one.D'erailleur

Health Problems

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday...
Home alone now, wife and daughter are still in Kelantan since July 3rd, taking care of a patient in critical condition due to a Serious Stroke - medical specialists said bleeding in the patient's brain is like this...

I myself, got a Common Flue and Fever since Monday morning after returning home from Kelantan. Probably virus and bacteria got into my body while I was at Hospital KB previously... only the God knows. For time being no pedaling around, no jogging, no swimming, no outings, no dining... no nothing.

Saturday morning - felt a little bit stronger. May be on Sunday will go for a light pedaling around Putrajaya to keep the old motor running...

Saturday afternoon - almost recovered, only fatique here and there - some kind of an illness of the central nervous system. Able to drive to the nearest restaurant. First time jumpa nasi in 3 days.

Following the irregularities since the beginning of July, it looked like the weather was also unsettled lately - heavily overcast followed by rainfalls with thunderstorms in the afternoon. I have no choice but to stay at home and keep my bikes in the store for a while.

There were lots of house maintainance to be done as well while the regulars were away. I also took the apportunity to rearrange some of the rooms [as I liked] and converted them to different functions.

Main hall is now empty, thick curtains are removed to allow more natural light in and make it looks spacious. After all, it is not a gallery to display things...

This used to be family room, now I brought in dining table. So, the 'new' dining room is logically placed next to the kitchen.

The original dining room is now converted to family/multimedia room.

I hope my wife accepts the new arrangements when she returns...

One of the empty rooms upstairs was converted to my office.

July 13th, 2008 (Sunday)

Went out for a light pedaling around the heart of Putrajaya.

Very early in the morning, my son and I had already arrived by the lake at Putrajaya and started to pedal around before anybody else. Probably they were still sleeping or having breakfast or somethin'. I carried with me an old compact 5MP digicam to snap the following pics.

Thanks God I'm still alive to see another daylight...

I love the early morning calm...

... and the engineering masterpiece,

and of course lastly, but not least, my respect to the "architech" of Putrajaya, the TUN!

We ended by pedaling on the boulevard before returning home.

Looking Back

JUNE 2008 - summary
I started to ride on bicycles as newbie since April 1st 2008 and by the end of June 2008 I had clocked 1232km in 51-pedaling days. Averaging 23km per trip. In June I did on average of 33km per pedaling-day covering 662km from sea-level to about 1000ft ht summit.

pedaling daily-distance chart

The accumulated km count is important for me - probably because I go cycling for different reasons, not like most cyclists do - it has always been very difficult for me to answer questions when asked by fellow cyclists which "circuit" or "play ground" I normally go. I don't even know the exact location where Kiara trail is. Bukit Besi Temangan, 400km away from SKV I know la.

AHW cycling tracks around Machang in early June 2008 are shown in green.

I go pedaling to explore and see things around that I didn't normally pay much attention at or have enough time for while traveling in cars and other mode of transportation. Some places are not accessible by any motorized vehicles - not even 4WDs and off-roads motorcycles. While MTBs and ATBs always can, I mean... I can always tolak, tarik and angkat the bicycle when there are obstacles - virtually there is no hindrance to act as impediments along pedaling way.

AHW cycling tracks around SKV in June 2008 are shown in red.

Sunday [1232th km]

SEMENYIH DAM 70km - in CCW round trip from SKV.

Pushed off from SKV with Dr. G at 0640hrs. The whole morning was cloudy - then the sky was completely overcast, the rain falling in torrents just after we had stopped for roti chanai at a Bt 14. Then we continued cycling towards Kajang in drizzle.

Done 69.1km in 3h 25m at an avg speed of 20.1km/h, dragged down by the 10km-ascend in the vicinity of Semenyih Dam - about 4km of the stretch was really steep for a beginner like me. Freewheeling on the other side of the hill towards Bt. 14 was a blessing, really enjoyable. Next time shall try going in CW direction lak.

Dr. G - my 'coach' cum the trip guide

Saturday
I was supposed to join aerobic session till the end this morning - but the new instructor was so boring. After stretching in and out for a couple of minutes I left and continued jogging for about 45minutes around TTCempaka while my other half continued and enjoyed the dance.

