January - Heart on Wheels, Malacca to Singapore, 2007
....my first Singapore-Malaysia Charity ride covering over 250 km over 2 days...met some cool friends like Simon, George and Jeannie....the Cool Clucks Clan....and my first overseas ride with Mart since we went tandem during the days of riding with the visually handicapped...
February - Whitewater Rafting, Chiang Mai, Thailand 2007
....not the first time I've been whitewater rafting, but a first with Mart and Max....definitely one of the highlights of this trip....the afternoon was spent on the ATV, and the rest of the trip was decadence 101!
March - Whaleshark Diving at South Leyte, Philippines 2007
....whaleshark galore!!!!! this was one of the best whaleshark safaris I've been on...and definitely highly recommended for anyone who hasn't had a chance to come face to face with these gentle giants!!! 2 fins up!
April - Sabah Adventure Challenge, Sabah Malaysia 2007
....my first adventure race for the year with Teammates Ming and Ken of Team WTF (What the F***).....after 3 days of pure hell (temperature sure felt like it), managed a 9th place out of 24 teams...so close to smelling the asses of the top 8 teams.....
April - Law Society Bench and Bar Games, Singapore 2007
....our 10th victory over the Malaysian ladies soccer team! yippie! also started a lawsoc ladies soccer blog archiving the games we've played for over a decade....yikes.....boy, are we old farts!
April - China National Series, Kunming, China 2007
....first time I followed Max da Commissaire to China to witness a local mountain biking event organised to select world-class athletes to represent China in the Olympics! Oh...Commissaire's in town, ah owww! Oh....still gotta finish the video of the she-warrior women bikers who can kick the asses of our male bikers anytime!
May - Pan Pacific City Chase, World's Largest Urban Adventure, Singapore 2007
....Team MingLing's first urban race....not counting the Ace Adventure Race series which borders on being an urban race of sorts.....surprisingly, managed again a 9th overall position, but think we may have been 2nd or 3rd for the mixed category...surprise surprise, for a slack team like ours, having gotten lost twice at Kent Ridge!!!
....Team MingLing's first urban race....not counting the Ace Adventure Race series which borders on being an urban race of sorts.....surprisingly, managed again a 9th overall position, but think we may have been 2nd or 3rd for the mixed category...surprise surprise, for a slack team like ours, having gotten lost twice at Kent Ridge!!!
June - Singapore Adventure Race, Singapore 2007
....Team WTF reprises it's role as the f*****-up team, this time with me and Ken...the first time I've buddied up with K..K....Kenny! Once again, we caught up during the biking leg to 1st position, but lost it all during the run, when we were overtaken by Esther and Teck Wee's teams, and then got majorly lost at MacRitchie thanks to Ken's navigational skills! Topo King! Still turned in a respectable 9th out of 27 teams I guess. What's it with 9s? And btw, our team number was 69.....I got shat on by a bird twice after the race, and that number struck 4D several times! If I'd been a 4D junkie, I'd be out riding everyday with my retirement fund!
July - Penang Eco-Challenge, Penang Malaysia 2007
...the first KOTRT-organised adventure race, and first time Ken and I teamed up with super-athlete Teck Wee of SART-TITUS fame! What were we thinking???? Team WeeKennyLingus (try pronouncing that whil trying not to grin) managed to clinch the surprise champion trophy....thanks to 2 lucky breaks - first, the Malaysian commando team missing a checkpoint, and secondly, our twin-engine engineer, Teck Wee! Woot!
...the first KOTRT-organised adventure race, and first time Ken and I teamed up with super-athlete Teck Wee of SART-TITUS fame! What were we thinking???? Team WeeKennyLingus (try pronouncing that whil trying not to grin) managed to clinch the surprise champion trophy....thanks to 2 lucky breaks - first, the Malaysian commando team missing a checkpoint, and secondly, our twin-engine engineer, Teck Wee! Woot!
August - Ace Adventure Challenge IV, Singapore 2007
....Team BechaKennyLingers (note the change from Lingus to Lingers) only trained once, though we were familiar with each other's weaknesses and weaknesses (did I say that twice)! Seeing that we were up against super strong competition, Ken, Becks and I decided it would be a "fun" race! From being the last in the pack after the team biathlon leg, we slowly overtook the competition on the biking leg in the darkness of sanddunes, and eventually made our way to 4th position for the mixed category! Not bad for a 2-gal, 1-guy team, though it was debatable whether we should have joined the all-girl category given Kenny's preference for dresses! Haha! This was also a first 2-part overnighter race for us.....the extreme running route at Ubin was definitely something I'd rather forget! :P
....Team BechaKennyLingers (note the change from Lingus to Lingers) only trained once, though we were familiar with each other's weaknesses and weaknesses (did I say that twice)! Seeing that we were up against super strong competition, Ken, Becks and I decided it would be a "fun" race! From being the last in the pack after the team biathlon leg, we slowly overtook the competition on the biking leg in the darkness of sanddunes, and eventually made our way to 4th position for the mixed category! Not bad for a 2-gal, 1-guy team, though it was debatable whether we should have joined the all-girl category given Kenny's preference for dresses! Haha! This was also a first 2-part overnighter race for us.....the extreme running route at Ubin was definitely something I'd rather forget! :P
September - Bike Escort Services, AVIVA Ironman, Singapore 2007
.... First time leading one of the top female triatheles in the world! Later learnt that she struck gold at Kona! Oh.....I'm not worthy.......
