Spin those tired legs la dude

This is a very delayed entry. The body simply wanted to shut down on Monday morning but for both Monday & Tuesday, I was caught in the middle of a dateline. Short notice pulak tu. Ammah! After too exhausted from the LSD and consumed to the invert, I regretted deep down that I have to wake up in a cool snuggly Sunday morning for a pre-arranged ride. It was supposed to be a casual and simple recovery ride which would take an hour the most. However, the more the merrier it may sound but the legs should take precedence.

I was late and had to drag my feet across the room for all the necessary compulsions and rushed for a last minute check and balance. It was not as simple as preparing for a run. Totally more protocols and procedures. That's where I guess I prefer running over cycling nowadays. Perhaps due to it's simplicity and down to earth thing. Grab shoes, socks, short, vest, drink, bar and you're ready for the road. Fortunately my legs have somehow recover and the attraction for a riding camaraderie inspired me to tag along. Short, jersey, helmet, oakley, gloves, shoes, socks, bottles, nuun, tyre levers, cash, phone, bike, tyre pressure, lubes...oooh man! I'm all used up by simply arranging all those. And Saiful already at the front gate!

We rolled off to Batu 14 and met up with the rest. There were perhaps almost 20 cyclists which included - supposed to be Chap Ayam Runners, but dominated by the Way2ride guys. It was a planned get together ride after years of absent from the spinning world. I was there just for my recovery spin, paying attention to my HR for not wanting to dash towards speedlimit signage nor racing up a climb. For what supposed to be a ride from home to Peres junction and back which should log 64km, I couldn't resist the temptation of Peres climb itself. What other excuse when we have a packed peloton ready to attempt the 9km agony. Awesome.

After lacking myself from spinning more than three weeks, Peres climb hammered me to the bone. However, never a climb to be given away without a fight. It was always the lush green and fresh cool air with tiny bites from the sun that rewarded Peres attempts. And always the Barisan Nasional sign atop the peak that alter all frowns to smiles as we crank the final push.

Gently we tapped the brake levers as we cruised down back to the junction, letting the cold mountain air clout our faces. I was breathing deep, letting go of myself from all sorts of stress, anxiety, hassle and constant worriness - though I had only 15 minutes to do it.

As we reached the flats, it was time to crank up those big gears. The 10km kampung road was perfect. The nasi lemak waiting for us at Batu 18 was flawless. That's what we get for a combo meal on Sunday - nasik lemak lauk sambal crank. Lazat. I was kind of surprised that I survived the 82km ride after my gruelling lsd attempt. And I was glad that I still got some juice left to end my day with kids at home. Fun isn't it? Yep, now looking for one more day before a long weekend. Bagan Lalang anybody? =)