Yes 2 months overdue. Read or leave. Lol
DAY 3 - 2nd May
Another good nights sleep helped me recover and my legs kept just barely fresh for the last day of IS10. I got up at around 5.45am and did the usual rigmarole of preparing and packing and psyching myself up for the final 170km ride. Breakfast was heavy again today for me : Beans, eggs, sausages and nice cup of tea. Yong, Kumar, Nathan and Vince joined me at the table talking the morning gossip and news.
My goal today was to take a slow and easy ride into Tasik Kenyir. No worries as i survived yesterday in 10hours on the road, 7hours++ on the saddle to be exact. By 6.30am i was ready with my bike after getting it from the basement. Everyone queued up on the road side taking up 1 lane. Sorry to cars n motorbikes for the inconvenience. Its a once a while kinda thing =). You wont be seeing 350 riders again (not for a few years at least) in KB. Haha.
7am and flag off we go. The atmosphere today feels that of super slow and super enjoyment, unlike the past two days where it was more serious and erm.......should i say.......matter of life and death? The first 2-4km we were still navigating out of Kota Bharu town itself. I filmed and snapped shots on the fly which was really interesting. Lots of traffic lights we passed. And after the usual 10km, the marshals car flags us off. Well, erm i did miss going fast in the last two days, and also in the last 1 year (amazing but yes true). So i TRIED my best to get up with a few front peloton's to see how BAD i actually am. Lol. Stupid me yes indeed. I managed nearly 40kmh trying to catch the back end of the first peloton. A rider tailed me for almost 1km before he overtook me. He even gave me the sign to follow which i TRIED my absolute best to keep up but i was simply flat after that short effort. Now thats bad for me. If i was fitter i would have wanted to get up there. Well at least i helped him bridge the gap from second to first peloton. For now i just coasted and watched group......after group.........after group........after group..........and.........after group..........overtake me. Not interested and not capable this time round to follow anymore. I could hardly pace myself at 25kmh.
There was a little mishap with a rider and a motorcyclist in front. It seems the pak cik and mak cik on a motor bike carrying bags of groceries had a rub with a rider. No one injured but the groceries were on the road. Oh well....lost vege isnt costly as lost lives. Right? Oh yeah, the roads leading out of Kota Bharu, Kelantan all the way to the Terengganu border was pretty bad especially on the inner motorcycle lane. I spent nearly half the time riding on the car lane.....sometimes in the middle of the road. No choice or i risk one too many punctures.
At about KM30 a group of riders rested at the petrol station so i decided to give myself a break. Patrick was there too waiting. Then Vincent came in as well. Met some of the local riders who joined us for a while before heading separate ways. Learned that Kelantan alot of riders actually. Well it certainly changed my view of Kelantan state a tiny bit. Lol. Anyway after that short rest me and Vincent went out on the road again before the group. We were in a small town actually (cant remember the name) and was about to head out into open field roads before linking to the dual lane roads of Terengganu. Crossed the state arch and im in Terengganu for the first time. Technically i have been here while a tiny littl fetus but erm........i cant see hear nor ride at that time. Haha.
The wide motorcycle lane as a welcome to me. I could ride relaxed and easy. Vincent sort of got far away behind me. I dont know why. I just steadily pedaled against some fierce crosswinds and headwinds of this new land im on. For a very long stretch i was alone , as always. Few more riders pass me now and then. Local kids cheering also, and a couple of times they were on their bikes trying to chase or ride beside me. I just can afford a smile and a wave. Suddenly out of no where.......Vong Vong's group overtook me. And Vincent was in it! Hmm i was thinking should i follow or not? They were going at least 25-27kmh. After thinking i just said "Maybe for a while then drop off again". So ok, i latched on the rear end and shielded myself from the wind as much as possible. Trying to save energy, Haha. But soon the group decided to stop at a BHP petrol kiosk. I was glad for the stop, since we were around 80+km done. It was almost noon also.
Once again we ransacked the whole mini store of the kiosk, depriving it of water, 100Plus, bread and chocolates. Oh, and the lady selling jelly kelapa outside also probably had a windfall with almost all her stock gone. RM1 for one cup was well worth it. Ice cold jelly. So refreshing on a hot day like today. And to help the legs cool down........i stuffed ice in my lycras. One thing its tight so it holds the ice.......another is that the wind blows, making it colder. Lol. I think tat was the best feeling of the day.
