PCC Interstate 2008 (Kajang - Bahau - Kuala Rompin - Kuantan)

The best cycling tour/adventure of the year and of my life.

Pedalphiles Cycling Club (PCC) organizes the Interstate Ride every year taking riders across states in Malaysia, visiting towns and getting sore butts , sore legs , a good tan , battle scars and mental torture........all in the name of cycling/riding for our passion. Bikes. This year the route is from Kajang - Bahau (131km), Bahau - Kuala Rompin (178km) and finally Kuala Rompin - Kuantan (158km).

Day 0

Before day 1 begins i spent a nite at Jon's place. And also special big hearty thanks to Lai Tee for fetching me frm my hse to Jons and then fetch us the next morning to the start line. I owe u alot Lai Tee :)

Day 1

Once again a sleepless nite. And im wondering if i can perform well on the bike today. And it rained. Great aint it.......
Lai Tee came spot at 5am and we left late thanks to Jon's dilly dally and his forgetfullness to bring a few things (you get the picture).

Arrived at Prescott Metro Inn in Kajang at arnd 5.45am. Unloaded our bikes n baggage, set up and got ready to ride with another 200+ cyclist from as far as Singapore and Australia. Neat. The day couldnt have started better with rain. Flag off at 6.30am in rain. Cool. Literally.

The sight of 200 bikers with escort and support cars along the way kinda made me have those Tour de France kinda feelings. You get attention along the whole journey and look cool at the same time. And we got lots of salutes and support from the locals. :)

First 20km from Kajang till around Semenyih and near Batu 18.......wet wet wet. This is a fun ride no doubt but the speed devils in the bunch have already left us. I was in the middle somewhere. Riders spread out along the roads like ants. Brought along my route guide (like everyone else) for references on critical junctions and watering holes. Jon and Clarence and me were together at first. Kept saying survive the day. IN the end it proved too much a temptation to go fast. The lead pack definately was at the high 40kmh speed. Us mortals were at 30 or so. Easy goers probably did 25.

First day saw lots of punctures.........lots. And a big crash ended one riders INterstate. I finally saw my Sitiawan geng. Albert, Yong, Kong Hing, Leong with support car Patrick. Was great to see them and even better to be riding the next 3 days with them.

After a nice climb up Perez down to Kuala Kelawang.......i somehow found myself alone. Pretty normal. One or two riders occasionally overtake me. And i overtake some. Todays route was particularly a mix of climbs n flats. Peres(km30) was one. Bukit Putus(km100) was another. Passed tru some nice kampung roads........with huge piles of cow shit everywhere. These were the size of dinner plates. And i ran over a snake which i thought was a long coconut leaf (talk about camo). And I did apologize to the poor fella. I was almost condemned at km110. I could barely make the last 20km at a 30kmh speed. Already its 1pm. Excluding lunch break and pit stops i was riding under the sun for almost 5 hours.

Survived anyway. Reached the Era Hotel at 1.30pm. 5hrs 30mins of riding time. 7hrs total on the road. Avg speed was at 23kmh. So far so good for day one. But my left calf was tingling from all those climbs and seriously i hope i could ride Day 2 , longest distance of the Interstate. Legs were sore , butt was sore.

Had nice buffet dinner at the hotel. short briefing and an early nites rest. we were all pretty much resting for tomorrow. Slept from 8.30pm till next morning 5.30. Basically a tree log.

Day 2

Woke up to amazingly fresh legs. Pain was gone in the calf. But general soreness was there. Thanks to the vapour rub i guess. Packed bags , loaded into transport truck and prepared bike and mind for a long long day.

The moment my butt landed on the seat i knew it wasnt going to be an enjoyful day. It hurts! And the days route profile was rolling hills and flats. Which is something i dread on long distances.

First 10km was neutral like yesterday. So we followed marshals car. Till we were let of.......already first peloton sprinted away. I somehow managed to catch the 2nd peloton and found Albert n Yong in it. So i tagged along this train for the moment. A train of 40 riders going at abt 35-38kmh is really a fun place to be in. You go fast and get protection from wind...........that was going fine for about 20+ km..........until Yong fell.....and i missed him by inches. And i had to bail out to the sand n stone on the left. Wheel contact with Albert was the reason. Road rash was the result. Torn riding pants with exposed butt = SEXY. I couldnt stop looking at the red patch. LOL.

