repair in a convenient and small package. Get one with a chain tool built in.

7) First Aid Kit – This one is pretty self explanatory. It is not if…it’s when you or someone you are riding with wrecks, it is good to have a small first aid kit available to clean everything up.
In your first aid kit, try to have the following in there.
a. Opsite spray. Disinfects and seals without any actual contact.
b. Spray on Iodine. Again, no physical contact. Great stuff.
b. Salonplus spray or Yoko Yoko. These two are fantastic to keep cramps at bay. With both, the more you ride, i.e. use the muscles, the warmer they get. Super !!

8) Toilet Paper – This multi-use item can be a life saver during a trail side restroom break, but it can also be used to wipe off anything.

9) Lubricant - This is something which will save you $$$ when you ride in muddy conditions and do river crossings.

10) Sunblock - you are going to need it even though there's a fair bit of canopy.

11) Waterproof bag - Worth to bring along just in case it rains.

12) Mobile phone - emergency contact numbers are on the back of your passport/race plate.

13) Sense of Humour - Do bring copious amounts of this. It tends to make the ride more enjoyable.

UUM XC Race 19/7/09

2009-07-24T14:59:00.013+08:00

I was working overtime one night when Kalvin called while he and the other ECC members were having a meeting, that they were planning to attend UUM XC Race and asked if I wanted to go. I immediately said yes without the slightest hesitation.

A few days later, it dawn on me that UUM is located in Kedah, a very long way from Malacca. Gosh, just came back from Betong slightly more than a month ago and now going again on a long trip. OK, since I have committed in going, I better prepare mentally and physically on my first cross country race. 1 month before the event, I plan to cycle more, climb stairs up to the 14th floor of our apartment, swim more, take evening brisk walks, etc.

The first week I managed to squeeze in 1 cycling ride, 1 swimming session and stairs exercise. 2nd week, 1 cycling ride and 1 swimming session. 3rd week, took a break for the whole week until Sunday where I went for Batu Pahat Hash Ride. Final week, only managed to catch 1 cycling ride. Looks like training was heading towards a down trend.

Finally, Friday arrived and it is time to catch the 11 pm bus to Sintok, Kedah.

The night before was registration and collection of jersey and race plate. We were there sharp 9 pm and were told to wait as the organisers were still sorting out some things. Looking at the university students, we were making assumptions that the ride will probably be like Taiping, mostly riding on flat areas and almost no hills. There were comments like "I don't think these uni riders know how to lay a good trail if they don't have riders like us, etc, etc."

Pang KN (left) and me

The consolation during registration was the cycling jersey which was surprisingly good quality and was an actual cycling jersey, not one of those modified micro fibre Tees sewn to look like a jersey.

Kalvin (left) and Mah SK with the latest brain protection cycling gear

We were told flag off would be at 7.15 am with cut off at all check points at 12 pm and when the announcement was made to delay it to 8am, fueled even more skeptics on the organisers.

The riders all ready for the horn

First hill climb.
"Hemm not bad", was my thought. They do have hills after all.

Then, it was "WTF, the hills don't seem to end". It was uphill climb, a short descent and then uphill again - repeat that about 10 times. There was an area where we had to carry our bike over rocks that scattered all over a shallow river. Wow, this was getting tougher than I thought.

The first 3 checkpoints was tough with so many challenges. After that was like cycling at our own backyard, going through oil palm plantations which was good for recovery. It was here that I overtook a good number of riders. Still, not good enough to be in the top 100 where you will receive a custom made cap with embroidered number of your placing, something I wanted because acquiring caps is one of my hobbies.

This proves more training is needed!

My IBIS Mojo SL that provided the action.

Mei, receiving monetary reward for getting 5th place in the Ladies category

Keong, receiving a momento for group registration. ECC sent 23 riders, all completed 5 checkpoints and 10 were in the top 100 riders. Good job ECC!

While we were washing our bikes, these 2 lovely students from Vietnam requested for photos with us. The smell of macho sweat is irresistible.

Heng LH showing off his latest bandana which comes with 2 large holes for better ventilation.