September - Climb On Mountain Bike Speed Trial, Tampines, Singapore 2007
....My first attempt at a northshore type riding set-up (not counting Kent Ridge), which landed me with a sprained ankle! Stubbornly, I continued to ride and conquered all the teeter tottering....yahoo! Ok, had to contend with hobbling all over the place.....forgetting that as one gets older, recovering pace would be snailpace! Will I be able to ride again???? Xian....
....My first attempt at a northshore type riding set-up (not counting Kent Ridge), which landed me with a sprained ankle! Stubbornly, I continued to ride and conquered all the teeter tottering....yahoo! Ok, had to contend with hobbling all over the place.....forgetting that as one gets older, recovering pace would be snailpace! Will I be able to ride again???? Xian....
September - Welcome Saskia Lee-Mager, Singapore 2007
....Maximuzz and Lingers brought home Saskia Lee-Mager....and life has never been the same again.....hachew! Bless our new sweetie! :)
....Maximuzz and Lingers brought home Saskia Lee-Mager....and life has never been the same again.....hachew! Bless our new sweetie! :)
September - Krank 6, MTB Open, Lorong Halus (6-hr MTB enduro), Singapore 2007
.... Despite a sprained ankle and fitness befitting a carrot, Mingloid forces Lingers to form Team MingLing and relishes in torturing her in her most unfit state! It was pay back time! This was my most ill-prepared race, but somehow, we managed to ride into the night and took home the 2nd place medal for the mixed category (if I'd been a man, we may have come in 4th in the mens open category)! Riding on trash felt....trashy, but I'd gladly do it again for the late Ian, whose visions of this enduro race finally came true!
.... Despite a sprained ankle and fitness befitting a carrot, Mingloid forces Lingers to form Team MingLing and relishes in torturing her in her most unfit state! It was pay back time! This was my most ill-prepared race, but somehow, we managed to ride into the night and took home the 2nd place medal for the mixed category (if I'd been a man, we may have come in 4th in the mens open category)! Riding on trash felt....trashy, but I'd gladly do it again for the late Ian, whose visions of this enduro race finally came true!
November - Togoparts 11 (11-hr MTB enduro), Tampines Singapore 2007
....Just when we thought we'd do better at enduro races than most of the young and foolish cheongsters, after careful analysis, this was really a sprinting race, something that most of us sucked at! The competition was wild, with the likes of Teams Hammergel, Junaidi and other super-fit mountain bikers, COTES, the top-adventure racers in Singapore like Esther and Alvin and Kim Hong's teams etc. etc...you can kiss any chances of kissing the top 5 positions goodbye! Teamed up with Mingloid, Birdman Eric and Angela of ALG fame to form Team DirtAdidtion 1. It was only during the last 2 hours that we realised there was hope of our smelling a podium finish! Xiongalingam! Just when I thought I could lay down on the ground and take a nap! It was a combo of consistent riding, 2 ladies advantage and the bonus points which landed us in 2nd overall position! :)
....Just when we thought we'd do better at enduro races than most of the young and foolish cheongsters, after careful analysis, this was really a sprinting race, something that most of us sucked at! The competition was wild, with the likes of Teams Hammergel, Junaidi and other super-fit mountain bikers, COTES, the top-adventure racers in Singapore like Esther and Alvin and Kim Hong's teams etc. etc...you can kiss any chances of kissing the top 5 positions goodbye! Teamed up with Mingloid, Birdman Eric and Angela of ALG fame to form Team DirtAdidtion 1. It was only during the last 2 hours that we realised there was hope of our smelling a podium finish! Xiongalingam! Just when I thought I could lay down on the ground and take a nap! It was a combo of consistent riding, 2 ladies advantage and the bonus points which landed us in 2nd overall position! :)
November - IMBA Trailbuilding, Pulau Ubin Singapore 2007
....Happily became a coolie building a rock garden under the tutelage of Joey Klein of IMBA....managed to take on some of the double black diamond sections of the trail.....will be back with a vengeance once I brush up on my bike chucking skills...and maybe a full face helmet???
....Happily became a coolie building a rock garden under the tutelage of Joey Klein of IMBA....managed to take on some of the double black diamond sections of the trail.....will be back with a vengeance once I brush up on my bike chucking skills...and maybe a full face helmet???
December - Penang Jamboree, Penang Malaysia 2007
....Yeah......didn't get majorly lost this year. Also managed to collect 8 stickers for what is arguably the toughest Penang Jamboree todate! Came in after the super female cheongsters Penang State rider and Linda....was pure torture with the recurring sprained ankle and cramps, but the feeling after completing it was pure heaven! :)
....Yeah......didn't get majorly lost this year. Also managed to collect 8 stickers for what is arguably the toughest Penang Jamboree todate! Came in after the super female cheongsters Penang State rider and Linda....was pure torture with the recurring sprained ankle and cramps, but the feeling after completing it was pure heaven! :)
This about sums up my adventures for 2007 (or at least what I could remember of this year)! So, you think it all boils down to luck? Hmmm......maybe? But I do foresee more trouble brewing for 2008.....hmmm.....
If I don't manage to speak to any of you before the end of this year, here's wishin' ya all a belated Christmas and a great year of adventures to come in 2008!!!
