Great video by Kelvin Ong!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Century Ride Malaysia 2012
Over coffee the night before Century Ride Malaysia 2012 (formerly Ipoh Century Ride), a member of the organizing team told us that would be the toughest edition yet. CK described the 2012 route this way: take the hardest segments from previous years and string them together. Not exactly the encouragement we were looking for, especially with 6 century first timers in our group.
To be forewarned is to be prepared.
The 1,800 participants (record numbers) flagged off at 7 am for a 8-km rolling start through Ipoh. Though we didn't witness it, there was a pile-up involving a lorry shortly after. There were a couple of challenging climbs, but the morning was cool and our legs were fresh.
SC stayed back to pull us and we maintained a good speed, averaging slightly over 30 kph. The camel back (also known as Ipoh dragon back) wasn't as bad as it sounded. We were able to keep together for most of the 65km to the first water point.
That was the easy third, I told SY. We waited for as many FOTRers as we could gather and were mentally prepared for the next third. Had to pop a panadol tablet to keep the sinus congestion in check.
The next 60+ km were a series of rolling hills. It was easier to cycle alone, as our downhill speed and uphill climbing styles were different. But we would regroup for the flats. Passed through a few villages and the young children came out to cheer us on, hi-fives and waves. Never failed to warm my heart.
Law, J and GC pulled ahead, and eventually JN (aka Bushido) on his second wind (apparently he went on to overtake many others!). KO had to replace his tube and we stopped to assist. In the process, we picked up a couple more.
The cyclists were thinning out, and the sun broke cover. Together we kept together regrouping at each water point. The upshot was that we would be featured in KO's video!
Did I mention how good the support was? Abundant water and 100 plus, bananas and even bread rolls. The iced sponges were great and timely relief. Thank God the weather was kind to us, unlike Kuantan.
The final 15km was via the old trunk road, with relatively heavy traffic. Nevertheless, we were waved through by marshals at every traffic light. The sight of the bridge was a welcome sight although it presented a last hurdle for some.
Music was playing in the carnival-like atmosphere at the finish area. Cold drinks, water melon and a beautiful finisher medal. Nice.
Congratulations to our first time century riders - WL, SY, JS, KO, DM (aka sexy legs), SChoy!! You survived and prevailed. Many would come back for more. Special mention for JSh and Jodan who persevered and triumphed. Great race for SG, JN, J and GL (aka RSM) and many others.
Big thank you to our logistics officers JC (S4) and J (S1), WL and CL for arranging the dinners, PG for being ever dependable and steady, EN for our registration, and PH for maxi fuel gels!
The one word to describe the experience is the Greek noun argon, which is "a place of conflict" as in the stadium where athletic contests take place. Argon is the word for the good fight of combat on the athletic field where the most fearsome opponents are often ourselves.
For me, it was good to complete and in small ways help our first timers, as did SC and EN. Kairos over chronos, a trade off I'd gladly make.
To be forewarned is to be prepared.
The 1,800 participants (record numbers) flagged off at 7 am for a 8-km rolling start through Ipoh. Though we didn't witness it, there was a pile-up involving a lorry shortly after. There were a couple of challenging climbs, but the morning was cool and our legs were fresh.
SC stayed back to pull us and we maintained a good speed, averaging slightly over 30 kph. The camel back (also known as Ipoh dragon back) wasn't as bad as it sounded. We were able to keep together for most of the 65km to the first water point.
That was the easy third, I told SY. We waited for as many FOTRers as we could gather and were mentally prepared for the next third. Had to pop a panadol tablet to keep the sinus congestion in check.
The next 60+ km were a series of rolling hills. It was easier to cycle alone, as our downhill speed and uphill climbing styles were different. But we would regroup for the flats. Passed through a few villages and the young children came out to cheer us on, hi-fives and waves. Never failed to warm my heart.
Law, J and GC pulled ahead, and eventually JN (aka Bushido) on his second wind (apparently he went on to overtake many others!). KO had to replace his tube and we stopped to assist. In the process, we picked up a couple more.
The cyclists were thinning out, and the sun broke cover. Together we kept together regrouping at each water point. The upshot was that we would be featured in KO's video!
Did I mention how good the support was? Abundant water and 100 plus, bananas and even bread rolls. The iced sponges were great and timely relief. Thank God the weather was kind to us, unlike Kuantan.
