Yes yes i know a lot of people are waiting for my report of this years IS. Its my 3rd consecutive Interstate and im proud to be a part of this lovely wonderful challenging event with riders from all walks of life. First of all thank you to the organizers for making it possible. Smooth and well organized. Job well done. OK.....time for my part.
DAY 0 - 29th April
Day 0 starts out pretty much me having to do a small assignment for the company in the early morning. Though I am on leave but this was a small thing for me. I packed most of my stuff last night and i was just about ready to leave anytime. This time around Vincent Lim would be picking me up from my place and we will head over home (yes my home) for a pit stop before driving down early morning to KKangsar the next day. I had to rush to buy lots of water and food for the ride. Predicting that I will KO somehow somewhere i thought id better load up. So my choice for this years IS food list : 3 bottles of 1.5l mineral water, 2 bottles of 1.5l Excel isotonic drink (cheaper than 100Plus but works the same actually), 1 pack of Cloud9 (12pcs @ RM3.99) compared to buying PowerGel@RM6 per piece. I was on budget. =P And lastly 6 Gardenia bread buns @ RM0.60 per packet. Saving here i hope wont affect my road ride.
Vincent came over at 12.30pm just afte the short downpour. I did some bit of last minute packing, chucked the bike in his Innova, chucked my bag and stuffs together with his stuff and bike in there and soon we were off..........to lunch at the chicken rice stall 150 meters from my house. THEN only home =)
Havent been home since CNY and this is a short stop over, just one night. I wished it was the whole week while i was off. =P. Left KL at around 1.30pm and throughout he drive home me and Vince chatted all the way, while i guided him on the road. Reached home at about 4.30pm. Got down from the car and first thing i saw was his rear tire was flat. Now thats a start to worry. Mum and I assured him that this is Sitiawan, anything is reachable in 5-10 minutes and not like KL. Took him to the tyre shop just outside my house area and got the tyre patched for RM5. But Vince was still worried about a slow leak while we leave the car 3 days in K.Kangsar. I just kept reassuring him it would be fine.
Mum and I and my bro took Vince out o dinner to eat some nice seafood in Kg Cina. Its been a while since i ate here. Always love my home's own food. Later in the night met up with Albert and Yong and Patrick to hand over their IS riding stuff. And then i heard this from Albert : "Bro, im not riding IS." For a moment i thought yeah, stop bluffing. I know you must go this time. But he was dead serious. Excuse? Not been riding for 1 month. WHAT?! I haven been riding for almost a year! And thats with less than 10 times riding in 12 months. And here i go stupidly (again) on a 480km ride 3 days straight. I think i should be the one more worried than anyone else. But sad to say Albert really cant make it this year again......since he also just opened his new computer shop, it needs looking after. So another bad news before IS starts. Patrick and Yong came in fashionably late. So looks like it will be them 2 plus Kumar and Nathan (Who are already in Ipoh) who will represent Sitiawan riders.....oh and me as well. No Albert got no one to play with during the ride. =(
Anyway ride goes on. After a short yum cha session, we both head home to catch some sleep. We have to leave at 4am in order to reach K.Kangsar in time for loading. Ride starts at 7am. Though Vincent hit he sack at about 11.30am i stood up to watch some TV and to surf net for a while. Its home after all. When you are at home, do the things that should be done at home =).
DAY 1- 30th April
I KOed on the sofa from 12am till 3.30am. I didnt really sleep well. But time to get up and start loading and head to K.Kangsar. I still wish i can just stay home longer. OH well....next time maybe?
Vince and i got up, we took just 10 minutes to prepare wash up and load. It was nice seeing home again. By 4am we were waiting at Shell for Yong and Patrick. I gave Yong a morning call...JUST in case. So finally we rendevouz and we tailed all the way. Btw it rained just before i left he house. And it continued the entire journey from Sitiawan to K.Kangsar. Wow. Never seen that long a rain before. Driving in the wee hours in scary for Vince. He doesnt see well in the dark. But he managed to drive well. After weaving past the kampung roads in the dark we reach K.Kangsar at 5.30am. Way early. So we took things more relaxed knowing we have time.