Nothing much to do today. I spent the whole midday sleeping until I remembered to go n buy something at KSH Bicycle with Dr. G at 1500hrs - I sped off at 1531hrs following the fastest route to TTDI in 35minutes from BBBangi. Our navigator was Garmin Nuvi.

Putrajaya CRITICAL MASS-3 update
My START-FINISH line was at Dataran Putra. I pushed off with my son around 2030hrs to join the group at the pre-determined location. After nearly 45minutes waiting for the rest to come the Critical Mass grew up to around 80 - it has been reported that the final count was nearly 100!

We started to pedal at 2150hrs - as shown below in the CCW direction.

as seen by the satellite tracking device...

About 7km to the 'finish line' the middle cluster [mostly MTBs/ATBs - hardtail and FS alike] stopped to wait for the slower siblings. The frontline superlight roadbikes had left us much earlier in the class of their own! Of course there are scores of slower roadbikes too behind us. BTW it wasn't a race.

At least four [4] proton T-bolts were spotted in a row! - they were in white, blue...

...green and another blue.

Oh yeah,.. I almost forgot. There is another orange Proton t-bolt actually- out of scene. The cyclist probably had made a u-turn. May be he preferred to pedal along the alley or on unpaved roads...he..heee.!!

The total distance covered was 25.6km. It took me 1h 18mins on T-bolt - moving average: 19.5km/h.

The ride distance and the speed was "just right" for me as I normally do between 20~30km pedaling during routine nite and pre-dawn practices.

Some took short cuts...., no matter what, it was really an enjoyable nite ride around Putrajaya. Expecting the next "critical mass" number would be doubled - i.e at least 150 cyclists to take part. For sure I'll be there, again. "Wutta wunderful nite". Nice meeting with u guyz.

Tuesday
What to do when u r confronted by dogs while cycling.

Actually most dogs, especially those make lots of barking and noises are COWARD animals. Dogs do more barking if they are in a group, each and everyone tries to sing-along the out-of-tune chorus!. But beware when it sounds like "Ghrrrrrr..." it's an aggressive one!

NEVER run! That is a display of weakness. Face the dog. If you run the dog will come after you so do not run and don't say any thing - just stay calm and walk away slowly while pushing your bike - do not start to pedal right away until u arrive at the 'safe' distance.

If the dog comes too close for comfort. Then try first to command the dog to sit or get down, speak out in all languages u know. Despite the fact the dog is aggressive, if it has been trained it will probably respond. You could even try scolding the dog like its owner would. The dog should start to falter at which point you advance a little bit and continue to repeat the commands. Advance and repeat. Eventually the dog will either run or roll over and show you his belly--both signs of submission.

I face the situation during early morning cycling - almost every time, takut pun ada gak... every time I wished I had a proper device to exterminate 'em all. As I had said before, I wanna be a dogBUSTER. And I certainly will after getting the right "instruments".

Monday
Rewinding to the past twelve weeks... it was April 1st, 2008 when I first started to ride on a bicycle [again] after leaving it for 35yrs! It wasn't an April Fool at all. This pursuit was not accidental because my absolute passion was exploring on bicycle during childhood in the surrounding where I used to live and play, and even today some 400km away from where I came from I'm still surrounded by what I like most. The only way to arrive there is on the one-manpower two-wheeler.

Since then I have been practicing seriously on an average of 4 days a week [I spent the other 3 days for resting, aerobic/jogging and swimming respectively]

Referring to the chart ...

During the first 25 cycling-day I did hardly 20km/day on average. Then from 26th day onwards I increased the intensity by 50% more, averaging approx. 30km/day [at dawn, in the evening and at night... only 4 days in a week maah, not evelee deyyy]. I arrived at the 1001th km milestone on the 47th day, i.e three days earlier than scheduled. Hence I could take breaks on the '3-day bonus'. My next pedaling will be Thursday 26th. From then onwards I shall be pedaling no less than 30km per cycling day... if the God will.