The final 15km was via the old trunk road, with relatively heavy traffic. Nevertheless, we were waved through by marshals at every traffic light. The sight of the bridge was a welcome sight although it presented a last hurdle for some.
Music was playing in the carnival-like atmosphere at the finish area. Cold drinks, water melon and a beautiful finisher medal. Nice.
Congratulations to our first time century riders - WL, SY, JS, KO, DM (aka sexy legs), SChoy!! You survived and prevailed. Many would come back for more. Special mention for JSh and Jodan who persevered and triumphed. Great race for SG, JN, J and GL (aka RSM) and many others.
Big thank you to our logistics officers JC (S4) and J (S1), WL and CL for arranging the dinners, PG for being ever dependable and steady, EN for our registration, and PH for maxi fuel gels!
The one word to describe the experience is the Greek noun argon, which is "a place of conflict" as in the stadium where athletic contests take place. Argon is the word for the good fight of combat on the athletic field where the most fearsome opponents are often ourselves.
For me, it was good to complete and in small ways help our first timers, as did SC and EN. Kairos over chronos, a trade off I'd gladly make.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Stretching
Little did I realize how inflexible I was until quite recently when Z commented about my instability while riding. With the difficulties I had on the mat, it was abundantly clear that I needed work in that department.
As Z said, the amount of time spent stretching should be proportional to that on exercise.
Work-in-progress.
As Z said, the amount of time spent stretching should be proportional to that on exercise.
Work-in-progress.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Countdown to SD5
Perhaps it's too little too late, but for what it's worth, I am giving it a good go.
Signed up for Sundown marathon, fifth year consecutive. Collected race pack today, and it was a good expo. Lots of new stuff. Temptations around every corner. Tsk tsk.
The main point of this post is not about temptations. It's about LSD runs.
Last Sunday was the first time in months that I returned to a familiar running ground - which had acquired a reputation in the past year. It might have been at least 5 to 6 months that I was last here. At least a good year since I last ran here at night. Not too late at night, mind you. Around 7 to 8 pm.
Nice feeling as usual. Cool weather with rain in the morning. Good pace at HR~145. Two loops around the reservoir before heading back to Tampines and home. 21 km in total.
Savory salted fish fried rice for supper. Good stuff.
Thinking what I should eat after the next LSD run this weekend.
Signed up for Sundown marathon, fifth year consecutive. Collected race pack today, and it was a good expo. Lots of new stuff. Temptations around every corner. Tsk tsk.
The main point of this post is not about temptations. It's about LSD runs.
Last Sunday was the first time in months that I returned to a familiar running ground - which had acquired a reputation in the past year. It might have been at least 5 to 6 months that I was last here. At least a good year since I last ran here at night. Not too late at night, mind you. Around 7 to 8 pm.
Nice feeling as usual. Cool weather with rain in the morning. Good pace at HR~145. Two loops around the reservoir before heading back to Tampines and home. 21 km in total.
Savory salted fish fried rice for supper. Good stuff.
Thinking what I should eat after the next LSD run this weekend.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
PCC Interstate 2012
"Horse, Bull or Tortoise?"
That was the question the Lizards asked on the coach ride up for Pedalholics Cycling Club Interstate 2012; 420km over three days through Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor (hence interstate)
Day 1: 120 km hills. A category one climb over 3 km, 1 cat two climb over 6 km and 2 cat five climbs.
Day 2: 130km undulating terrain with 4 short climbs.
Day 3: 166km, the longest ride on flat terrain with strong headwinds.
KPI for PCC: to survive!
Through EN's goodwill, I joined the Lizards/Entro group with apprehension, knowing how underprepared I was. As one participant said - to prepare for PCC one needs 400km a week, 200 km minimum training. Gulp :( The longest mileage I had was 230km two weeks ago.
The Lizards' tag line is "Keep Crawling." That made me felt right at home, coz I am definitely a tortoise.
The one thing I really appreciated was that the group took good care of all members, even tag-alongs such as I. They designated regroup points, either to eat (breaks and lunches!) or refuel. They designated sweepers for each day. On the last day, some strong riders stayed with the main group to babysit some of us (ok, to babysit me!).
Truth of the matter: the rest stops for breakfast and lunch helped tremendously. In fact, they made the most significant difference from other events and allowed me to thoroughly enjoy the experience! Good company, good food, good cycling. What more could one ask for?