The starting point was at the Perak Riverside Resort. Its really just beside the Perak river and just in front is the Kuala Kangsar Bridge. Most riders and support car drivers (esp from outstation) would have arrived yesterday to rest and sleep in for the night. Already 5.45am and a small bit of activity starts to be seen and heard amidst the light rain (still). Me and Vince ate butterscotch bread for breakfast. WE have been carbo loading since yesterday. The rain got lighter so by 6am we set up our bikes and prepared for the days ride. Soon the scene was abuzz with activity of 350++ people. Most of whom are riding. I see old riding buddies after a long abscense and i see lots of new faces. To some it will be their first Interstate and i can imagine how they feel just as i did ack in 2008. For some it will be another time of testing their endurance, enjoying good riding company, good food and more beautiful sceneries. And as with every Interstate, always without fail.......sore butts, sore legs, burnt skin and probably some regrets along the way.
Todays ride will be 140km to Pulau Banding right at the northern top part of Perak. 140km isnt toooo bad. But for me, im just ready for the worst : Going up the support car if i have to.
All luggage into the truck, my bike prepared to hit he road, the rider (me).....well....ride till i cant ride. Dont even want to think ride and reach by 1pm like previous years. No. This time round im taking things differently. Many of the riders still think im the good strong rider as previously been testified (Btw not self glorifying here, just as it is *wink*) and i will have no problems in the ride. Well.....once i reach the end of the ride i will be able to gauge myself.
Alright nearing 7am and everyone is almost ready. I did some catching up with old riding friends. Take in the atmosphere. Do last minute checks to my bike and just get on with it. Oh btw, i saw Yip at IS too, though he isnt doing IS with us, he is doing his own IS. For those of you who dont know, Yip is well know among the cycling + running community as a hardcore ultra iron man of a runner and cyclist. How? He cycled from KL to K.Kangsar yesterday in 12 hours. Today he will shoot straight to Kota Bharu on his own. From there on to Kuantan and then back to KL. His will be a 5 day 1224km journey on his own. And he loves doing this. But most important of all....he CAN do it. We all admire his strength and courage. Its like a miracle. Anyway he is still a friend and one respected man.
OK 7am! Organizers give one last briefing and just before we are all about to go, i hear this : "Psssssssssssttttttttttttt". Sound of a punctured tired. No not mine. LOL! Thank God. The lady beside me somehow got a puncture even before she starts to ride! I think she rolled over a sharp nail or something. Oh well, can be fixed in 5 minutes and she will be fine. Luckily her riding partner was there to help.
Flags off! Interstate 2010 is underway and with 480km in front of me, i will see how i do this time compared to previous years. Its only Day 1 and will have long km's to come. First 10km behind the marshalls car as always. Leading us out from K.Kangsar town into the open kampung roads. The rain stopped just before the start. Roads are slightly wet and everyone is taking slow. With 300+ riders, the line this time must have been really long. Just a simple calculation : if a 3 x 100 rider line is formed, and a bike will take up roughly 3-4 meters of space. Thats about a 400meter line. On the road that is really long. And it might have been over 600 meters at times given some slow riders stretch out the line longer. What a sight it must have been for the motorist.
This year also I will try something new : On the fly photography and video shoot while on the bike. Its new to me but i will try to get as many pics and vids as i can. If your not used to cycling with one hand or no hands on the bar and also balance while taking pics + aware of your surroundings + know when to shoot and when not to shoot , its best not to try this on the move on the bike. Most would stop. But i like to keep moving. So here goes. Wish me luck.
First 20km i felt alright. Still at a slow pace. 20-25kmh like that. Vincent and I made a pact to stay together as often as we can while going slow. We just want to survive the ride, thats all. Haha. At around 27km i was still with the Vong peloton and i saw from afar one guy come out from the bushes. I knew that was Alwin. And i was halfway filming the ride that time. Good opportunity! So i rode and caught up with him and Vincent. With camera rolling i asked "Pergi tandas eh? Hehe". He said dont have toilet around la, no choice. Then our friend on the recumbent bike chipped in "Tadak tandas, tepi jalan tandas pun boleh lah!". Lol. We all had a good laugh.
