Its been a while since i last updated a ride. Its because i wasnt on any. Since Interstate 09 in May till now August, i have not done a long hard ride. Mostly due to lots of other priorities i had to sort out and put first. So as of yesterday, 3 months of no long hard ride. I felt really odd being back on the bike after so long.
Days ago some I heard of numerous rides this weekend. Theres rides to Genting, Bentong, Broga, etc. Then it was just a matter of picking which ride on which day. So weighing all my options, i decided (amazingly) to do the Classic Broga loop with my old Way2Ride friends. I have no preperation at all prior. Just decided to just go and ride. I think to many cyclist, what I did was either crazy, stupid, or some has said respectful. So Classic Broga it is. 136km of hard flats and hard hills. If you all read my first Broga post, which was the Reversed loop, we ride the hills and climbs first and the flats in the end. Now its the opposite.
Ride Day/D-Day (8/8/09)
I woke up at 5.30am (yes very early) and i began with lot of things in my mind. Firstly i didnt have money to take with. I forgot my wallet was dry as a desert. No2, should i just ride half or dont ride and go back to sleep? Will i be in time to finish the whole ride to make it for Bible Seminar at 5pm and the practise at 4pm? Ergh......never felt so disillusioned on a morning ride.
I kinda "forced" myself on the bike and got rolling to the start point in Bt 18 (a good 30km away). Yes i rode there from Wangsa Maju at 5.50am in the morning along the MRR2 and up the Ampang Viewpoint Hill at 6.30am which was almost pitch black with my tiny light. Dun ask. Just call me crazy. I really wish and think that bank ATM's should opperate 24hours, COZ PEOPLE WHO ARE EARLY LIKE ME MAY NEED MONEY IN THE MORNING!!!!! zzzz ==" T______T
Stupid.......
I reached Bt18 7am on the dot. And not everyone has reached yet. Delay delay delay. We only got riding at 7.50am. Now im worried coz if i do the whole ride, i may not be in time for the Bible Seminar. Urgh........more worries in my head now. Should i do the full ride? Again i asked myself.
I mean seeing all my buddies there was great. Love riding with them. But.........always its a question if im able, should i should i not?
So after about 30km of riding, pass Tekala and nearing Semenyih (btw my meter registers 60 already coz from house to start line was 30km as well), I was thinking to make a U turn and go home. I better do it now before its too late. Somehow, i did not. Not because I really wanted to finish the ride. I just dont know why i didnt. I was already beginning to feel the 3month absence from the bike in my legs. The guys were going steady at 33-35kmh. I was stuggling at 25-28kmh. I felt really bad by now. I might as well just u-turn home. I think i kept thinking abt this so much that i didnt realize i already passed Semenyih town and was heading to Broga already. 70km done. The guys were far in front. I lost sight of the main group. Azahari@Axy tried to wait for me. Coz we two are the slowest, but I was definately the slowest today.
Luckily they stopped at Broga town for a drink. My legs have yet to clear the lactic acid build up. I downed a can of 100Plus like water. Oh yes, and because i have no money at all......Thank You Axy for the days food bills. Will repay you soon.
We were off in about 5 minutes. Once again i started slow. The guys just zoomed away on the long empty village roads. With already 70+km (Or the proper ride is 40+km), next will be the twin peak climbs near Lenggong. Very short and very steep. When i reached it, none of the riders were in sight. I thought I can at least see them on the hilltop or something. But none. I began climbing, with lots of thoughts again in my mind. I knew I wasnt at my best. I knew I was going to suffer. But i didnt expect what i was going to think about doing this climb.
This one prominent thought played in my mind the whole ride, esp during the climb :
"MAYBE I SHOULD RETIRE/TAKE A SABBATICAL FROM CYCLING".
Yes you heard me right. Tat was what i wanted to do. I mean i've hadnt much time to spend on the bike. I felt really lousy. I was almost certain on this decision. Maybe i'll do something else like get a telescope, get another guitar, get a new PC or something. Sell off my bike. How much should i sell it for?
Errrgh. 5 LONG minutes passed before i ended the first climb. Then came the second. Then finally i got over to the other side where the guys were eating at a small side stall. Rest is what i want badly. Once again Thank You Axy for the RM10. Had a simple bite. THen helped Axy change a tube with a very stubborn Verdestein tire. Pro tires, but pro skill needed to take it out.