At the end of the 50-day practice [Sunday 22nd, 2008] I spoiled myself for a 117km endurance return trip to Morib with my coach - Dr. G, the ironman TRIATHLON.

How to categorize cycling distance?

up to 10km - warming up
10~20km - lite cycling, just to keep the old motor running
20~40km - short range level 'S' [done]
40~80km - medium range level 'M' [done]
80~120km - long range level 'L' [done]

Next Levels....
120~160km - Level 'XL' [will try only after clocking 3000km]
above 160km - Level 'XXL' [mampukah lagi aku??]

Breaking 100km Barrier - Cycling to and fro MORIB

Sunday [1118th km]

The ATBike was fully maintained yesterday. Chain, cassette and derailleur were cleaned and lubricated. A new pair of light-alloy pedals were fitted as well. I'm now ready for today's "MORIB110km"

Hopefully the weather is going to be fine - better still if there are clouds in the sky by noon. I can't bare the scorching afternoon sun, that is my only "allergy" in cycling. This time I hope I can make it... and I must.

Left BB Bangi with Dr. G just after 0635hrs towards the beach of the morning calm. After 2hr 27m pedaling at the avg. speed of 22.3km/hr we arrived at the beach, the odometer clocked 54.79km from the starting point. It shows the time was 0916hrs. We then moved on to Pantai Kelanang, about 7km northwards along coastal road.

At 1044hrs we started our 60km journey home under the scorching Sun. Fortunately about 45minutes later it was overcast with high cloud that was thin enough at times for the sun to be seen. We had to stop every 30minutes cycling [approx. 10km] to top up our body fluids though.

After 3hr 32min leaving Pantai Kelanang we stopped over for airtebu as well as the shelter from the rain. The sky was now completely overcast, the rain falling in torrents of an icy coldness. Each of us consumed 2 glasses of the sugarcane juice during the 40minutes pitstop.

Seeping airtebu at a roadside stall on the way back while looking for shelter during a heavy shower.

myConsumptions:
2"SNICKERS" bars,
2 glasses of airtebu,
2.5 liters of pure aqua,
1 can of Milo... and
1 pc of zoom lens [broken!]

Dr 'G' the ironman TRIATHLON...

Special thanks to my cycling coach, Dr. Mohd. Pauzi Ismail [I just call him Dr. G] - who has continuously coached me throughout the journey. C U on Monday Doc - at the usual table for the 10am tea...I'll buy u a cup or two of teh tarik, if u like...

Saturday
Definitely no cycling today. The ATBike needs a complete maintenance after clocking 1001km. Before the new day begins, I looked out of windows and saw the setting moon. It was 15-day old with 92% remaining...looked dull and reddish already. Took the cam and shot handheld - I used the 'sunny 16-rule' for the manual exposure settings.

Friday
Early this morning I did another 1h 16m cycling [including stops at two places to fight against dogs] covering 26km, ticking the odometer to 986km.

Now, what I need is to pass through the first 1000th km psychological barrier. Expecting to complete the milage in the evenin'. In the final 1hr-lap I will pedal slowly, at 14km/h towards the unknown 1000th km milestone! Then on Saturday I'll take a rest and celebrate life. What am I going to do afterwards?

Meanwhile, in contrary to yesterday, today's [at midday] weather is fine with clear blue sky. Hope it stays that way till weekend. In the evening I set off towards nowhere, kept on cycling leisurely until I hit the final 14km to mark the 1000th km milestone.

As the sun was disappearing below the horizon I continued the final lap until the trip-meter indicated the preset distance of the 1000km milestone...

Azan Maghrib pun berkumandang..., aku teruskan perjalanan pulang sejauh 1 km dari sini dan tercatitlah pergatihanku telah menjangkau 1001km pada harini sebaik sahaja mentari terbenam. Semoga pada hari esok aku masih berpeluang untuk menyaksikan terbitnya mentari pagi yang terus menyinar sampai ke senja....

Thursday [960th km]
Woke up very early this morning to setup photographic gears for shooting the full moon at pre-dawn. The luck wasn't on my side though. There were thick clouds in the sky - the moon was hardly visible; biarlah bulan berbicara sendiri...

