Saturday : Penang Heritage Experience on Wheels
Sunday : Ready for More?
560 participants!!!
Each year at the Jamboree, the overall number of cyclists increases by leaps and bounds, while the number of visiting Singaporean bikers decreases. In Dec 2005, many of our regular Singaporean hardcore biker dudes and dudettes chose to endure a different kind of suffering : the Stanchart marathon! So, between the devil and the deep blue sea, a rock and a hard place, travelling miles in search of torture when you can embrace it fully back home...you get the drift, it's a plausible explanation for the absence of sg bikers. As for me, it was a no-brainer since I try to avoid concrete running as much as I can! You will see why in an upcoming blog from fellow teammate, Mingloid who summarised our adventure race-turned-overnight-marathon very succinctly.
Team Slow Smurf, many dressed in blue, once again took the red-eye Sri Maju bus. This time round, Eric proposed we dump Hotel Waterfall for a 3-star Naza Hotel along Tanjong Tokong, which was a tad bit further to get to the start/finish area, but had an enticing beachfront (which I never even set foot on)! All in all, it was a good decision, as the hotel didn't look that grubby, staff were alright, except I had to teach the receptionist how to open their own safety box....not forgetting the hot water boiler in Chris' room containing brown liquid resembling water running off from our mud-infested bike wheels.
Having missed the first day's heritage ride, we made up for it by covering as many Penang food joints as possible as part of our plan to carbo-load for the next day's ride. After a hearty breakfast, we took the scenic chinese cemetary route to the registration centre, after which I attempted to lead Flanker and Fadzil to Gary's bikeshop near Komptar to purchase some powerbars and gels. My "feel the force, Ling" efforts were eventually rewarded, after taking several detours off the beaten track. Back at the hotel, Chris, Ming, Eric, Jason and I hopped on a "Air Hitam" private bus which took us to every place in Penang, but Air Hitam! The driver even had time to stop in the middle of a road for a driver-to-driver chat! I forget some Malaysians subscribe to a different time : rubbertime! Abandoning our quest to cover Air Hitam, we joined Chris' cousins for some intestine porridge, the first dish on our Penang food checklist! Not catching any shuteye the night before watching a lame violent VCD in the bus, we tried to make up for lost sleep before the bonfire and briefing at night. All I could remember was the "No Helmet, No Ride" rule, which was highlighted in the pre-ride biker's chant as the VIP leading the peleton seemed to be lacking in that headgear!
Just as well we skipped Air Hitam as the initial concrete ride brought us through the gates of the famous Kek Lok Si temple, reputedly the largest temple in SE Asia. I remembered chatting with Dave Chillon on the flats, and then this teenager who lives up Penang Hill during the hillclimb - who reassured me that the peak of the hill was imminent.....once again, I have to get used to the lies. Ming joined me for most of the ride, and we eventually caught up with the Singaporean pack - Jason, Nik and Eric - after reaching the top of Die-Ger hill (or Tiger Hill)!
The year before, I could ride up almost all of the concrete Penang Hill route. This year, the off-road uphill was a real killer! Needless to say, the downhills are equally disastrous! Being a real chicken (puah....puk puk), I pushed up and down the steep and muddy slopes upon the command of my near-cramping twitching legs and soar thumb (don't think I fixed my brake levers properly)! I let my self-preservation instincts do the rest! That was how I was able to return in one piece. No guts, so did I deserve the glory? Wished I could try the slopes again at my own time, though it would be a good idea to have an ambulance standby.
And so we've done it again.....there, and back again....in the words of Bilbo Baggins. Wonder what corny title KOTRT will devise for the 2006 jamboree! I live for these roll-eye moments! hee heePhotos above courtesy of Nik and Linda
Nik's Album
Linda's Album
Other Albums from the KOTRT Gallery
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