Saturday, December 24, 2011

Rogue Rider: Projek Jugra Part 1

The plan...
I did a Google Map on Jugra town which is the next stop after Banting in Selangor as my next ride destination.
The plan was simple, set out to the KESAS Highway's motorcycle lane, take an exit towards Banting and that was it..
I also invited a couple of people to join in the ride.
One of them was recumbent bike cyclists Ian Wong.
He had to work on Christmas eve, so was dropped out.
I guess the rest of the flock were afraid to do such a long ride, and being a Rogue Rider, nothing else matters.


At the KESAS Highway motorcycle lane this morning...
Getting there and back alive..
I am used to riding solo and have absolutely no qualms doing it on a long-distance ride.
Of course the risks are huge, but hey, no pain no gain.
I knew for a fact that the route from KESAS towards Banting is lined with heavy vehicles.
And at top speeds, heavily-laden trailers can zoom past you with barely inches away.
If you get caught in their wheels, you are DEAD MEAT.
These are the perils of riding in Federal roads and some motorcyclists had paid dearly for riding too close to these vehicles.
The Gods were obviously smiling at me when I rode towards Banting.
There were trucks and cars, some just barely missing me as the sped by, I was lucky, really lucky.


Murphy's Law
It rained this morning and the roads were really wet.
Half-way cycling towards the Proton factory in Shah Alam, I lost traction on the Dahon Jetstream EX.
No torque at all. 
On this bike, the SRAM Dual Drive II is the nerve and if you lose it, you are DEAD ON THE WATER.
With the rear-brake problems fixed, I now had a dead DDII.
With a long slope ahead, I managed to coast towards a sheltered bus stand.
There, I removed the DDII's click box and noticed that the tension rod had came out.
It has a threaded end, so, screwing it back was the solution.
I remember the cog wheels 'skipping' and thought that mechanic Wong at Rodalink Seri Hartamas had fixed it.
This became a nightmare that hampered my progress all the way.
I managed to get the bike on the road, but each time when I applied pressure on the pedal, the gears began to skip. 
That was not the end to my worries.... 


A pair of wet shoes just dampens your mood to ride.. 

Waiting for the skies to clear... 
The road to Banting...
To access Jugra, I first need to get to Banting, Which is about 43km away from my home in USJ26, Subang Jaya.
Throughout the ride, it was wet.
I had to seek shelter some 5km away from Banting after clearing Sijangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang and Sijangkang.
After 1hr 35minutes, I finally arrived in Banting.
My tummy was growling and the only food I had, was a piece of Powerbar.
At this point in time, my fitness level had deteriorated.
I wasn't as fit as before, but I held on with everything I had to reach Banting.
When I got there, nothing seems to excite me when it comes to food.
Maybe I need to do another trip just to eat in this town... 

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