Eric having a closer look at it. Wow, multi purpose. Can also use down there. Cute embroidered logo is optional

An accident along the way home

This is one ride that I pushed myself to my limits. There were only short stops to catch some breath before pushing the bike and the checkpoints where water and bananas were available, it was fast refuel and off. Another reason besides hoping to get a cap was to cross the last checkpoint before it closes at 12 noon.

I was exhilarated to know it was only 11.30 am when I finished the whole 40 km ride.

Now that we have experienced the trail and the good ride, I must admit we underestimated the organisers and humbly thank them for organising the event which was a huge success.

Thank you!

Note of thanks to Heng LH for the GPS tracking. My "never leave home without it" GPS was left home when I was rushing to pack and to catch the chartered bus leaving at 11 pm on Friday night.

GPS track available for download here
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=285962

Iron Man Competition

2009-07-20T21:04:00.002+08:00

Part 2 of UUM XC Race tomorow as I am having some technical problem with the other pc that stores the photos.

In the meantime...

Hatyai, Thailand 18.7.09

2009-07-20T14:25:00.008+08:00

What I like about going for rides even though it may be far up north is the chance to explore Malaysia and occasionally, even to cross over the border since we are already at the edge of Kedah.

If you were to ask me if I was interested to drive to places like Sg. Petani or Kulim as a tourist, I will give you a head shake stating no interest. And yet, these are some of the places that my friends and I have travelled to and I am not surprise if one day the trip includes taking a flight overseas, all for the thrill of mountain biking.

Last weekend was no different. We were already going to travel 8 - 9 hours by bus way up north to the edge of Kedah for UUM XC Race, why not cross the border into Thailand for some sight seeing in Hatyai.

Bukit Kayu Hitam, the border town exit to Sadao, Thailand

Our plan to Hatyai town was detoured to visit this temple where a monk who died some years ago is kept in a glass coffin.

The picture of the monk

What was fascinating about it is that the body that has not changed much since he died and the mysterious reason that it did not decay.

Our ECC members praying for luck in their personal lives and some, for fast ride and good poll position in the race

Low buying a pendant casing in Hatyai town for the amulet received at the temple

Fried large prawns for any hungry tourist

Taking the opportunity to visit a local bicycle shop to see if there are bargain bike stuffs to buy

Mei among the Trek bikes

When we went to Betong in June, I was surprised how small it was when I found out there were no fast food outlet and shopping mall. One of the "things to do in Thailand" is to eat something that is not found in any fast food outlet in Malaysia due to religious reasons.

The juicy Samurai pork burger in McDonald's

It was a short day trip to Hatyai. Going in at 8am and out by 4.30pm

Batu Pahat "Epic" Hash Ride 12.7.09

2009-07-15T13:58:00.008+08:00

I recently wrote in ECC's facebook group that the majority of mountain bike jamborees and rides are held in the northern region and to have a club down south of Malacca organising a ride was a good change especially the shorter traveling time.

I have known Terry Ho who is the president of Batu Pahat's Nature Bikers Club (NBC) since I joined the Malacca Mountain Bike Hash (M2BH) in year 2000. NBC and M2BH have always had a good ride relationship with each club supporting each other in rides.

Goody bag and its contents for participants

11 riders from Malacca drove down to Batu Pahat on 12.7.09 and took part in NBC's grand ride of 55km off road. Their selling point for getting us there? Guaranteed off road suffering. Not to mention the value for money ride fee of RM15.00 which includes Nasi Beryani and a bag full of goodies.

Terry doing the briefing and getting the local municipal president to flag off the participants.

ECC members on the forefront ready to go

Lots of hills to keep the fit riders happy and unfit riders cursing

Happy to have reached one of the peaks. Payback after that-down hilling.

Lee CH

There were a number of stream crossings that took away most of our strength as we struggled to push the bike up on the banks.

Which way dude? Check point that has no leads. After a long futile search, a desperate phone call to Terry revealed that we need to back track and take another route.

Lee CH on a short downhill trail

Overall, it was a very good ride with ECC's Ah Yong first hash ride and also taking the podium as first rider to finish the ride.

I wished the organisers had not put in the checks and false trails especially when the ride is going to be a long one. 55 km ride with additional 2 km looking for the correct routes. Aarrrggghhh!

