It has been a long time brewing - the inevitable climb up Mt Faber. For the benefit of foreign readers, Mt Faber is not a mountain, just a small hill. Singapore's that flat.
It was quite a turnout - 13 in all, of which only 4 - 5 had gone up Mt Faber previously. Nothing like a good challenge to get the guys churning. AY, our guru, came along just to witness our virgin climb up Mt Faber!
I had run and driven up Mt Faber before, so I was aware of the slopes. Still, going up on the bike was a different affair altogether. HR went up to 180 and it was just grind and grind. All too soon, we reached the top (it was only 2 km of ascent)!
Perhaps we were too overwhelmed by exuberance that JN didn't see a turn on the way down and fell. Thank God he wasn't hurt.
At the bottom, we stopped to regroup and I heard a sharp hiss from my front tyre. Good grief. The third flat in two rides. What a bummer. Thanks to JN (he's becoming very proficient!), we were on our way shortly.
Next up was Telok Blangah Green, a longer but less steep climb. Regrouped again at the foot, and down Depot and Alexandra toward Labrador Park for our third climb. This was a short one, and the gang was kinda disappointed (What? That's it?!). I promised the group that the fourth climb up Pepys would be a better challenge. True enough, it was. Just under 1 km, but sufficient to bring my HR up to 180 again.
By now, the gang was getting fired up and we charged up South Bouna Vista. Before we did so, we asked IN if we should revisit Vigilante, but we decided to give it a miss this time. And that covered the Kampong Kaki circuit (I think we missed just one climb).
A left into NUH/NUS and we headed up Kent Ridge. The 200m up the peak was, as usual, a huff and puff affair. HR reached a max of 184.
After these climbs, the slopes along Clementi and Ulu Pandan didn't feel that bad. A short 38k, but well worth every meter.
Indeed there was an air of exuberance at breakfast. Yes, we definitely improved. As SC proclaimed, next up would be the Kg Bahru approach to Mt Faber and our nemesis - Vigilante Drive!
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