Reflections of a Long Distance Cyclist

Jack (not his real name) feels his quads straining as he and his cycling kakis approach the end of the long climb along the reservoir. As they turn into Mandai, they ease up to catch their breath. It is 5:25 am on a cool Saturday morning. Jack and his friends are training for the double century ride to Mersing with the 2010 Charity Bike and Blade this September. 320 km over two days.


Aaron is struggling a little today, Jack notes to himself. The group slows down and is passed by another group – the JoyRiders. Aaron is at a cross road of sorts. He and his wife have been planning to pursue MBAs in the US, even though both are doing well in their respective careers. They must be grappling with their financial resources, after all, a full time MBA is a huge commitment. In addition, the pickup in the property market has prompted Aaron and his wife to consider upgrading their current walk-up apartment. Heavy issues, indeed, weighing on Aaron’s mind.

Jack is an investment manager with a real estate investment trust with a regional mandate. His job requires him to travel more often than he likes. And traveling does not go well with training for a double century. Neither does a family with two young children. Nevertheless, Jack – who took up cycling only two years ago – is determined to train hard to raise funds for the St Luke’s Eldercare Centre.

As the group picks up speed along Mandai Road, Jack’s thoughts returned to the task at hand. Never let up and lose concentration when riding. Too many cycling accidents have occurred on the roads, some of which are caused by errant and drunk drivers.

After the rest stop, Jack takes the opportunity to chat with Aaron as the group takes it easy up Kranji. As it turns out, Aaron is looking to Jack for some financial advice pertaining to the use of CPF funds for property purchases and different financing packages. When they reach Lim Chu Kang Road, Jack can see that Aaron is more upbeat and getting into the groove. Which is a good thing, as the group rides in tight formation to enjoy the benefits of drafting along this windy stretch.

The industrial warehouses along Jurong remind Jack of his recent investment deal that involves a sale and leaseback of a logistic warehouse in another country. The market for industrial and logistic properties is probably ripe for the picking. The past year has been tough for REITs globally. The financial crisis and credit crunch did not leave his company unscathed. There were long meetings with bankers to restructure and renegotiate their debts. Prudent capital management was the key to survival.

In addition, investors were unhappy with the large discounts in REIT price to NAV last year. Acquisitions were challenging as the investment environment made yield accretive acquisitions all but impossible. Which was just as well as deleveraging was the buzz word last year.

This year is a huge contrast by comparison. With the upturn in the stock market, REITs are perceived as good value picks with their attractive yields. The upturn couldn’t have come at a better time, as Jack’s investment team dwindled from 5 to 2 last year as a result of inactivity and rationalization. In the current environment, there are still attractive opportunities to seize if one can manage well the overall weighted cost of capital. If the current level of activity escalates, Jack may have to hire another analyst later this year.

The peloton climbs up the Keppel viaduct. This is one of Jack’s favorite stretches. The elevated ride provides a scenic view, passing the luxury condos and Vivocity. The sunrise is spectacular this morning. It has been said that it is the darkest just before dawn. How apt even for the real estate industry.

Another of his friends, Tim, is unable to ride today as he is busy with viewings. Tim is a successful real estate agent, and the pickup in property prices, especially in the broader residential market, has meant that Tim has his hands full, especially on weekends. How long would the current uptrend last? Is foreign demand fuelling the property market? Are prices too speculative? Is the government intervening too much? Jack makes a mental note to ask Aaron to talk to Tim.

It is now 7:30 am. The ride through the CBD is nice because there’s little traffic on a Saturday morning. The high rise gleaming offices remind Jack of his earlier years as a fresh real estate graduate when he was cutting his teeth in the industry. Those days he spent long hours in his small cubicle in one of those buildings, running and rerunning the numbers on his excel spreadsheet, worrying about all the details that he might have omitted. But Jack has no regrets. He is thankful that he has the good fortune to be in the real estate investment and finance business.

It is now his turn to give back to the less privileged. Which is why he is training so hard on the 100 km round island ride this morning.

It is good to feel the sweat roll off the chin, his heart thumping, his legs spinning and the wind on his face. It is turning out to be a good ride.

*the above account is entirely fictitious and is not intended to reflect any persons, company and events*

Bike trainer

Here's a workout lasting 1 hr 40 min in preparation for aviva.  


Warm up for 15min. By end of warm up, HR should go up to 130 at least. Stretch.  


Drill: -(30s left leg pedaling - 30s both legs - 30s right leg pedaling - 30s both)X10. NO rest between each set. Keep moving. 


Spinning: (1min@90rpm - 1min@100rpm - 1min@110rpm - 1min@120rpm)X5, recovery for 2min between sets. Use small chain ring  


Main-set: 30min hard, aiming to reach HR~155 near the mid of the 30min period. Use large chain ring (race gear)  


Cool-down: 10min easy  


This was a tough workout for me, and earlier I made the mistake of trying to spin on the large chain ring. I found that I couldn't reach 120, not even 110. So use the small chain ring to spin. To start off, do fewer sets, e.g. 4 sets of one-legged pedaling, and 2 sets of high cadence spinning, and 10 min or hard cycling.  