Day 1
Inspite of CH, I wasn't sure what to make of the cat one climb. Average gradient was supposedly 10.6%. Over 3 km, that meant slopes of 15% or more? With that in mind, I was conservative throughout the ride. The first climb - a cat five - was a warm up. The cat 2 6km climb was a bit of work, and I had to go all the way to 29 at one point. But mostly working on 27.
For all that hard work, we were rewarded with a good 5km stretch of straight downhill. Descended at max speed of 66 kph :) [Note: this is part of the Broga Loop, which comes up the other way. Imagine that climb!]
Surprisingly I was feeling quite ok. Then at the 83km mark, we were on gravelly roads - more like footpaths. Surrounded by trees, but snaking upwards. The fun had begun.
It was 5 to 6% for the first half and then 10s and 11s. Then it levelled out to 4 - 5. The big climb would be coming up just around the corner, I told myself.
That was not to be. The descent started, to a mixture of relief and disappointment. No dreaded 18%! :) The surprise was at 86km where a mud slide had gone onto the road. It was a right turn, and though we were forewarned, I didn't expect the three mounds created by the water. No way but to go straight through with much clattering of teeth and mashing of brain.
We learnt later that JK had a fall at this spot and lost consciousness and cracked his helmut. This remarkable man of steel went on to finish the other two days!
Lizards group pix at lunch break:
As was typical, the organizers had some surprises for us. Another climb towards the end, and some winding roads and sharp humps (GT fell when going through one such hump. Had several road rashes to show for it, and yet he finished with the front pack the next day!).
Last stretch - felt bad about sitting at the back of the peloton, so went up to pull for a short while :)
Total elevation gain of almost 1,200m.
Day 2
We waited for the train 1.8km from the start point near Desa hotel, and it was good to be in the front pack even just for a short time. Shortly after, we hit a big climb. With so many riders, it was like a pro tour. Shoulder to shoulder, tyre to tyre. I was uncomfortable and constantly watched the riders around me, shifting to the small chain ring to keep pace. Was glad to move on ahead towards the end.
The rest kinda reminded me of Desaru. Similar rolling terrain, but shorter. The Lizards waited up to regroup. I was the last, and at the tail of the peloton I honestly didn't expect it when the group started speeding up. Averaged 40 kph over 6 to 7 km. That was sprint pace for me, and I knew that I couldn't keep up for long. Stayed back when a JR rider dropped off and we were along for a bit until the next regroup point. The rider (#351) gracioulsy thanked me for pulling, and that boosted my self worth (just a bit).
Lunch was beef noodles at a town 20 km away from Muar. The chendol next door was a killer.
Pix of fellow Lynskey fans (MK and SC):
Day 3
Familiar grounds, having been through this way from the TTSH charity ride last year. Was separated from the group at traffic lights and tagged along with EN, AK and NP. Joined up with the main train at Pontian Kechil. Shortly after, I dropped back with the steady Bandung team. Unfortunately they turned off too soon, and worked together with two other riders before they slowed. Tagged on to another group and RV with the Lizards at the turnoff. Alternatively pulling with two other riders until a bigger train came up.
Lunch at Pontian - one and a half servings of char siew and chicken rice. :)
Accompanied JT's alt for the home stretch. Traffic was heavy and there were a few small climbs. Really glad to see Pulai Springs resort.
Yes, folks. I survived PCC IS 2012 without a glimpse of the C-monster. Lots of good food, great company and learnt much from fellow cyclists. Needless to say, a big thank you for my ever supportive family who put up with my unsatiatable appetite for long rides.
It is good being a tortoise. The tortoise finishes.
That was the question the Lizards asked on the coach ride up for Pedalholics Cycling Club Interstate 2012; 420km over three days through Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor (hence interstate)
Day 1: 120 km hills. A category one climb over 3 km, 1 cat two climb over 6 km and 2 cat five climbs.
Day 2: 130km undulating terrain with 4 short climbs.
Day 3: 166km, the longest ride on flat terrain with strong headwinds.
KPI for PCC: to survive!
Through EN's goodwill, I joined the Lizards/Entro group with apprehension, knowing how underprepared I was. As one participant said - to prepare for PCC one needs 400km a week, 200 km minimum training. Gulp :( The longest mileage I had was 230km two weeks ago.