After the much needed rest, the group gets going again. I tried to stick with the group.....and i didnt know a cameraman was behind me. But he took a photo of me (while im wearing the Yellow Jersey today) being dropped by the peloton. That was a slightly humiliating picture to be honest.........but no doubt funny looking at myself getting dumped. I was honestly not able to ride at 26-27kmh. Just 2kmh difference is alot to me now. Again i do crazy things when it comes to bike riding. =P
Vincent also got left by the group infront. We both went at our own slow pace. Until one point now he was too far infront of me till i cant see him. I didnt eat much at the station actually so after a short distance my tummy decided to make some noise. Now im frantically searching for a stall or a small shop to eat. I found a small rest stop by the side of the road with a couple of riders eating there. I dont know if Vincent has gone further but i decided to stop and eat anyway. Then he called to ask where am I. Turns out he is just opposite at the shops looking for food also. He pedaled over and joined me for lunch. Then also Jesster came in. Thought he wanted to eat with us........but turns out........he wanted to give up! He mounted his bike on the support car rack. Me and Vince were like........unexpected to see Jesster drop out. Haha. Its his choice, but i got him on cam.
After lunch and after about 100km done we got our asses moving on. Still 70km to go. We counted in our tired heads to try make 3 hours to Kenyir. Its about 12.30pm. So we hope to reach there by 3 or 4pm latest. Slowly we paced ourselves against the sun......the wind.........the cars..........the heat.............the exhaustion. Not easy ride today as well. After just 20km of riding from lunch we decided to stop again due to the extreme heat. This was like an oven on steroids. We stop at Petronas station. I went for another bath under the tap water. Not once........twice. A cold drink to cool the body. We both sat on the floor with our jerseys open.......and our mouths opened. Nearly on the brink of collapsing. A few local uncles talked to us about our crazy ride. I guess we make quite an impact in the kampungs eh? =)
So having sat down for 15 long minutes, we tried again for a push to the finish. I even took a video abt 2mins long just to show how SIEN (Boring) the route was.........and how punishing the weather is at the time. One critical junction lies ahead which is a right turn at the T-Junction. As i was nearing it i saw a car parked in the middle of the turn. Turns out an accident just occurred. Car and motorcycle. Nothing major from what i saw. Just a few shaken nerves. I just continued riding. There was already a group of people helping. Now im on another loooong lonely stretch heading towards kenyir. Surrounded by lots of oil palm estates. And NO shelter for a stop. Im at nearly 135km now. A bit more to go. Starting to struggle already. Heat saps out energy from you very fast. I was pedaling.....freewheeling......pedaling....freewheeling 90% of the time at this point. Nearly cant take it. Again now i was searching high and low far and wide for a place to rest. Almost none actually.....unless i detour into the estate.
Thankfully after a long search i found a small gazebo for the estate workers to rest. Took shelter in there while waiting for Vincent to come. He was pretty far behind. Nearly 8minutes off my rear. As soon as he came he asked to continue. I didnt mind........i already took my rest. And a couple of Cloud9's. I think those were the last two pieces in my pocket. About 30km to go. Expected 1hr 45 minutes to reach kenyir at slow pace. Moving again i counted each KM that passes by. I know if you did that it makes the whole journey seem longer and slower and more agonizing. Fact is it already is..........so im just going with the flow. I rather look at my moving meter than the empty road infront.
The last right turn and last 15km soon. Getting nearer to Kenyir. I could almost smell the lake. The road was under heavy repairs and development on both sides so riding on sand and eating dust had us to a crawl. Once thats over we were in hilly roads towards the lake. Hilly...........hmm.........i soon found out just how hilly this was. A few ups and downs so i thought well......its the last 10km......hantam all the way lar. Well little did i know that after the first few small climbs.........suddenly infront i see a steep climb. This was by anystandards......as steep as Genting Highlands and maybe as the Wall in last years Interstate. Another rider was infront taking a break with the support van. Vincent stopped as well. And I also decided to stop. First my legs are dead tired. Two, the road in the middle of the climb is full of potholes and sand and rough patches. I was wondering how the first groups of riders passed this area. So i decided to do (for the second time in my riding history) PUSH up the hill. Even pushing up wasnt as easy as you may think. Im wearing stiff shoes with cleats and my legs feel like jelly while my bike feels like it weighs a tonne. And the rough patched on the road didnt help either. Its so steep, the lorry from opposite had to crawl all the way down. Really.....it was crawling.