After this stop soon again just 1km ahead of the road was Bukit Tangga, the 5km climb up the hillside. Not really steep but long. Everyone went at snails pace, no one more snail-er than me i guess. But then Rashid dropped. So i wasnt last this time at least. I felt slightly better now, maybe coz i ate something. Climbing up steadily and safely crossed the top after about 20 minutes. Going down was fun, but a bit scary. My frame still exhibits flex under heavy braking and hard cornering. Even so, somehow i manage to reach 70kmh going down the hill.
Another 15km we were in Kuala Kelawang. Not too far from finish line actually. Meter already registers 115km (85 for actual trip). So just another 50km. It was already 1.20pm. I was hoping to reach the carpark and have Axy drive me home in time for practise. I calculated an estimate time to finish, 20 minutes to reach the last climb up Perez, 1hour for Perez itself, 10 minutes down Perez and 20 minutes to the carpark. About 2hours all in all. Shit. Im going to cut this really close. Practice is at 4pm. Even if i get to the carpark at 3.20, dressing down, loading, driving back to Wangsa Maju from Ampang........this is going to be a very very tight timing. I had to do this as fast as i can.
I was 80% drained by now. Burnt as hell. Kind of regret i joined the ride. Picked a hell of a day to ride. Waited for Rashid to come while we all stopped at Petronas to drink n cool down.
The last longest climb of the day just 10km away.........a 13km climb. Arghh.......God, i cried out, please help me pass this. I cant take it anymore. by about 1.3o we were on the move again. Me and Axy went ahead first.....battling strong head winds......yet we maintained 30+kmh fighting. Soon the fast guys will catch us. As we were just about to hit the climb, 3 of them overtook us. Another 2 were behind. Then we started the long agonizing climb up Perez. Climbing from the opposite side is less torturous. Even Genting Sempah is a piece of cake. Perez is different....what more from the K.Kelawang side. Short steep sections everywhere. I was hoping the peak of the climb comes soon. Everytime I see what "looks" like the final peak, turns out to be more winding climbs. My pace was never more than 10kmh, except on the few down sections.
Every push down on the pedals was really agonizing. It felt like eternity doing this, meter after meter. I constantly thought of flagging down a motorist and just tumpang (either holding the vehicle, or hop on it) till the peak. Yet I just didnt have the energy to even look back and stop to do so. If i stop......continuing would be even harder. ARgh.......more regrets, more anguish, more suffering to go. Alwin overtook me.........but much later i saw him resting at the side, he kinda bonked already. I asked him roughly how long to go? He says "About 8km"........ "Shit!" I said....... "Maybe you shouldnt have asked" as Al chuckled.......
8 more?!?! I really really really am nuts am I? How else crazy would anyone do what im doing today? I must be dumb or getting even more retarded. Corner after corner, breath after breath, meter after meter, pedal stroke after pedal stroke, car after car........i finally........FINALLY made to the top of Perez. The 3 guys were already waiting at the top, 2 more came minutes after me. Another 2 have cramped at the bottom.......so they requested support car assistance as soon we get back to the car park.
Right, now my main concern is time to get back home. Its already 3.00pm. Ive used 1.5 hours to do the last 25km. Now i need to do the next 20km in half an hour. I raced down Perez in just 10 minutes, as predicted, and on the final 10km stretch i pushed all my last effort energy. I was actually 100% drained. Somehow i tapped into my reserves. Probably going to hit the Red Zone soon. Chempedak smell was all over the place. Darn........hungry as well. Anyway i wanted to race ahead so that i dont lose out much time if others overtook me.
Without much problems, i reached the carpark finally at about 3.20pm. Finally thats it. Its over. The torturing ride is finished. I've completed my adventure of craziness. My estimate was correct. Now the rest was still behind me. So now i had to wait. 3.30 Axy made it back. I texted Pastor Jason to tell I will be late by 15 minutes. Now that was my estimate.
So with little time to spare, Axy and me made the dash home. Getting caught in the jam in MRR2 is always one of amazement and frustration. Coz the jam is caused by.............NOTHING. Duno what kind of KL drivers we have nowadays. I wanted to get back so badly in time. But the jam delayed us till 4.20. 4.30 i finally reach my doorstep, and i knew i had to hurry.........I thanked Axy really with a grateful heart. But i was really tired. Yet i have to serve for Bible Seminar. Thank God there were ppl to help me set up PA and stuff. I zoomed into my room, made a splash and dash bath, all dressed and out the door to church in 8 minutes. Time now is 4.45. Im really really going to cut this close before worship starts. Finally made it to church in time. Just with enough heads up on whats going on and just do the PA on the fly for the rest of the evening. *Phew*.
I will never (hopefully) do something this stupid again. Its tiring and dangerous.
Whens my next ride? I really dont know.......
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