Thanks to Terry and his group for a well organised ride. Bravo!!

GPS track available here

Burung Hantu Ride

2009-07-14T19:56:00.003+08:00

For the very first time in Malaysia, a cycling event that will pave the way for others to see mountain biking in a new light. In fact, bright lights are needed!

Miscellanous

2009-07-13T18:34:00.004+08:00

This book suddenly popped out of the blue from our bookshelf. It was our bible just before Justin was born. Getting a name for a baby is not that simple as it seems. You have to consider the meaning and most importantly, how it sounds like when you say it out loud. Why loud? Well, in just a few years later, you will find the child doing all the opposite of what you want them to do, you'll know what I mean.

Our firstborn is a boy and luckily didn't take that long for we found the name Justin which stands for Justice well received by my parents and us. Justin is now 17 years old and I find the name suits him as being the one that gives in to the younger siblings and gave us the least problems when he was young. Can't say about it now as he is in that teenage stage where hormones are raging and rebellious at times. Just patiently waiting for the period to be over.

Our second child is Michelle who was named after one of my favourite songs during school days, a Beatles's song of the same name.

Youngest in the family is Samantha who's name was suggested by Michelle and sounded nice when we call her Sam.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Just sharing some photos that I came across on the net.

Better heed this sign!

Melaka cycling and food trail

2009-07-07T14:04:00.010+08:00

Lee CH and I played host to Wooi YT, his wife and 2 friends from Penang last Sunday 5th July. They were in Melaka for a company seminar and took the opportunity for a holiday.

We met them at Newton food court beside Dataran and although we have never met them before, it wasn't hard to spot them as they were in cycling jersey and with bicycles. After the formalities of hand shakes, we took them on the kampung road that led to St. John's hill.

Lee CH suggested giving them a taste of cycling amongst the graveyard of Bukit Cina and we were about to cycle in when one of the friends bike had a pit stop to change tubes.

We hope they enjoyed this trail as this is one of my favourite trails when we cycle at night!

I was worried the joggers will not be happy to see us as Bukit Cina trails is famous as a jogging site. So far no problem and we thanked them when they gave way to us.

This is probably one scenery that you hardly get on St. Paul's hill. Tourist with mountain bikes.

Well, since we're up here, might as well take the opportunity for a photo with my daughter, Michelle.

The statue of St. Francis Xavier with his missing right hand. There is a reason for it. Come to Melaka and I will tell you the story.

After that was the ride along the Melaka river. Another cycling trail that I am proud to bring guests.

This is one of the best projects Melaka has done to promote tourism.

Sam Poh temple at the foot of Bukit Cina.

I am not sure if our Penang friends had drunk the water from the well and legend has it that the person will sure to return to Melaka if they drank it.

We went for an early dinner at Ole Sayang for Nyonya food. Thanks to our friends for the treat. It's off to the 2nd part of the river ride.

Cycling on the boardwalk with the Eye of Melaka in the background

The night ended with us going to this "food stall" as Wooi mentioned they want to eat food that has shells.

Sometimes, the best kerang can be found at the back lanes.

We hope our friends from Penang enjoyed the short 6 hours ride along the streets of Melaka and we welcome them back for another ride, perhaps during the Burung Hantu Night Jamboree in October.

Durian Ride 1.7.09

2009-07-06T14:53:00.007+08:00

Last year was the first durian ride and looks like it is going to be tradition with this year having another durian ride.

Big group riding last Wednesday tells you these are hungry durian lovers.

Rushing for a piece of durian

Ken showing off the durian that she chose

Sorry, too busy to talk as I have a durian in my mouth. Lee CH about to have his bite.

Simon (left) doing the durian macarena

The fruit farm owner busy trying to cope with the demand.

Demand more than supply

Ah Chye and Ah Yong admiring the mother of all durian before eating

Saren, a new rider enjoying the fellowship and ride

The week it was

2009-07-04T12:43:00.007+08:00

What a week to remember.

It started on Tuesday 23rd June when Grace and I went for breakfast. I read the newspaper starting from the back. Then something caught my attention in the obituary section - a familiar face. Hey, I told Grace that I know this guy. I have seen him many times somewhere and the fact that he was the same age as me suggested that he might even be the same school.

