Month of remembrance

Ever since I started actively swimming a month ago, my sinus became worse. It turned uglier with the extreme weather nowadays. Extreme hot & cold in a day is enough to make one's life miserable for the remaining days. I was glad, come Ramadhan, travellings and meetings were kept to a minimum. Or else I will not survive the airconditioned meeting rooms & inside my car with the scorching sun outside.

Upon giving up with the self recovery running nose, I've decided to give a try with the common Clarinese (ubat selsema). The wet nose went away, no more stuffed nose during nightimes. Too much of a hope, the dry nose followed with extreme headache. I survived with days of wet nose, but a day of headache is too much. Two days of paracetamol or panadol would only chase it for a few hours. Eventually, I went back to my family doctor. Ada duit semua boleh jadi eh?

With consistent supplements (no drugs attached) everytime I have during the 8 hours window (non-puasa time), I took it for almost two weeks. Alhamdullillah by today (complete 1 month suffering), I gained my strength & confidence back.

My cycling was abandoned for the whole period of my mourning month. A few attempts were arranged but with no enthusiasm. However, a few events are up the sleeve right after hari raya. We've arranged for the upcoming Malacca mtb jamboree in 26-Oct & Powerman in 9-Nov. Might try out the Pesta Penang Roadrace for a plate or two of nasi kandar & laksa. Muahahaha!

Last dirt...

Ramadhan is coming in 2 days. I have to squeeze in at least a ride. Too bad I had no options but to chose today & it was the last dirt for August. Joined a group of beginners & thanks to Saiful whom hosted the show. Macam-macam hal, macam-macam perangai...which reminded me of my early days into cycling...muahaha. OK la, apa ada hal? Janji kayuh and have fun...layan je ler. FRIM was the best venue for beginners for it's "breathtaking" climbs from the hospital and the much further demanding sight of "steroid hill" (refer earlier post).

I've decided to switch to my old riser for more freedom of ride since it's going to be the last before a month break. We rolled off an hour delayed due to the beginners syndrom (last minute preps). Apa ada hal? Layan je ler...hehehe. Start the first climb, some decided to attempt it fast thinking to finish it in one breath. A breath in need is a breath "indeed". Aku tengok aje sambil layan crank besar masak kicap, avoiding any cheating attempt.

Steroid hill was achieable by most of us, be it fast, slow or hike a bike. We rolled into the canteen for a 30 minutes breakfast. Ramai jugak mountainbikers today. As we rolled in, some groups rolled out. We headed into Dreamtrail and smacked the singletracks as enjoyable as could be. Awesome riser provided me with a descent downhill & casual climbing.

Punya lah lama tak masuk FRIM, ropa-ropanya all those nurseries near the temple gone already la. Giving way for a new wider road and the new UiTM campus. Heard it's for the medical school since it's near to the Sg Buloh Hospital. Road was definitely dusty & full of potholes. We called it a day at 12.30pm. Dude, it was a great outdoor outing to end the month.

Kuala Klawang revisit

We had fun, we had joy, we had season in the sun. haha, itulah yg kita orang rasa masa kayuh ke kuala klawang & back to batu14 tadi. We even had the afternoon shower on the way back to batu 18. That was when we stopped for a lucrative laksa buyong in the soaking wet.

Dah lama aku tak buat long ride. Dengan berbekalkan 2 kayuhan ke Tekala & Peres crank besar masak kicap 2 weekends yang lalu, aku gamble untuk join kayuhan ke Kuala Klawang dengan selsema sebak di dada. Kalau dulu-dulu, selsema sikit pun dah ngeri nak kayuh...itu pun sebab kononnya dengar pesanan2 orang la. Tapi sekarang wa belasah aje, janji mental sihat & kuat.

Kayuhan ke Kuala Klawang memang mantap sebab maybe banyak turun & rolling. We all sampai pekan untuk menjamu nasi campur at 10.45am gitu. Duduk satu kedai dengan konvoi Subaru Impreza yang potong we all kat puncak Peres sejam lebih yang lalu. Semua mulut nganga bila konvoi Impreza start enjin untuk balik. Mantap!

11.45am we all mula mengangkat punggung untuk menawan bukit bukau yang dituruni masa pegi tadi. Kayuhan dari pekan ke Titi untuk 10km yang pertama memang steady lagi. Lepas tu bila dihembus headwind, keadaan peloton kecil telah bersepah kepada cebisan-cebisan yang lebih kecil...hahaha! Kayuhan untuk the next 10km memang agak sengsara especially bila mendaki beberapa jalan berbukit sebelum sampai jambatan.