For the one-legged pedaling, concentrate on circular motion, i.e. heels down on the downstroke and heels leading on the upstroke to develop a smooth circular motion. With practice, the pedaling stroke becomes natural. I focus on the circular motion when going into a slope.  


Equipment needed:

• Bike Trainer
• Spare wheel if possible. The rollers tend to wear down the tires very quickly. I use my old wheel with a cheap cassette and use hard durable tires. Continental has a trainer tire just for this purpose.
• Cadence sensor and HRM
• Towels beneath the bike - you'll sweat lots!
• A huge water bottle
• Fan - it'll get hot
• TV (optional)

Bike trainer is one of my least favorite workouts, but it really helps develop good technique. Happy spinning!

Aviva 70.3 2010: the day after

One day after.

With time to reflect on the experience and reading the newspaper accounts - participants commenting how hot and humid it was compared to 2009 - I am thankful that

• it rained heavily in the two days leading up to the race
• the sky was overcast on the first two loops of the bike and the last loop of the run
• I wasn't kicked in the face, scratched or swum over
• I didn't get a flat
• I wasn't following too closely to the rear accompanying rider (for one wheelchair participant) when he crashed turning out of EC service road
• the burning sensation in my crotch didn't turn into a boil
• there were scrunchies with cold ice water (at least until the ice melted and the sponges got recycled)
• I filled up my water bottle before water ran out on some aid stations
• encouraging words were exchanged with friends (IN, AY, KL, DJ, SK, ME, etc) during the run
• I completed the race pretty much according to plan even though I made adjustments on the go

Needless to say, I owe it to my family for their unwavering understanding and support.

IN said once that endurance folks tend to have short pain memory. How true! We are now debating on our other races for the year. Asia Pacific 70.3 Phuket or IMWA?

Aviva 70.3 2010 race report: The "C" word

You know the L sign over the forehead made popular by the TV series Glee? My equivalent, as readers would know, is the C sign. C for cramps.

It was all over me right from the word go this morning. Perhaps it had been too long since I did a OWS in competitive conditions, or just nerves, but shortly after I hit the waters, I was hyperventilating and kicking too hard. After the first turn, I slowed down to relax, but the damage was done. As I exited the waters after the first loop, I felt cramps in both thighs as I ran up the beach. Not good.

Had to slow down even more on the second loop, deliberately keeping the leg movements to a minimum. Took an S-cap at T1 only to find that my garmin was beeping insufficient memory. Trust me not to delete old workouts! The watch was a goner, and I had no idea how fast or slow I rode and ran.

The weather was wonderful during the first two loops of the ride. Overcast and cool. I kept the pace cool, not only because of "C" but also I had wanted to go easy on the first two loops.

Only on the third loop did the sun break through. And that's when the C beast came out again. It was on the last climb over Benjamin Sheares Bridge. Both thighs. Had to slow to a crawl to keep going. Thank God, the C monster abated.

Saw MBH there with the videocam during loop 2, and the first thing I asked her was for the time. 11:25. So about 3 hours plus. Better than I thought.

Took my time in T2 (too much time was wasted in T1 fiddling with my watch!), and remembered IN's advice to apply deep heat. It definitely helped.

The sun was out in all its glory during the first two loops of the run, and all I could do is to keep moving without waking up you-know-who. To be honest, loop one was the worst. I entertained thoughts of giving up then. DNF.

And let the C become an L? No, not today.

Coach caught me as I was finishing loop 2, and with his encouragement, I managed to find a second wind. I finished loop 3 8 minutes faster than loop 2, whatever that pace was.

Never thought I would be so happy to see the finish line.

The cold towel MBH brought for me felt so so so good! Thanks, dear, for being there for me.

But truth be told, my happiest moments were when I reached home. There was this banner made by the boys and MBH pinned over the door, welcoming me back.

Yes, all those hours of suffering receded into the deep recess of memory, as did the "C" monster.

Honor roll: Nimbus 9 silver, Cervelo P2, 2XU endurance suit

Aviva 70.3 2010

Swim: 49:02
T1: 4:34
Bike: 3:10:39 (28.4 kph)
T2: 4:41
Run: 2:40:42 (7:37 pace)
Overall: 6:49:38
Rank: 677 (17/35 in 50-54 division)

Race report to follow...

Too much of a good thing?

Saturday was supposed to be my first foray into the Singapore Biathlon, and I was looking forward to it. But I came down with severe stomach cramps on Friday night - possibly due to some food I took during dinner. I have a weak stomach, so I was anticipating a bout of diarrhea and vomiting. Suffice it to say, I decided not to take part in the biathlon. Disappointed to say the least, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Thankfully, I was well after resting on Saturday, and today I set out to do the bike-run-bike-run session. Similar to last week's - just that coach wanted me to go faster. First 57k at ave speed of 28.5kph. 8k run at ave 6:33 pace. 20k @ 30.3 kph, and last 1k at 4:54 pace. The timings were a little better than last week's. Partly due to the rest on Sat, or perhaps the SIS energy drink I took before the session?