Further enquiries revealed the cause of death.

It happened on 21st June, Sunday where Jerry Lee had durians in the afternoon. Then it was off to the Sunday Hash run in the evening. As they say hashing and drinking are part and parcel of the activity and hashers are known to drink excessively after the run - Drinkers with a Running problem. I know a few running hash members and they are good drinkers. I am not sure how much Jerry drank but it is a known fact that alcohol and durian does not go well. As he was driving back after the food and drinks, the deadly mixture must have taken effect and he passed away.

My condolenses to Jerry Lee Kuek Leong's family.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

26th July. We were preparing our children for school in the early morning on Friday, I on the tv to catch the Singapore morning news as our place gets clear Singapore channel 5 and 8. As I was dressing up Sam, my eyes was on her and ears was on the tv, I heard something about Michael Jackson. The newscaster repeated the news again and it was something about MJ dead.

That was dreadful news. The King of Pop is no longer around. The music and the message that MJ had on us was undeniably strong and we will always remember him. I am sure many of you have had some life changing moments that his songs had on us. As for us, Grace and I used his song "The Way You Make Me Feel" as our opening song in our marriage video.

We will miss you, MJ. Rest In Peace.

PCC Presidential Ride 2009

2009-06-24T13:29:00.002+08:00

Looks like it's gonna be a busy year of cycling. Ride calender for the next 2 months are packed with rides. I am looking foward to this year's PCC Presidential Ride.

Vending Machine Surprise

2009-06-20T10:19:00.005+08:00

I happen to catch this news on Yahoo today.
http://video.yahoo.com/network/100000086?v=5289218&l=100000085

It is about a woman who wanted to buy drinks from a vending machine and something else came out.

A family of racoons was living in the machine and helping themselves. A trained staff from the relevant department was called to catch the animals and comes in Ned Bruha, Shunk Whisperer.

I like the printing on his back

Upcoming Events

2009-06-19T13:55:00.004+08:00

BATU PAHAT HASH RIDE
Date : 12th July 2009 (Sunday)
Time : 7.30-8.00am (Registration)
Venue : Dataran Batu Pahat
Distance : 55 Km (35km for chicken run)
Fee : RM15 (include nasi beriani)
Organiser : Nature Bikers Club
Contact Person : Terry NBC (0127372337) Ben NBC (0127650503)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

UUM Mtb XC Race & Jamboree
Date: 19th July 2009 (Sunday)
Venue: UUM, Perlis
Distance: 55km
Fee: RM50.00 early bird (before 5th July)
Event blog: http://uum-xcr.blogspot.com/

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

PCC Presidential Ride
Date: 16th August 2009 (Sunday)
Venue: Semenyih
Distance: 65km
Fee: RM30.00
Event blog: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=93645348403&ref=nf

Parit Jawa, Muar Ride 14/6/09

2009-06-15T18:08:00.003+08:00

I decide to join with some of our ECC members for a ride at Parit Jawa, Muar after hearing how good the trail is. Lee CH was the driver for this trip and we caught up with the other Malacca ECC riders along the way.

Our ECC members with Keni (left) from Muar

It was uphill ride for the first half of the short 11 km ride

It started to rain halfway and we took shelter at a hut smack in the middle of a durian farm. What better place to wait for the rain to subside and enjoy the free droppings of Malaysia's strongest smelling fruit.

Payback after the tough uphill. Awesome downhill for the brave. Our fellow ECC rider Ah Hee was unfortunately injured when his front wheel got stuck and he flip frontwards and landed on his face.

GPS trail available for download at

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=241599

Pesta San Juang & San Pedro

2009-06-11T15:25:00.004+08:00

If you are planning to visit Malacca, the Portuguese community will be celebrating the Saint John's & Saint Peter's Festival from 23rd - 29th June. There will lots of traditional dancing, talentime competition and other interesting activities. Venue: Portuguese Settlement, Jalan Ujung Pasir.