The remaining 4 riders at the back regrouped after the bridge before attempting the 13km climb back to Peres. Some of us dah mula mental kacau. Kaki dah mula sakit-sakit la. Termenung pun ada. Wa gagah kan jugak untuk climb walau apa pun. Pelan2 wa kayuh dengan Saiful, while Azahari pi teman Akmal yang dah tertinggal hampir kena sawan kat belakang. Bacin & Bukhari dah hilang entah kat depan, jauh sangat agaknya.

Bacin & Bukhari dah sampai puncak 40 minit earlier dari aku...lama tuh! Cuaca was just nice, not too hot, not too windy but the sight of dark clouds worried me. Azahari sampai 10 minutes later, followed by Akmal lagi 10 minit.

Zaaas! Kita orang turun tanpa cakap banyak. Masing2 dgn mission untuk complete kan ride. Tapi next target will be laksa buyong. 3km sebelum sampai laksa buyong, hujan turun dengan lebat. Aku teruskan kayuhan dengan the remaining juice yang ada. Dengan perut yang dah mula dingin2 beku, the sight of gerai laksa buyong memang dinanti2kan. Definitely aku dah hampir mental kacau. Hidangan laksa dibedal sekali hirup. Hujan dah mula reda. Kayuhan balik ke Batu 14 dalam sejuk memang layan. Ropa-ropanya kita orang clocked 5 jam lebih untuk complete kan 120km averaging at 22kph. Giler lama! Tapi janji stim.

Liquiman

OK la, wa admit sekarang dah kemaruk swimming pulak. Cita-cita nak masuk triatlon la konon tapi cita-cita yang agak mengerikan especially bila dok kenang part swim tuh...sriaaap! Takpe la, buat masa ni since tengah kemaruk, wa layan aje selagi mampu. Started since anak wa sign up for her swimming class every Saturday. Bila dok tengok yang baru belajar & yang dah boleh berenang, memang mendatangkan stim...hehehe. So wa pun approach la sahabat karib wa yang memang wa tau dok layan jugak sendri2 kadang2, Saiful la saper lagi.

So, salah satu hari tu balik dari kerja wa setting dengan dia pi pool yang dekat for both of us. Wa pun mula lah kuar ilmu2 & skill wa yang belajor tak habis zaman sekolah rendah dulu, 30 tahun dulu beb...giler lama tapi masih lagi wa ingat nama teacher wa Cikgu Arafah. Kira dia la paling cool kat sekolah masa tu sebab pakai swimsuit time ngajor. Saiful pun tegur2 la sikit mana yang boleh & hulur2 sikit tips. Wa pun try la walaupun badan memang kejong je nak perbetulkan apa yang patut.

Lepas dari tu, stim dah mari. Every week wa mesti layan, at least once, the most twice. Wa layan breaststroke je la, so takde la pongeh sangat & sambil2 nak improve breathing. Rasa memang best. Tambah lagi pulak sekarang tengah Beijing 2008. Wa pun layan ler almost setiap swimming competition yang ada. Kira nama Michael Phelps tu wa akan ingat la untuk olimpik tahun ni.

Sekarang sorang lagi plak member wa dah join the session, Bachin, yang dah complete Ironman last Feb & tanpa segan silu menurunkan ilmu apa yang dia belajor dengan national swimmer. Apa lagi? Bila dah Ironman dah masuk pool, freestyle le jawapnya. Stroke memang boleh kata hancur gak la, tapi wa layan je janji stim.

Kalau kail panjang sejengkal, lautan luas hendak juga wa duga. Atas racun roundup Bachin, wa terjebak jugak berhijrah dari pool 25m ke 50m tanpa rasa kesal. Nah! Tu dia! Sayup mata memandang bila tengok tebing sebelah sana. Boleh ke Cin? Wa tanya bila kita orang start dari end yang 2m deep. Kat situ pun dah huru hara buat breastroke sebab psiko air dalam...hahaha.

Bacin kata boleh punya, layan je slow2. Wa pun bedal. Bila dah lepas breaststroke 50m, wa try la pulak tekan freestyle 50m. Alamak! Boleh ler. Bacin kata lu try pulak 100m. Pergh! Mantap! Walaupun dah hujung2 tu memang rasa huru hara macam ikan belacak...Hahaha! Tapi all good. Memang best untuk recover dari penat lelah wa travel outstation every 2 weeks.

What a liquid weekend...

