30km Cross-Country with a Pro

Kicked off on my Proton T-Bolt just after completing dawn prayers towards a friend's house nearby. His house is just a stone throw away from mine. He is my cycling coach. I call him Dr. G

We moved on to BB Bangi Sec 4 and Sec 4 extn  then crossed Langat River towards West Country. Proceed up slope by the side of Kajang Hill gc before disappeared beneath the canopy of Palm Trees.

After a few km of bone shaking endurance we emerged at the new Lekas h/w. Then re-entered into a rubber plantation and reappeared on route B18. Continued the adventure northwards till almost 9 am.

G is numero uno in cycling amongst my veteran office mates. He always look cool and humble. Thumbs Up for him...

Dr. G and his son. Like father like son...he..heee

Unfortunately my son could not accompany me today. Our final trail was the one leads toward Tmn University where we had a brief stop for tea.

Finally returned home safely. The abused bike is parked on the backyard patio awaits routine maintenance.

the Route

the Terrain Profile

May 25th, 2008 - 25km Cross Country
START at 6:30am around Surau al-Madani Sec 3 BBBangi
FINISH around 7:45~8:00am at PETRONAS BBB3

Charted Route

click picture to enlarge

May 24th 2008 - no serious cycling today, only a light spinning-around for a few km after spending 1hr aerobic session on nearby park.

BBBangi-UKM-Semenyih-Bangi Lama-Teras Jernang [50km Cross Country]

50km Cross-Country [XC] Enduro 
My first attempt for a 50km cross-country endurance [on road, off road, climbing slopes and downhill stunts].

It was done in two stages. My two sons took turns to escort me. Just in-case...

The first 20km stage was accompanied by my first son, Ijo. Probably this is going to be his last cycling with me. He will be flying to Dubai tonight. Got a job there. Good luck son. I'm gonna miss u.

The second 30km endurance ride was accompanied by my second son, Keo who had started his carrier as a  journalist.

stopped under a shed in an oilpalm plantation for a snack after vigorous down-hill stunts, where he was almost fainted - most likely due to low BP or insufficient O2 intake...

My new machine, PROTON T-Bolt.

Not too bad for a sub RM1k full suspension two-wheeler. Good all-round machine for newbies/beginners who r not ready to spend more money on something like Trek Fuel EX-series . Not a real MTB or DHB for the experts though. Best-value for money in budget X-country and touring bike category.

Letter from Dubai [a week later....]
Apa khabar semua? At last Jo dapat online juga dari Dubai! Alhamdulillah. How's everything there? JO baru balik kerja. Now is 8.46 pm in Dubai (Malaysia 12.46 am kot).

....now, it's 5th day of working, so boleh la adapt sikit2..... I had a new experience out of my comfort zone here in DUbai. I hope to stay as long as I can, insya-allah. Here, kawan2 Malaysia Jo terdiri daripada Zaidi Kemuning, 28 y.o (the oldest), Hazrul from KB, 25. Joey Boey, 23 (chinese from Kinrara) and our 'Sister', Smita, 19 (a punjabi girl from Ipoh). Jo, Joey and Smita are in the same department ....

I have good news and not-so-bad news. Not-so-bad news, the weather so hot but dat's just the beginning....From June till September, Dubai will be crowded with more tourist and the temperature can get to 50 degrees......sometimes terasa dizzy, out-of-focus ( dis nothing to do with seeing too much of ladies in bikini :) ...

Good news...we had an English test ... The result comprise of English 1 to 4 or Fully Competent in English....Jo is the only candidate yang fully competent in English. My English is acceptable for a World-Class Company! hehehehe...

The food here is great! Jo makan kat Jumeirah Hotel ...Menu pagi, Chicken Sandwich, Cornflakes, Toast, Milk, Orange Juice, Coffee...Lunch, sometimes nasi beriyani, vermicellli rice (mak can try dat! masak nasi + mee hon), daging steak yang selalu Mak buat masa Ramadan dipanggil Beef Swaharma, Ice Lemon Tea...DInner, lamb chop+pasta+french fries, veg. salad, air Lassi (susu masam - sedap jugak!) Mmg kenyang sgt..but Jo still miss Asam Pedas Daun Kesum ngan Ais Krim Mangga kat rumah...hehehe...

Yayah macam mana? Kaki dah sembuh? Harap OK la...kat sini sticker Barbie sebijik mcm yang Yayah beli lagi murah...50 Fils saja ( 40 sen) je...Air Tin (Pepsi/Coke) 1 AED saje...tapi barang yang lain sgt mahal! aIr mineral pon mahal...

..most ladies kerja in Jumeirah are Filipinos...ada yang cun2...hehehe...nice to see but not available...

Hm....Byk bende nak cerita tapi Jo pun nak solat Isya, nak mandi , dah ngantuk nak zzZZ dah....I miss home very much...dah rindu nak kokot daun kat backyard...hehe...Lots of love from Ijo in Dubai!

Wasalam,
IJo

UKM-Bdr Baru Bangi-Teras Jernang

Pushed off around 6:00pm by the side where the water flows down by the banks of Sungai Langat.



"...keep left then continued 20km..."

[tracklog with eTrex Vista HCx GPS]

...and returned home at dusk after watching the sunset. Tomorrow is another day and the life must go on. Hope to see the sunrise of another day again.

Previous Day...

Morning

Pushed off at dawn. DIY bike-light, a modified 12-LED flashlight bought at pasar malam [RM10 w/o batteries] was so bright...the brilliant white beam illuminates more than 100m ahead, much brighter than the headlights of those 'antique' cars parked on the RHS garage...

Just before sunrise I arrived by the side of a river near a lake...

...where I used to watch and photograph feathered/winged birds last year.

[Olympus ZD 40~150mm f3.5/4.5 @150mm f4.5 1/250sec ISO200]

[tracklog with eTrex Vista HCx GPS]

Evening
Just another evening routine exercise plus slope climbing around BBBangi Golf Resort [Cempaka] Housing area.

Distance: 17km in 1h 14min
Vertical Climb: 210ft
Surface: Mostly fully-paved sloping roads
Tyre pressure: Front tyre 200;  Rear tyre 250




[tracklog with eTrex Vista HCx GPS]