Fun vid no? =)
Well after that point (actually since KM17) it will be a straight path all the way to KM103. No turning at junctions or whatsoever. Its all go straight for the next 90km. Which is really daunting. Gosh. Anyway, its still early morning just after 8am, scenes all around are hills, small water ponds, low clouds, mist, the quiet kampung life. It was so nice. And there 300 cyclist and 20+ support cars come to make the place all hyped and happening. I just passed the 30km mark and already hungry. Tulips shows a watering hole at km31. Just in time. Saw that rest stop by the road. So me and Vince and the Vong peloton stopped for proper food. I downed nasi lemak ayam merah at 8+am in the morning. Like i care. I need it for the day ahead. Rested a while, and refilled water from Patrick in the support car. Yong went off earlier on his own. Another dental appointment i suppose?
After about 20mins rest me and Vince decide its time to move again. From here on till the tiny town of Gerik, the roads were pretty much flat and slight rolling. Smooth roads and a hot sun above our heads. Already my skin starts to turn red. I guess the only interesting things to see from now are the road signs, riders overtaking me, or just talkng to Vince. We reached Gerik town at around noon. We pit stopped at a Petronas to refill and rest. I think it was 100km at this point. More than halfway. I was like ok, still can carry on. Not too bad. But my legs are starting to feel fatigued. And i heard from the briefing, there is a climb at the end of the ride. Oh boy.......20km i heard. Crap.
This year i thing is also a year of teams. Lots wearing same team jerseys : KOTRT, Jelutong Riders, Team Bandung, McD, Cervelo, Caisse D'Epargne, and more i cant remember. Btw i got to try wearing my new RadioShack jersey. Its my first complete set matching jersey. Its not ori as i cant afford. But comfort and look wise, its good for the budget people. =) Thank you to Yasin for the jerseys you sell.
So after the tiny town of Gerik, there is just about 40km left to ride. Theoretically i should take 2 hours to reach at just 20kmh speed. Slow and steady. Its 1pm. So by 3 earliest i can reach. Latest? Well i was prepared to be 5pm if that last hill kills me. Vincent was like "3pm?! cannot la. 4 or 5 la". I said "4. Make it 4". Target of the day at least. So after that stop it is on to the final push. The sun is beating down, and i am sure i was among the rear end riders. Maybe the last 30 riders? Or less even maybe. Everyone was in big groups zooming in front. Many actually asked me to join their group. But i politely turned down. I know my limit this time and im not prepared at all to go 30kmh flat, so i aint going to get myself killed prematurely on the road. Ive still got the best of 300km for my legs to pedal (If they are going to be doing that far).
Meter shows at about km 110. And now the small rolling hills start to show their ugly face. Each time my bike pointed upwards just slightly, i will go from 20 to 10kmh in and instant. My legs really wasnt prepared to take the beating. And then i get his new sensation : Sleepiness on the bike!!! I was really about to doze off while on the ride. I think the 3 hours of sleep finally caught me. Oh God i hope i dont drop by the side of the road snoring. I was weaving in and out on those small climbs under the hot sun and my mind wasnt focused. And NOW i start feeling everything that I am supposed to feel. I tried eating my cloud9 to keep me awake, sipped water, tried talking to Vince (if only he wasnt that far in front or behind me).
Now i also start seeing these road signs very very often "LORONG MEMOTONG 300 METER DI HADAPAN". Translation : "Overtaking lane 300 meters ahead". Meaning? A climb is coming.......coz the left lane is for slow lorries.......or and extremely slow rider like me. Im like suffering under the 2pm sun, up 10kmh and at some places 6kmh on small hills, skin burnt as roast turkey, and im thinking already "CALL SUPPORT CAR. CALL PATRICK." This thought kept playing in my mind from this moment on. Darn annoying. Should i or should i not? I crept slowly up the hills. I saw my watch showing the air temperature in the area was at 38.0Celcius. It was THAT HOT on that hill and im moving slower than a sloth. And those signs keep popping up al the way. Everytime i enjoy the downhill part (however short it was sometimes), these signs make me cringe and almost made me give up. Well i did the next best thing : No, not call support car. I stopped to rest under the shade. My legs felt like jelly. Actually throughout he whole journey, i didnt event pant or breathe heavily. Just that my legs wont move. I sprayed water to cool the legs ; didnt work. Behind me while i rested, Vince came up to rest along side me. We just wanted out of the sun and stop climbing for a while.