Ok...yes I was facing a deteriorating health as I approached the weekend. Thursday was felt like a very long day. The whole morning in the office, the afternoon was in Ulu Yam facing this macam bagus Dato' & the rest of the day got stuck in the evening traffic at middle ring road from ulu klang to ampang & cheras due to one and only evening shower for the week. Due to the exhaustion behind the steering wheel, my body gave way for the attractive cold night early right after dinner.

Friday morning felt a bit of headache. I was thinking maybe due to the extra hours I spent sleeping the night before. I was complaining to myself thought rushing out a contract document for binding was the target for the day. Eventually I managed to send it over to the shop & made it for a late entry to Friday prayer in Maluri. The remaining afternoon was pleasing myself with what a weekdays it were.

The Saturday ride was awesome. It was something I looked forward to. Without my health in jeorpadise, aku belasah aje kayuh...janji puas hati. Four of us started from Batu 14 to Tekala and back. The pace was strong and fast as we concluded our ride. Memang best.

Sunday, time to suffer oneself by waking up at 5.00am. It was Ekiden run's day. We had fun though but I still had running nose...argh!

Rolling in

Lama sangat aku tak sentuh roadbike aku. The last time was in May when things turned out to be too groovy...tangkap nafas kuda masa panjat Bukit Batu 14...hehehe. Ok, sekarang agak-agak dah muak sikit layan mtb since last month's critical mass. This morning I attempted a very casual, zero commitment road ride from Batu 14 to simpang Peres with Saiful...despite tidur lambat (layan melalak kat pondok daaa... =P).

Of course la aku terlajak tidur, bangun exactly at 7.00am although I was supposed to LEAVE home at 7.00am...hahaha. Lucky most of the ride stuff dah ready before tidur. Though I was planning to ride from home, things took a turn as the clock strikes 7.15am. Drove casually after informing Saiful for my delay.

We rode off towards simpang Peres & back stopping by at Batu 18 for roti canai on the way back, joined by Dicky & Man. We clocked 37km...hahaha, averaging 22kph. Antara kayuhan yang paling puas pernah aku buat sebab feel tu ada, despite torturing oneself on Sundays & end up dragging oneself surviving the family's chores for the rest of the day.

Spent the whole afternoon for a long nap with my sons, taking advantage of the sudden downpour. Petang layan kids main badminton & managed to gather about 8 neighbours' kids 5-8 years to join our evening ride with wifey around the neighbourhood. Quite an achievement =)

My first Mass experience

Yep, got to know about this phenomena from one of those Bicycling issues back then. It was Vancouver or San Francisco? Sorry, can't remember, but it was something though. Something that attracted me to read more rather than the normal stuff reviews & tips.

Came across the local event myself while I was surfing the net last month & I did leave a supportive comment to the blogger. Last night, I was proud to be part of an international event. Yeah, people see in different perspectives. I saw it in mine.

As I was about to discover more about it while browsing the local blogs, my earlier opinion came true. In US it involves massive tragedies with the law & politics. Here, it involves the normal sick opinions of bringing people down from doing something good...too bad.

However, all in all in depends on the motive. We, here, Malaysia, KL are just another typical Malaysian whom want to enjoy the sport in every kind of way it is presented. Ride & live.

Kayuhan Jatidiri (Meal Version)

Since our roadtrip to Kuala Kangsar and back was 60% mountainbiking and the remaining 40% more like an Asian Food Channel coverage, I've decided to dedicate this post for the food or meal review.

With compliments to our food guide Azahari, we managed to secure a variety of popular Perak delicacies. The following food trails prevails:

As we abandoned Tapah R&R for it's crowd on our way to Kuala Kangsar, we held on for another hour to ingest Mee Rebus Ramli in Ipoh. A bit different from it's counterpart like mee rebus in Johor Bahru, the restaurant attracts locals and travellers to Ipoh with this specialty. The place is strategically located out of Ipoh town away from busy traffic, along the main federal road towards Sg Siput. It also serves a few other dishes like lamb chop, chicken chop, etc.

Our tea time was served with a famous local laksa Pak Ngah in Kuala Kangsar. Popularly known located behind a chinese school. A bit different from the famous Penang rivals, it surely serves the locals eternally. Laksa Tanjung Bungah and the more defined taste of laksa Teluk Kumbar dole out a better ding for me though.

Upon registration and freshen up, we headed north to Taiping for our dinner. It's a revisit for me. We had to abandon...again, the famous kuew teow Doli due to it's crowd...again. The long faces of the waiting customers was not a recommended atmosphere after travelling 30km with ravening appetite. We headed straight for the jack pot. Yong tau fu sotong & kang kung behind Taiping Bomba. Crowd was under control. Two servings with hot lai cee kang was enough to make anyone propped against the chair. The ingredients with generous sotong guaranteed a come back.