This week's long run of 18km went well. Averaged 7:00 for 16km - I think the rain this week helped cooled things down. The last 2 km was at 5:36 and 5:28.

Overall, a pretty good training week, notwithstanding the hiccups.

OCBC cycle 2010 race report

There's a certain joy parenthood in watching our children enjoy the same sports as we do. That's how we felt as we watch D&E cycled two loops in the OCBC cycle Mighty Savers 5 km event on Saturday.

Getting to the F1 pit was a hassle, with the poor ingress and egress, traffic and construction. However, that did not deter more than 700 children from participating in this event.



Both D&E enjoyed their ride, and came back with several "war stories". Turned out that they were very impressed with the winners who zipped past in road bikes with high profile wheels!

As for the 40km challenge on Sunday, all I could say was that it was a recovery ride for me as I was too zoned out. I gave the excuse that I accompanied WL on his maiden cycling race, but I didn't want to go hard with the crowd and many narrow stretches and sharp turns. I thought that the route was quite unexciting, and there were just too many errant cyclists to watch out for to make it fun for me.

The congestion at the F1 pit was appalling - we had to join the riders to get out of the race venue. There were just insufficient thought given to moving participants to and from the race venue. The poor choice of F1 pit was a major factor. And the route was only 36 km in total.

Nevertheless, it was good to ride with the FOTR gang, although we miss our regulars - PK, SY and IN. JN, SC, WL and HC were there, as were I and I, who did the 20km community ride.

Congratulations to friends who completed Ironman Malaysia 2010

I am constantly amazed and impressed by the few friends whom I met at Bintan triathlon last year. They had gone on to complete the Desaru long distance and Putrajaya 70.3. Now, a new feather in their cap - Ironman Malaysia last month!

A-sifu completed in under 15 hours with ITB and all!

Great stuff!

Tough two weeks

The past two weeks had been an escalation in training. Two long runs under the hot late morning/early afternoon sun, long swims, more fast bike sessions on the trainer and bike-run brick sessions.

The first demanding bike-run-bike-run session last weekend was disrupted by the unfortunately accident. So yesterday was another attempt - this time a 50k bike - 8k run - 20k bike and 1k run. IN joined me for this workout (SC joined the ride as well). By my miscalculation, we rode 60k instead. The run was at my race pace - a very slow 7:00 min/km. Then with a 5 minute rest, it was another 20k bike. However, we ran into strong headwinds along the coastal road, and I struggled to keep above 30 kph. The return leg was a little better. I could only garner 5:13 for the final 1k run.

The day before was a 21k long run with a long swim in the evening. These two workouts took their toll.

Letter to the press

One of our regular FOTR-ers wrote this letter to the press. The event referred to in the article occurred last Saturday.

Educate road users on cyclists' rights

Well put indeed!

Road users should appreciate that cyclists have the right to use the roads as well. Many times we encountered inconsiderate drivers who would not give way to us, even though we had the right of way; honk at us for no good reason; cut into our lane recklessly expecting us to brake and give way; and coming so close as to force us off the road!

There has been a good number of articles of late focusing on the problems with riding on the roads. That this should come before a major cycling event - OCBC cycle - is testament to the need to overhaul the public attitude towards cyclists' rights.

Recovering from a crash

It is not easy to see your friends hurt and in pain. Especially good friends who have been through good and tough times together - both in sports and in life. Which makes this post a hard one to write.

I am talking about our crash (we all fall down) last Saturday. It was a 100km round island ride. We were doing good times with only two breaks - Punggol point and Mandai Shell. The accident occurred at the 84km mark along Nicoll Highway. IN was at point on aero when he swerved to avoid the curb, hit something and went down sideways. PK was drafting close behind, couldn't brake and flipped over IN. I was at the end, saw the accident, tried to brake, wobbled and couldn't get my cleats out in time before going down. Thank God there were no vehicles behind us.

IN suffered quite a few abrasions on his hands, shoulder and legs. PK broke his left collar bone and was in considerable pain. The x-ray confirmed our fear. PK's had a collar bone fracture and was advised to adopt a conservative approach to allow the bone to heal naturally with close monitoring.

IN went on to do the sprint aquathlon on Sunday in spite of a swollen hand and wrist. Good thing an x-ray showed that there was no fracture.

As for me, I had a small abrasion on my left shoulder and my left wrist and palm hurt on twisting motion. Nothing serious.

The crash put some of our races in jeopardy. But that is the least of our problems. As HW says, there will always be other races.

More significantly, the crash is a test of our determination to push through this wall - the wall of physical set-backs. There will be challenges ahead for us, but we will overcome.

To quote Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche: "Was ihn nicht umbringt, macht ihn stärker." “What does not kill me makes me stronger.”