Holidays are here

2009-06-02T21:28:00.002+08:00

It's now school holidays. I should be planning something for the family but Justin has extra school for the 1st week and Michelle has her girl guide camp. 5 of my mtb biker friends are cycling all the way from Malacca to Betong. Not an easy feat as the journey will take them through 5 states and they cover over 600 km of pedal power. Most of the other bikers are preparing to go by bus on Thursday night and will rendezvous with the cyclist at the border at Pengkalan Hulu on Friday morning and they will all go in together to Betong and spend the next 3 days there. 2 more days to go and I am still thinking of whether to go or not.

Anyway, my entry today is about Michelle's camping trip.
It is her first camping trip and as parents, we are naturally worried for her. We had planned to replace her drinking water and bring back any dirty clothes today but Michelle phoned this morning at 8am telling us not to go as some parents had gone there yesterday and there was some problems.

I guess some parents must have gone berserk when they found out the tents are not air conditioned.

The Wheels of Life

2009-05-30T18:47:00.004+08:00

Life is a cycle. You wear diapers when you are a baby, you grow up and when you grow old, you wear diapers again. Another illustration that tells the same story:

Which wheel are you?

Note of thanks to Heng Lai Huat for the picture

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few months ago we had a guest from Germany riding with us at one of the Friday night ride. He is travelling around the world on a bicycle and happens to be in Malacca. Nice guy and has a facebook account which is convenient for him to share his ride experience with his friends.

Saw this photo from his photo album and found the wisdom in the words.

To see Max Jaques Talmon-Gros's photos, click on this link http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30257153&id=1417189183&ref=nf#/album.php?aid=2013564&id=1417189183

Game

2009-05-25T14:53:00.005+08:00

This game is pretty addictive. Just try to trap the cat.
Don't give up if you don't succeed. You'll get the hang of it and will soon discover the way to trap it.
Just click on this link http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/chatnoir/chatnoir.swf
Have fun trying it!

KLMBH Epic Ride2

2009-05-18T12:09:00.006+08:00

This year's Epic Ride can be considered as all round MTB ride. You have uphills, downhills, river crossing, mud, fast fireroads, singletracks,etc. HYH told me that the members of KLMBH cleared some ares to create trails specifically for this ride. Such dedication! We are honored to have taken part in this year's ride.

1st traffic jam. Waiting for turns to go down the river stream

Lee CH

With clear cool water running, I wished we had time to enjoy nature's delight.

Lee CH with the Titiwangsa Range as background

Abundance of single track like this. Willy pushing his bike.

After Check Point 3, we came the a downhill. It was steep with about 45degree angle and distance of about 50 meters. I should have got down and push but for some reason, decided to go for it. Just down 10 feet and I fell off the saddle. I must have put too much weight at the back and lost control. I quickly got up (out of embarrassment) and although was feeling some ache around the inner thigh, told LeeCH and Willy that I was ok. Then I looked down at my right leg, there was a 3" cut and the blood was flowing down to the ankle. A quick look and I knew the ride is over. The crank had cut it deep. There is no way I can continue as paddling will only make the cut bigger and make me loss more blood.

I made my way up and luckily one of the organiser's people was there to summons help. I must take this opportunity to thank a Chinese rider who sprayed Opsite on my wound and got it dried up faster and another Malay rider who had bandages with him and that help to close up the wound while waiting for help to come. Sorry I didn't get your names and I appreciate the help Guys!

The hare of the ride, Ajis came by motorbike and brought me to a Government clinic to get the wound clean. He later sent me to my car and I drove to a clinic in Batang Kali town for stitches. I have had a good share of falls during all these years of cycling but this one takes the cake for the deepest and longest cut. 5 stitches as remembrance of 2009 KLMBH Epic Ride.

After the ride, we had our food and drinks at Al-Salma's restaurant. While we were eating, Fendy's eagle eyes caught attention of a pretty young thing walking by. She was with her family and I guess are part of the the organiser's group as they were seen helping at the registration counter. I take my hat off to Fendy who was man enough to go up to the mum and asked for permission to borrow her daughter for a group photo. All the best in your quest Fendy!

We took the Genting Highland way back to Malacca and stopped at the cable car station one last time for this photo shoot.

Something to remember this year's ride. Managed to ride 30 out of 54 km. Never fear for I will be back next year.