Instead of doing what had been planned, I shifted to shimanoGEAR cassette...

...and pushed off for 21km pre-dawn pedaling before the azan suboh berkumandang. Bergatih dipagi2 yg syahdu memberi satu kenikmatan dan kepuasan yang sukar diceritakan...

Based on the statistics I'm required to go cycling for less than 3hrs within the next two days in order to hit the first 1000km target before 'qualified' to go for the 110km cycling on Sunday 22nd. I only started to pedal since a couple of month ago - still a newbie indeed, but it is not the main issue - I only consider bike as one of the tools for my exploration/travel. Never even think of entering any competition in the future.

In the afternoon the sky became so heavily overcast followed by strong winds and thunderstorm.

The rain started to pour cats and dogs around 1600hrs. May not be possible for most outdoor activities ...other than driving car. Well, I love driving when it rains. It drizzled in the evening and completely stopped raining by 2100hrs. Took a little spin for 35minutes before calling off the day.

Wednesday [928th km]
It was almost fullmoon last nite - probably in Klang Valley and other major cities nobody cares. [even pungguks shy away these days] - except for some photographers; sometimes, somewhere...

It rained with thunderstorms at noon. Fortunately the weather was favorable in the evening - cool and cloudy. Left home at 1815hrs for a 25km spin around Sungai Ramal and its vicinity.

Tuesday [903th km]
The weather was fine and refreshing. Early morning temperature: 23deg C - probably due to the rain overnite. Unfortunately it was weekday otherwise I might have gone for another medium range cycling trip. Had to wait till the evening...

As usual I left home around half-past-six, but in this evenin' I carried along a dSLR with a new super zoom lens of an EFL of 140~600mm [wrt 35mm std] to capture the sun before it set. Arrived at TTCempaka just on time after Teras Jernang detour. From now onwards those photography-gears are expected to negotiate steeper slopes to the new height...hopefully.

Monday [878th km]
One of my cars got ignition problem this morning - the engine cranked but could not be started - no spark at all. There must be something wrong with the ignition coil or the distributor or the electronic chip, or any combinations of those mentioned. Luckily the other [similar] car [which is "B.E.R" and kept for spare parts] had all those components intact. Before trouble shooting, I had to send my 3rd son to register his internship at MMU. The cars insurance and road tax needed to be renewed as well. So I had to take an emergency leave for the day.

It was raining later in the afternoon and remained cloudy till evening. Good lighting for outdoor photography though.

ZD 70~300mm f4~5.6 ED on Oly E-500

Gone with the old 3mp camera which I had been using since I started this blog a couple of months ago - already shelved. Since yesterday I started to shoot some pics with a 'prosumer' compact digicam and an entry-level dSLR. It is yr 2003 5mp-digicam and yr 2006 8mp-dSLR respectively. The results were not too bad - hope to improve later on...

Evening
Began this week cycling lightly on main and secondary roads . Met Dr. G at one of my sunset watching spots. We adjourned at 1925hrs. Thanks for your Hi-Pressure Pump, Dr. G.

[the latest pedaling routes are in RED - click the pic to enlarge image]

Putrajaya Wetlands

Sunday
Morning at 07:05am - The weather was perfectly good. I left home on Proton T-Bolt ATB with an old 5mp digicam [and of course the GPS tracker on my bike's handle-bar] . I started on nicely paved Laluan Basikal for the first few km's towards Putrajaya Wetlands...then cycled for 42km.

my 2nd son on his photography assignment

Putrajaya Wetlands and its vicinity.

I preferred the perimeter unpaved road around the Wetlands which always remind me of my kampong road in the 60's - when I was a kid then.

mild-green and refreshing atmosphere...

A lonely swan swam happily...

Nevertheless, we had to rush home before midday after receiving a 'surprise' call for the father's day special celebration. Well...no matter what, when and where, family is always first. My eldest son - who is currently working in Dubai always on my mind whenever I go cycling because the gloves I wear were given by him [just before leaving on the jet plane] as father's day present. May god bless u son.