All I can say about yesterday’s NR is….exhausting….perhaps..too exhausting...I need more training....hehehe
I’m not sure what happened to me last night….but the trip was extremely tiring….I was catching my breath all the time. Maybe it was due to wrong breathing techniques or the bike set up…ooopppss!!….bike setup was excellent….thanks to Ali….hehe
I left work quite early as I don’t want to rush to the RV Point…..reaches home at 7pm, waited for my wife to have dinner at her mum’s…then started riding to Larkin at 8:05pm…..I decided to ride instead of driving there as I usually did….it took me exactly 30 minutes to reach the designated RV..quite slow paced…maybe I was trying to conserve my energy for the NR…or maybe the MPTI uphill climb slowed me down a bit….a bit?..yeah right!...hehehe
I was the second person to arrive at the scene….the other guy (don’t know his name) greeted me and we were minding our own business…dunno what to talk about coz he seemed like the quiet type….so I took out my tools and reset my handlebar angle as I noticed that the angle was quite off when I rode there…done…and then I begin testing the bike again to see if there’s any other adjustments needed….perfect…..
The rest of the guys started to arrive and finally at about 9:30pm, we were already on saddles and riding along Jalan Datin Halimah towards RTM….climbing the hill is usually a breeze for me but yesterday, the first sign of fatigue showed there…..I was struggling to reach the top…and was out of breath when I finally did….not want to think about it, I rode on going downhill towards the Chinese Cemetery, riding past the schools, downhill again at Saujana and finally reaches town…
I wore a buff headgear during the ride that I used as a face mask…as all my previous experience riding in crowded street reminded me to wear one due to the exhaust fumes from passing vehicles especially busses and lorries and any other unpleasant odours which you may smell along the ride…
Riding thru town was a breeze…no obstacles, no stopping to cross Jalan Ibrahim, then going pass the Post Office and then straight along the Lido stretch…usually at this point of the ride, I am still energetic, can easily sprint in the straight line but yesterday night, I was exhausted…not quite sure why….maybe because of the Maggi Goreng that I consumed at 6pm with Jeff or something else…
Reaches Danga Bay at about 10:15pm…we all stop at the usual RV point for a breather. I didn’t bring my water bottle as I thought my bladder bag could store sufficient fluid for the whole ride…I was wrong…..by the time I reaches Danga, the content was only enough for a few sip….not sure how…but I must’ve drank a lot while riding…
The break was until 10:45pm and we were back on saddles and riding past Skudai Kiri heading back to Larkin. I was riding leisurely..letting other riders to past me and not making any effort to give a chase…that is until I realised that I am at the back of the pack with only a few riders behind me….I sprinted going uphill towards the Angsana Flyover, I know…unnecessary use of strength but I was chasing the green light…I do not want to get caught in the traffic…I managed to beat the red light and head straight down to the Perodua/BBU intersection…red light again…there were few cars waiting….since there were no vehicles crossing the road, I decided not to stop but instead dashed pass it….managed to catch up with a fellow rider but since he was cycling slowly (maybe out of breath too), I decided to leave him and move on, trying to catch the front runners but they were already too far…I ended up riding alone at a steady pace (assuming 25km/h)…
I rode pass STF and climbed the killer MPTI hill….managed to get to the top and then straight to the final check point at a restaurant beside the public library…most of the guys were already there and I was a bit disappointed with the ride..I could’ve gone faster since the beginning …definitely need to improve on that in the next ride….
Another thing that I noticed was that, I kept on dehydrating during the ride…probably because of the use of face mask which prevent me from inhaling cool air…with no moist in my mouth, I tend to drink a lot which explains why my water reservoir dried up quickly…I guess that must be the case…so no more face mask for me….well maybe….
I hanged out for quite a while before heading home at 11:44pm….need to leave early as I need to ride home unlike most of the guys who drove there. I rode the same route as last week, Jalan Datin Halimah-FAMA-Kenwood and then reach home exactly at 12 midnight.
Overall I can say, it’s a good ride though exhausting….and my mission to test the new set up by Ali has accomplished. My next ride will be this coming Saturday – to the Loji Sultan Iskandar with Uncle….if time permits….and God willing….hehe…Sunday, I’ll be riding leisurely around town again before heading to Larkin for the @ctive JB event near the Sports Complex.
Till then….ride on..ride safe..
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