KLMBH Epic Ride1

2009-05-16T12:33:00.009+08:00

Sleeping beside the rainforest is not exactly quiet. Unless you are the type that knock off the moment your head hits the pillow, you hear lots of things coming from nature. Even with the constant sound of water flowing beside our chalet, the sounds of insects and other creatures is still loud enough to keep you awake.

I thought I was the only one having trouble sleeping but when I woke up to take a walk after getting tired of rolling around in bed, Willy spoke to me. I managed to catch some sleep until nature call that I had to attend to and it's tossing in bed again until the alarm rang at 6am. I guess I had about 1 hour of actual sleep. The rest of the time was just pretending to sleep.

It was nice and cool 7 km ride from our chalet to the starting point. Good warm up. Along the way we saw a few cars with bikes mounted on them but no one gave us a hoot of acknowledgement. Aiyah, why so cold? One car took the wrong junction going towards Genting and turn back after seeing us cycling straight. Hey, you're welcome!

I have seen new riders who struggled to keep up after the first initial kilometers and with determination, improve their stamina and ride technique. Willy is one those who join the cycling fraternity last year and I am proud to see him taking part and able to finish 54 km of hard core riding.

Trying to locate our names amongst the long list of names at the registration counter. Luckily we were early and took our time. After that the crowd started to grow.

With long rides that this, we need to keep power gels and protein bars to replenish the energy along the way. Before ride it is best to store energy with the power drink (teh tarik) and power canai first. Restoran Al-Salma owners must be smiling cheek to cheek as business boomed for the day.
Getting ready for ride briefing

HYH giving ride briefing

Beautiful scenery with the Titiwangsa mountain range

No problem riding up. Just keeping Lee company

KLMBH Epic '09 Pre Ride

2009-05-13T15:40:00.009+08:00

The Kuala Lumpur Mountain Bike Hash (KLMBH) has always been consistent on organising enjoyable monthly hash rides and once a year, the mother of all hash ride, KLMBH Epic Ride on 10th May delivered what it promise.

A big round of applause to HYH and his team for a good all round mountain bike ride.

Today's photo entry will be on the pre ride. The preparation and the night before.

Managed to borrow the Thule cross bar and 2 bicycle racks from Keong and added 2 more bike rack to fit all 4 bikes on the roof. I figured it should not be a problem because we carried the same amount of bike when we went to Taiping. What I forgot was first, it was Ah Yang's car which had better suspension and springs and secondly, there were only 3 guys in the car.

From left (me, Willy, Lee CH and Fendy)

So with 4 bikes (1 darn heavy Kona bike) and the 4 of us in my trusty Proton Wira, we managed to drive all the way to Batang Kali even though the car scrapped its wheel liner whenever we hit a bump.

I didn't realised how small Batang Kali town was until I tried to find a hotel. Googled for it, no luck. Tried Virtual tourist, no luck. Finally used the GPS Map source and searched of hotel POI around the area and a few names came up and they were mainly camp sites. Finally decided on Amberstone Eco Resort as they had a website and the photos of the chalet looked decent. See the screen shot below. Noticed the nice A frame huts on their header.I should have realised it's like going to a food court. You order the chicken chop because the photo display shows a large juicy chunk of chicken thigh with large amounts of potato fries and coleslaw. When the food finally comes, you still get a chicken thigh but a chicken that was on a diet and you can literally count the number of potato fries.

As you can see from the actual photo of the A frame huts, it is so small that a hobbit should feel real comfortable in it.

Opps, not good for a 1st impression. Luckily we booked the chalet instead of the A frame huts ...or that was what I thought. I somewhat pictured in my mind the word chalet would mean individual structure which had a small hall with 2 rooms since it stated quad sharing in their website. What we got was a tiny room with 2 double decker beds. With our stuffs and bikes in the room, the room was so small that we had to go outside just to change our minds.

The bright side of the lodging was the stream that is constantly flowing with cool clean mountain water.
Putting aside these small inconveniences, we decided to drive up to Genting Highlands since it was only 28 km away.

Using the cable car to go up. We were surprised that it was Fendy's 1st time going to Genting Highlands.

Dinner at the Highlands. This Taiwanese beef noodle that came bundled with a small bowl of desert and a drink cost a whopping RM19.00.