We saved the best for last. Reloading carbos, calories and spice was our last "eatenary". The starving tummies waited patiently for the widely told "nasi wongeh" or "nasi ganja" in Ipoh town. It is actually a nasi kandar with kuah campur, fried chicken or mutton curry. The taste and feeling was undefinable. Every head across the round chinatown tables bowed in full faith towards the plate of white rice and spices. I can still recalled the site of it and the mouth watering taste at the edge of my mouth as I write this up. Another blessing for a come back.

Kayuhan Jatidiri (ride version)

Alhamdullillah everything turned out awesomely & handsomely as planned. Our first roadtrip for 2008 mountainbiking style. 10 of us signed up for the Kayuhan Jatidiri Mtb Jamboree in Kuala Kangsar. First time held with the support from the state government and local authorities. It was supposed to be a cross country outing and relinquish oneselves to the peaceful atmosphere of Kuala Kangsar town and contryside.

Seven of us gathered up at my place for bikes & kits transfer. Two cars with seven bikes rolled off at 11.30am after having a glitch with Saiful's rack. Traffic towards Duta Toll Plaza was nonviolent. We rendevous with Azahari and the Selama boys at Sg. Buloh R&R.

Maintaining moderate highway speed to save fuel consumption with 4 bikes on the roof, we managed to reach Ipoh for lunch about 2 hours later. We opted for the old trunk road from Ipoh to Kuala Kangsar via Sg Siput "highway" and managed to reach Kuala Kangsar Rest House an hour later, just in time to check in and registration at the Jaitidir booth.

The ride next morning was flagged off sharp at 7.00am at the main road by the town bridge where about a thousand moutainbikers crowded the streets. The idea of screening of cyclists via the 10km road stretch was cool. By the time we reached the trailhead, all of us were basically stretched out according to ones pace. The initial climb on the trail was a bit choked up by some inconsiderate kiasus but all went great for the next 20km.

The remaining 20km cross country trail was 80% singtracks and 20% firetracks. Some long steep grannies and some short bursts required in ones legs. Most of it were rideable. Things turned truely overwhelming when it was time to roll down the hills. Snaking trails under shaded rubber trees was magnificent. Fast bumpy long descents on palm oil estate tracks were jaw gripping and something one had to focus on. My Reba was floating away on the trail magnificently. We regrouped at every checkpoint or whenever necessary.

The excitement were cut short when the trail ended abruptly while we were on the verge of hunger for more adrenaline. It was time to loosen up the muscles pedalling back to town through the scenic Kg Talang where Man Laksa movie took place. I couldn't agree more, the view was breathtaking. Again the journey back allow us to share the ride stuff on our bikes. We finished our remaining 10km back at Laman Budaya about 11.30am. Just in time to catch our check out time from the lodging and drive home.

Fellow mountainbikers: Alwin, Saifullizan, Azahari, Mohd Padzli, Nizam Maybank, Nizam TNB, Mutalib, Akmal, Sidek, Aku .

Attempting Genting

Attempting Genting is one of the toughest challenge for a fellow cyclist, especially the ones with constant laziness & spirit...like me for the last 3 months. However, with the recent Fraser & Sepang milage on mtb, I put high hopes that my mtb will bring me up there in the clouds of Genting.

The rolling from HOA was delayed by 15 minutes due to some selfish scumbag. The climb up to Genting Sempah was nothing more than normal, same as riding my roadbike...60 minutes. Sky was a bit gloomy & foggy as it appeared between the canopied winding old Gombak road. We regroup at the top under the bridge, the normal spot for any ride be it to Genting Sempah, Janda Baik or Bentong.

A handful other decided wisely to turn back down to HOA, not pursuing their dreams in the sky city. Nine were determined to torment oneself gauging the limit of the sky. Six on roadbikes, 3 on mtbs.

The first 3km climb from the police post was something to be cursed about. It was tremendously steep with no discount. Motorized vehicles were jamming the throttle hard as they passed us exhausting behind choking fumes. We regrouped at a roundabout since that was the only flat spot around. The remaining climbs were a bit flexible continued with a long fast descent towards Gohtong.

We had our late breakfast at a mamak joking around about this crazy attempt. After half an hour, five continued on pursuing their determination, while four called it a day. Considering another week to the 40km Kuala Kangsar epic, this Gohtong attempt is enough. The rolling down the 3km last stretch reached 70kph with blazing adrenalines.