Once i got to the top, there were more riders taking a break. I was greeted by cheers and most importantly news from them that its the last 3km all the way down. So i thought........"OH really? Ok.......i know what to do." It was all downhill at the beginning.......2km left.............1km left.............and the last left turn into the Lake Kenyir recreation area. In front another BIG short climb. Im like since i got speed.........i just shoot up that hill with all my bull strength i have left. I did. I made to the top...........only to see........the road go down....and up again. You have got to be kidding me............I went down............and barely got up the other side. But once i got up i finally got a glimpse of the lake. Its huge. Its beautiful. It marks the end of my ride. I felt closure finally. I wasnt anywhere near the spa resort yet but.....i've come this far.Fitting end for this year's Interstate 2010 for me. I reached around 3.30pm and greeted by the cool lakeside breeze. Nice.
Now the resort is located in a special part of the lake...........with alot of ups and downs. Just as i thought my climbs were really really really really over.........wrong again..........one last climb up to the resort. And as i entered.....many of the earlier riders have already come in.....unpacking......changed clothes. I was looking for the luggage so i tot it was down at the car park. Well i found Yong and Patrick. They said its at the resort lobby........where? UP THERE *points up*. Haihhhzzzzz..........pedal up again..........Unknowingly this place uses buggy's to get around.....hilly like this sure need them lar. I recorded my last few meters to the resort lobby. Lol. Once i got there..........i finally finally finally have done Interstate 2010. Survived. In one piece. Plenty of mixed feelings. But for now, its over.
In total : Day 1 - 138km. Day 2 - 179km Day 2 - 162km = 479km done. Didnt hit the big 500 as i thought i will. But still more than last 2 Interstates. Total hours on the road is roughly 28hours. Riding time alone is 22hours approx. Average speed : 21kph.
As i recollect my thoughts and cool myself down, the scenes of this years Interstate goes down as one of the most scenic. Never been to such a place as this. Money well spent i say. For a 3day bike trip cum holiday.
I got my bags and put my bike in the storage area. Vincent came in shortly after that. Vongs group still lying on the floor relaxing and making lots of noises. Got my room keys and it looks like its me, patrick and vincent again tonite in the chalet. Got to my chalet and found it was really a nice simple retreat kinda setup.....with a sofa bed and balcony to match. Oh, and we are right on top of a deer enclosure. Got to see the deers walking about. Haha.
The afternoon was spent walking about the place.......took nice pictures.........rode the buggy......enjoyed the lake view....and the final night dinner was just nice to cap it all off. Food was good. Company was good too. Went back to bed early for the long trip back to KL the next day.
Day 4 - 3rd May
This morning i was supposed to wake up early to see the sun rise, well...........sleep was much better. Luckily i managed to get leave today. But still have to work tomorrow. Lol. Breakfast was typical western. Filled up again to max capacity to replace lost fuel for 3 straight days. The usual packing of bikes runs same as every year. This time just that PCC had to charter 5 buses to take us back to K.Kangsar. One bus goes straight to KL and one to Ipoh. The rest is to K.K. Some already left or will be leaving in their support cars. 9am sharp we left lake Kenyir. Saying good bye to this years Interstate and lots of memories, mostly painful ones. It took 8hours for the bus ride back to KK. Used back the same route as day 1 and day 2 as it was easiest and fastest. By the time we reached KK it was nearly 5pm. Another 2 1/2 hours drive with Vincent and we were back in KL by 8pm.
So thats the end (officially) of my report and experience in this years Interstate. Rumour has it : Next years IS will be reversed - Start outstation and end in KL. Interesting but will see how.
Anyway, till next Interstate, see you guys there again. I have shared all my photos in Facebook so you guys can go there to have a look. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=227815&id=579009324 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=229553&id=579009324
Over and out.
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