Anyway Yong was still pumped up enough to continue riding. Thats the riding spirit! Since we broke from the train.......we went slow and picked up a few more riders slowly creeping away. We havent passed the halfway mark. At about 60km we were in a small group 4 of us. Then all the sudden Yong decides to go on his own. I was yelling him to control speed. Obviously didnt hear.
Just shoots forward like a rocket.

I pondered a question to Albert : "He got dental appointment is it? Is tat why hes so in a rush?"
And i apparently made the joke of the day. He slowed at the end at least......

My troubles were far from over. At km 70 i literally bonked. My legs were just reluctant to go at 30kmh. Even 25 was a struggle. Few riders passed me. Then PK Yeoh's group passed me. Though my heart was saying GO my legs were saying NO. And the rolling hills since km 10 till now never ended. Its very gradual.......but extremely long. And i was suffering for the next 35km alone. Two guys picked my up. One of them was Jason Thiam. And we made a pit stop to refill water with one of the support cars. And slowly i followed them till our next ONLY makan stop at km103. The previous riders have almost emptied the shop of its food n water. Curses be to them. :P And i got a rude shock as well. Albert and Kong Hing have called it a day. They put their bikes up the car. Kong Hing apparently stopped at km 60. Due to injured knee. THen i saw Jon's bike also on anothers car. His reason? Injured butt. :P

So after our lunch break......i followed the current group.....which Clarence also joined and proceeded on the still long journey. Its only km104. another 74 to go. seems loooong.

The train was steady at 30kmh. Though there was this lady triathlete in front of me who wasnt quite a steady rider. She keeps pedaling n coasting (freewheeling) and veers in n out (both left n right) alot. Its a nightmare for me coz i dont know what is she going to do next and this made me vey anxious. By right she should maintain postition and cycle as straight as possible. The only time we go off line is to avoid touching the rear wheel of the front rider. And she CAN cause a fall to riders behind her. I slowed purposely to keep distance. Then this other lady potong me and went infront of me. And then after awhile.........CRASH. Again infront of me and AGAIN......i bailed on stones n grass. 2 times per ride is more than enuf. She sustained a bad cut above her right eye. And scrapes and road rash. The first question : "Can i continue riding?" The riding spirit lives on! But for her, the day is done.....bike slightly damaged and she needs medical assistance. Quick call to support car and we had help in 5 minits.

Once done i went ahead alone first. Coz my legs are still bonked and i just wana get some time advantage. They wont go faster than 25. Clarence also bonked. So we stopped at 130km under some shade to escape the mid day sun. This was around 12pm or so. Hot. Rested for a good 10 minits till Joanne came in support car. Was glad to see her. And then Macs group came along. Rested more and gathered energy. Then i shot ahead first........coz i KNEW i was going to be caught sooner or later. And i did.........i just told them to go ahead while i take my own sweet time. Alone on the open road. I finally reached km 159 after a long struggle. There was a pit stop here where Mac stopped again. So i joined. basically km70 till k159 was darn SIEN to ride. Lonely road with nothing but plantations. Even seeing a dog on the road was a miracle.

After a nice cold drink, our final push of 18km left. And i was still a little bonked. Paced myself all the way till Rompin Beach Resort. Arrived at 3.30pm in a time of 6hrs 30mins on the bike and total ride time of 9 hours. Average speed abt 26kmh. Really the longest worst ride of the Interstate. It wasnt so much of tiredness........but more of legs not wanting to move. I didnt even pant or sweat much towards the end. Just tat the legs wont move. Anyway....just needed more food n rest for the night. Last day already is tomoro. Hope to finish the whole trip as i have come so far and been tru so much. My butt hurts like hell and my legs are as still as a banana tree trunk.