For RM12.00, we get to be Superheroes for less than a minute.

Superman ride

Up Up and Away. Also hoping the dinner we just had doesn't come up

A much milder experience at the 3D ride

Cable car ride to heaven

You're welcome

2009-04-25T17:20:00.007+08:00

I have been cycling for about 10 years now. I have seen cyclist come and go. One thing that I have noticed is that when a person decides to take up cycling or any sport seriously, that person will often be at the bicycle shop. Be it in the morning, you see the person hanging there, other days you see them during lunch break, tea break and sometimes until the shop closes.

So much so that their circle of friends are now people of the same hobby. It becomes so obvious that when it comes to a celebration of a birthday or any anniversary, the invitees are usually the same group of people who cycle with you. It makes you wonder, what about their other friends? What was their life before cycling?

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I am appreciative of many things that have come by. A good family, a large circle of friends, our 16 year old Proton Wira that is still running (almost) smoothly, my bike technician who without being told, replaces the missing screw and lubes the squicky parts while servicing, etc.

I used to be in a youth club called the Rotaract Club. My life before being a Rotaractor was pretty dull with the family business taking up most of the time. Being in the Rotaract Club open my views on so many things and I have learnt a lot from the training, mingling amongst other Rotaractors and best of all rubbing shoulders with the members of the parent club, the Rotary Club where you get to meet so many interesting people with open hearts willing to share their vocational experience and expertise. For this, I am appreciative to my friend, Edmond Koo who introduced the world of Rotaract and invited me in.

The same goes to hobbies like cycling. There are some who walk into the bicycle shop and after buying, joins a cycling group. But majority are usually influenced by friends. Like they say, poison the person into cycling. If you are one of the latter and now enjoys cycling like it is the best thing that ever happen to you, do remember to thank the person who introduced you to it. I was one of those walk in customer but I am appreciative to Lim HT for the encouragement during the early days of mountain biking in the Malacca Mountain Bike Hash club (M2BH).

As for the many people I have "poison", I say to you, "You're welcome".

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19.6.09 - I am now listening to one of my favourite group band, Journey. Suddenly I remembered this article about Appreciation and I realised I need to record my appreciation to another friend, Leu Kok Keong who was instrumental in introducing so many bands and songs to me during schooling days. My daughter Michelle has now taken to liking the song "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey and I will slowly open her world to more Steve Perry's wailing voice when he sings most of Journey's hit songs.

KLMBH Epic Ride 09

2009-04-23T13:30:00.003+08:00

Almost every event needs some kind of promotion to make it a success. It can be in the artwork graphic like below or the writeup that is so good you cannot wait to go. As for me, I made up my mind to go the moment I saw the promo flyer and now with the ride details, it is even more confirmed that by hook or by crook, I have to get my butt there on 10th April.

So far 6 have confirmed going from Melaka and 2 more are still thinking of it. Maybe this write up will seal the deal.
Taken from KLMBH forum. My favourite line on the last checkpoint "Welcome to Valhalla my friend"

Ride Description.
1. Check Point CP 1 -Comment: The first chicken loop for people on a short ride.Description: The first section aka CP1 is relatively easy and starts with a 1.7km road section to a oil palm plantation in Ulu Yam. The terrain in CP1 is moderately undulating and nearly fully shaded. This is the quintessential Malaysian plantation cross-country ride consisting of mature trees and well manicured trails. There is one river crossing between Ulu Yam and Ulu Tamu. The river is beautiful and scenic and is knee high most of the time. However, after a heavy rainfall, the river can be as deep as waist high in parts and fast flowing and therefore, may not be safe for unsupervised children. This is a fantastic warm up route. Come and stretch those cold muscles here and breathe the fresh air.Distance to check point : Approx. 16.9kmDistance from check point to Home : Approx 1.2kmClosing time: 11:45am(TBC)

2. Check Point CP 2(Water Point) -Comment: The second chicken loop for people on an intermediate ride.Description: The route traverses kampung roads through Kampung Genting Malek. There is also a small shop set up in front of the owner's house in Genting Malek for riders to buy drinks. This section is characterised by narrow single lane 'kampung' roads that meanders gently around small 'kebuns' and is relatively flat and shaded. There is a short single track section in a rubber estate just before check point CP2. Riders can replenish their water here at CP2.Distance to check point: Approx. 26.4kmDistance from check point to Home : Approx 3.7kmClosing time: 11:45am(TBC)