The Lizards' tag line is "Keep Crawling." That made me felt right at home, coz I am definitely a tortoise.
The one thing I really appreciated was that the group took good care of all members, even tag-alongs such as I. They designated regroup points, either to eat (breaks and lunches!) or refuel. They designated sweepers for each day. On the last day, some strong riders stayed with the main group to babysit some of us (ok, to babysit me!).
Truth of the matter: the rest stops for breakfast and lunch helped tremendously. In fact, they made the most significant difference from other events and allowed me to thoroughly enjoy the experience! Good company, good food, good cycling. What more could one ask for?
Day 1
Inspite of CH, I wasn't sure what to make of the cat one climb. Average gradient was supposedly 10.6%. Over 3 km, that meant slopes of 15% or more? With that in mind, I was conservative throughout the ride. The first climb - a cat five - was a warm up. The cat 2 6km climb was a bit of work, and I had to go all the way to 29 at one point. But mostly working on 27.
For all that hard work, we were rewarded with a good 5km stretch of straight downhill. Descended at max speed of 66 kph :) [Note: this is part of the Broga Loop, which comes up the other way. Imagine that climb!]
Surprisingly I was feeling quite ok. Then at the 83km mark, we were on gravelly roads - more like footpaths. Surrounded by trees, but snaking upwards. The fun had begun.
It was 5 to 6% for the first half and then 10s and 11s. Then it levelled out to 4 - 5. The big climb would be coming up just around the corner, I told myself.
That was not to be. The descent started, to a mixture of relief and disappointment. No dreaded 18%! :) The surprise was at 86km where a mud slide had gone onto the road. It was a right turn, and though we were forewarned, I didn't expect the three mounds created by the water. No way but to go straight through with much clattering of teeth and mashing of brain.
We learnt later that JK had a fall at this spot and lost consciousness and cracked his helmut. This remarkable man of steel went on to finish the other two days!
Lizards group pix at lunch break:
As was typical, the organizers had some surprises for us. Another climb towards the end, and some winding roads and sharp humps (GT fell when going through one such hump. Had several road rashes to show for it, and yet he finished with the front pack the next day!).
Last stretch - felt bad about sitting at the back of the peloton, so went up to pull for a short while :)
Total elevation gain of almost 1,200m.
Day 2
We waited for the train 1.8km from the start point near Desa hotel, and it was good to be in the front pack even just for a short time. Shortly after, we hit a big climb. With so many riders, it was like a pro tour. Shoulder to shoulder, tyre to tyre. I was uncomfortable and constantly watched the riders around me, shifting to the small chain ring to keep pace. Was glad to move on ahead towards the end.
The rest kinda reminded me of Desaru. Similar rolling terrain, but shorter. The Lizards waited up to regroup. I was the last, and at the tail of the peloton I honestly didn't expect it when the group started speeding up. Averaged 40 kph over 6 to 7 km. That was sprint pace for me, and I knew that I couldn't keep up for long. Stayed back when a JR rider dropped off and we were along for a bit until the next regroup point. The rider (#351) gracioulsy thanked me for pulling, and that boosted my self worth (just a bit).
Lunch was beef noodles at a town 20 km away from Muar. The chendol next door was a killer.
Pix of fellow Lynskey fans (MK and SC):
Familiar grounds, having been through this way from the TTSH charity ride last year. Was separated from the group at traffic lights and tagged along with EN, AK and NP. Joined up with the main train at Pontian Kechil. Shortly after, I dropped back with the steady Bandung team. Unfortunately they turned off too soon, and worked together with two other riders before they slowed. Tagged on to another group and RV with the Lizards at the turnoff. Alternatively pulling with two other riders until a bigger train came up.
Lunch at Pontian - one and a half servings of char siew and chicken rice. :)
Accompanied JT's alt for the home stretch. Traffic was heavy and there were a few small climbs. Really glad to see Pulai Springs resort.
Yes, folks. I survived PCC IS 2012 without a glimpse of the C-monster. Lots of good food, great company and learnt much from fellow cyclists. Needless to say, a big thank you for my ever supportive family who put up with my unsatiatable appetite for long rides.
It is good being a tortoise. The tortoise finishes.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Reflections on a Century Ride
June (not her real name) glanced at her watch. 36 kph. The group had been cruising along at this speed for the past hour, 30km into the century ride. “The easy part is over. Here comes the hard part!” June muttered to herself.