Day 3

Final day, and waking to half sleepy legs, getting tru the day was my goal. We left Rompin Beach Resort in a long file. km 0 till km 10 the whole bunch was pretty much together. Lots of photos taken on this final morning of riding. I glanced back and see an endless line of riders along the road. And pace picked up till 35kmh. I felt good this morning so i kept pace. Since being the final day.....it be just a nice try to be in the front of the whole peloton for just once. I got up front with the top 4 riders. Rode along nicely with their pace. And then one lone ranger goes for the breakaway...........only to give him some pee time. Nice going. Then i soon got to the very front of the group. I was the first guy! And im pulling 200 riders behind me! I know some may have broken off. But leading the whole bunch was an honour. I lead between 35-40kmh. And since km1 to km25 i was with the lead group. Led for about five minutes or so before i gave up and called it a day in the front. I dropped alot.

More groups passed me and i wasnt intersted to follow. Mainly coz i was hungry. And with no energy i cant "jalan enjin". stomach growling since km30. And this road was another long lonely road. Only difference is its along the coast. Kuala Rompin to Kuantan is a coastal road all the way. And our main enemy was headwinds. Which really can be felt in many places.

Battling head winds and a hungry tummy......i just hung on to 25- 27kmh pace........busy with my eyes scavenging for food. And all i get are lots of pineapple stalls. I dont want pineapples!!! I want real food!

And i only realized i will get it at km89 at Pekan. for 50km i was basically alone........with a few riders overtaking me now n then. But the sea side view was lovely. South China Sea. Big.

I was overtaken by Vong's group and this time i decided to tag along with just a few moree km left till Pekan. And we stopped at Pekan for some energizing refill of carbs. I had just a simple nasi goreng w/ fried egg, some ikan bilis n kacang.

From then on it was turn of tables for me. I suddenly felt really good n energized. Interesting. From Pekan Vong n Don pulled our train of about 20-30 riders , battling head winds. Then suddenly we found other riders ahead stopping for Pahang's best known Nasi Dagang. They say its good but i had my lunch. So me n Kong Hing went ahead while the group was pondering on more food. We both went steady at 30kmh.......and my legs were feeling damn good all the way. I didnt want to stop. And i pulled Kong Hing for a really long time till he dropped from me. But i still went ahead alone.........alone but on fire. My legs somehow were more obidient today and i basically timetrialled for the next 20km alone catching 4 riders in the process. Until i almost reach km140 and reaching Kuantan town, i slowed my pace........and the Vong Express hasnt caught me yet. Hehe

Stopped at a petrol station after crossing the Kuantan bridge for a 100Plus. Then i saw the train of Vong just passing by. I quickly caught up. And followed them for cendol.....best in Malaysia.......Kuantan Cendol a must try. Its really GOOD.

And after all the sugar dose, we rode slowly till De Rhu Resort since rooms arent yet available and we cant check in yet. So what the heck. The last 15km to the hotel was hilly. Just managed to get tru. Until that final right hand turn into the Resort road........with the banner "De Rhy welcomes PCC Interstate 2008". Man oh man was i a happy rider. Arrived at 2pm to a ride time or 5hrs 15mins and road journey of 8hrs. Average speed was 27.3.....highest of the whole 3 days.

Reflecting the past 460km was just almost as if i was dreaming of such an epic ride. With all the memories etched in my tiny little mind. I felt proud to have ridden all 3 days and completed each ride. Without doubt the best ride of my life so far. More to come for sure but now it begins with Interstate. A good way to start.

Greeted by the earlier cyclists and to some applause. I finally made it. I made it. I made it.

Woohooo.

I cannot say how happy i am. :)

It was all worth it.

The finale of my journey is the best of all the 3 days. Good ride.

The dinner wast great. The camaraderie was just lovely. And the bike porn was darn addictive too.

Day 4
Today (meaning today today) We are to leave for KL. Had a really excellent breakfast. I recommend this resort for its food. Nice.

Dismantled our bikes n loaded into the busses. 3 of them. Some went home with their support car. And we left Kuantan about 11.45 this morning and reached Kajang at abt 3.30pm. Fast i would say for a bus.

And got home doing all the unpacking and stuff.

So for now........all i need is good rest. Good food. And more good rest.

Next years Interstate i hope to join. And hope its another fun one. :)

-The End-