3. Check Point CP 3 -Comment: HYH's favourite route in Ulu Renning and the third chicken loop.Description: This section has been used in both the 06 hash and 08 Epic Loop 2. 6km of beautiful and shaded cross country riding through a mature oil palm estate. At the end of the ride to CP3, riders enter the village of Ulu Renning. There is a small shop here that sells drinks and some food. Riders can take a break here to eat and have their tea break. Riders on an intermediate ride can follow the main road back to the starting point.Distance to check point: Approx. 32.6kmDistance from check point to Home : Approx 6kmClosing time: 1:30pm(TBC)

4. Check Point CP 4(Water Point) -Comment: The fun starts here!Description: Up to this point, the ride has been civilised. The fun starts here! The first section is a shaded steep and steady climb on narrow premix road. There are some very good views of Ulu Renning here before we enter into a downhill section. The bottom of the downhill leads to a red metal bridge and riders will face the main climb on the Epic aka Hill Nos 1. The hill is steep. However, when the planets align and conditions are perfect, our stronger hares have claimed to have ridden all the way up. The subsequent downhill will lead the riders to our second and last refill point. Check-point 4 is located in a cool and shaded riverine picnic area, frequented by the villagers. This is a good spot to take a break and fuel-up before attempting to complete the remainder of the Epic. Riders can replenish their water here at CP4.Distance to check point: Approx. 38.5km(TBC)

5. Check Point CP 5 -Comment: Continuous climb in rubber estateDescription: The ride from CP 4 to CP5 is a continuous 5km climb albeit, on a relatively easy gradient. The trail is shaded by rubber trees and there seems to be a constant light breeze here. This is a lovely ascent, which has been used many times by the hash. We expect only the faster riders to make the closing time and the rest will be ushered through a chicken loop back to CP 1.Distance to check point: Approx. 42kmDistance from check point to Home : Approx 7.5kmClosing time: 2:30pm(TBC)

5. Check Point CP 6 -Comment: ‘First Among Equals'Description: You are super fit and strong. After 42km of fast riding, you are still fresh and you should be. You are the uber man/woman. You laugh at how easy our monthly hashes are. You want a challenge. And so, we will throw at you more hills, more sun, another river crossing, more single track, slippery and steep gravel roads...and you say, "Bring it on!." If this fits your bill, then our final route from CP6 to CP 1 is tailor-made for you. Welcome to Valhalla my friend.Distance to check point: Approx. 45kmDistance from check point to Home : Approx 6.7km

Cookie

2009-04-16T14:45:00.007+08:00

It's been some time since I last updated this blog. It's not because of writers' block, in fact, there are some stories lined up in my mind that I want to share but life's reality always hits me that prevent all these from happening. The thing that we try to avoid but never possible, the word that brings shivers to some and changes :) to :( when you think of it. The mood swings that definitely comes after Sunday and called Monday blues. WORK. But like or not, it's the thing that brings the bacon to the table. Now that I am able to slot in some time between work, it's time to share this small news.

Our Miniature Pinscher, Cookie recently gave birth to 3 puppies. Unfortunately not pure breed as the father is Lexus, our Chihuahua. I don't think we will find any problem selling them off. Small toy dogs, cute and adorable, who can resist them. The only thing is to identify the cross breed. What shall we call them when they are half Miniature Pinscher and half Chihuahua?

MiniHuahua, ChiPinsher, MiniChi?

Earth Hour

2009-03-26T13:16:00.002+08:00

This Saturday 28th March is Earth Hour. I am doing my small part by taking part and I hope you will too.

Just off your lights at 8.30 pm for 1 hour on Saturday 28th March

Singapore Bike Asia 2009

2009-02-20T22:23:00.004+08:00

Sounds interesting. Anyone want to go with me. We'll share the cost of lodging.

Yippee!! I will be going to the event with Keong.

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Something interesting that caught my attention in Yahoo news. The largest fresh water sting ray caught. Read about it here.