The coordinator had cautioned participants about the slopes starting from 35 km. Not real killer slopes like Cameron or Genting, but sufficiently challenging for recreational cyclists such as June. The group started to break up as the stronger riders climbed with seemingly little effort. The likes of June and a few of her cycling buddies started to lag behind.
“Time to pace myself.”
Ironically, pacing in cycling is no different from pacing in work. June’s thoughts wandered off to her experience over the past five years, in part to take her mind away from the effort and pain. June could still remember her business trip to Denver, what – more than three years ago?
Had it been only three years? Time flew by. So much had happened since then. It was in 2008 that the company acquired a large portfolio from a major logistic company in the US. With hindsight, it was clear that was a good time to buy. The subsequent IPO (initial public offering) of that portfolio was a huge success. The share price jumped 11% on the first day of listing. That made some people a lot of money.
June surmounted the 8 percent gradient climb. Phew. That was hard work.
Hard work, indeed. One’s work is not done after IPO. In fact, being in the public eye poses even more challenges. Quarterly reporting, investor relations, AGMs, corporate social responsibilities. These were new facets of the job that any graduate couldn’t appreciate until he or she worked for a public listed company.
The downhill segments were just reward for that climbing work. Descending at over 50 kph was a rush, to say the least. One of her friends zipped past her. He had a good 30 kg advantage over June. Life’s fair.
Then came the undulating rolling terrain. June did not mind rolling terrain. Just needed a good rhythm. Of course, one needed to be adequately trained as well. Some of her buddies who did not put in enough saddle time would start to pay the price for the lack of training later on, after the 100km mark. June had seen that happened all too often.
The same principle applied to work as well. If there was one important principle June learnt since her university days, it was to over-prepare. Be it for a presentation, meeting with the boss, business partners, board meeting or AGM, it was always better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.
Further on, there was a group of cyclist gathered on the road side. Obviously a crash. Hope no one’s seriously injured. At the water point, June quickly topped up her water bottles and ate a banana. Great support for the event, June thought appreciatively.
Riding was like a debt instrument, June thought. When surging and climbing over long distances, it was easy to go into oxygen deficit if one was not careful. Lactic acid would build up. Without adequate training and hydration, riders would go into muscular convulsions, otherwise known as cramps.
The segment from the third water point due south was with tail wind. The analogy would be good times of low interest rates and cheap equity (before 2008). But as the event coordinator said, “Tail wind on your back means that you’d get head wind on the return.” The financial crisis was the headwind.
Just like some countries used to borrow and borrow more to repay past borrowings. Negative amortization. Some of these countries are now in financial distress from over-zealous borrowings. Leverage used to be the darling of the industry until the financial crisis. Interesting how deleveraging became all the rage then. The good it did was that companies were now more cautious and prudent in capital management. Today, derisking is the new buzz word.
June silently cursed at the strong headwinds, with her riding speed dropping to the low 20s. The afternoon sun was out in full force. Most riders were now struggling. Some simply chucked their bikes by the road to take a breather under the tree. Riders were digging deep, reaching for their energy gels, bars or salt tablets, looking for that second wind.
Speaking of second wind, June recalled how many companies turned to asset enhancement initiatives to sustain growth in recent years, when acquisition as a growth source became as scarce as hen’s teeth. She worked as the key personnel on one such initiative, managing a team that conceptualized, modeled the incremental cash flows, evaluated the investment proposal, and checking and rechecking the excel spreadsheet, making numerous changes as new information unfolded.
Topping it off, June had to convince the board of the merits of the initiative. Some board directors were tough as nails. Exactly what one needed to grind out the last 50 km of the century ride. By the way, for the uninitiated, this was the imperial century. 100 miles or 160 km. Not the metric century of 100 km. For the faint-hearted.
June was grilled by one particularly nasty director on her choice of discount rate, she recalled. It was fortuitous that she was well trained by her professors on the different risk components that constitute the discount rate. That presentation was probably the most stressful presentation she had ever made.
The last 20 km after the last water point were the toughest – physically and mentally. Mental strength would arguably be more important than physical strength. “What does not kill you makes you stronger!” Yes, June survived that ordeal, and she was confident that she would survive the present ordeal as well.
June’s journal
Kuantan 160
March 25, 2012
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