I looked at him and said , "Come on, not far left to go. Slowly lah we tackle the hills." So we tried our best to get up these hills. Vincent was pumped enough so he left me alone. I didnt give a spare spokes about it. I will just ride at my pace until i can ride no more. 3pm already and with 20km to go. So near but seems so far. The Hillsun combo realy does kill. My legs burn with lactic acid and my mind still wanders to and for about flagging down a support car to take me to the finish. But every km than crept under me eventually led me to KM128.5. Here i stopped again and this time in the company of the Bukit Jelutong support car and their riders taking a break as well. And apparently one rider had a cramp so they were attending to his needs. He will be well taken care off. I thank God i dint cramp. Then as i was talking the guy said not more to go. I said "Yeah not more". Then he said "Dont worry, the worst is over. After this is downhill all the way.". WAIT a minute, all they way? Wow, thats the best news i have heard in the last 20km. All the way. I got pumped. And i was ready this time to make a dash for the finish.
So i rode on, knowing end is in sight, and its the last 10km. Always in a ride, the last 10km is psychologically the point where u are safe and you will finish albeit anything bad happens. But to us cyclist, this is a time we can sit up and worry less. SO i continued abit more of this darn hill climb, and then as it was said, the road pointed down. Yeah baby! I've been so waiting for this. Though my descent was tricky as in the hot afternoon it tends to be very windy. Lots of headwinds and side winds. Pushing me all over the road. Plus vehicles on my left made me have to navigate the downhill with caution. I dont want to crash. I kept braking in check and kept my cornering speed just enough to get through.
131km.....132km......133km.......134km......135km......at this point there was a small flat section so i burst through. 136km. 137km. And then i saw on my left.....a big wonderful lake. I wanted to take pics but going downhill, it isnt a smart idea. Then i saw on the right a small building on top a small slope with cars. Specifcally cars with bikes on the roof! Im here! At the finish...BUT.....i did say its a building on top of a slope. More climb. Ah wat the heck, final climb i will just bash up that hill. So i turned in and as i came around the bend the road pointed up towards the heavens. Im like, crap, but also like, dont give a dam. I pushed with all my last remaining effort up that short steep climb to what is todays stop point, Banding Lakeside Inn.
I reached the lobby and i saw Vincent there already. And i looked at my watch : 4pm. Perfect, my timing was spot on. And i told Vince , "I told you we can reach by 4pm" WE both smiled and high fived. Great feeling. But also another feeling is my legs are like the leaning tower of Pisa. They want to sit down and rest. I got my bags and stuff together and we headed to our room. This is a new inn as i can still see the new cement laid and all new interior. Sadly is a small inn so all the bikes are parked in and around the lobby area. Well, they didnt have this kind of event in mind, cant blame them.
And the inn is built such that all the rooms overlook the Banding lake. Really nice scenery and simple place to stay for the night. Group photo shoot was at 5.30pm so we all bathed and just enjoyed taking in the really calm lovely atmosphere. We are soooooo away from civilization. Dinner was at 6.30pm. Sadly this inn didnt know that 300 hungry cyclist requires 600 peoples portion of food or more. We are a bunch that just eats anything cooked. So some of us (including me) had nothing left by the time the first round of people went to take their food. I was left with rice + gravy + 3pcs of taufu. Thats it. So much for carbo loading for the 180km ride the next day. Spaghetti without sauce. Rice without dishes. Sad case to see. Oh well, we hope the next two days are worth our cyclig effort.
I got back to the room to rest and sleep after that. But i also was thinking, should i go full distance tomorrow? Of half? Ride first then up car? Or up car then ride last half? Tomorrows route is a first 35km climb , AGAIN. And then all the way flat 145km to Kota Bharu. That is scary. Will my legs be able to survive the climb? And if they do, survive 145km to Kota Bharu? I kept thinking about it till I dozed off eventually. Btw, Belinda Hu, gona visit your hometown =)
So that ends Day 1. I survived, just barely. It was a very hard day of riding. Shortest distance, but really hard ride. I was prepared for a hellish ride next. Anyway will see how.
*Part 2 for Day 2 coming later. Stay tuned =)*
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